This exclusive excerpt from the Israeli leader's book reveals a flashpoint in his relationship with Obama and its impact on tensions over the Iranian nuclear deal.
Barely a few hours passed before Secretary of State Clinton, while being interviewed on Canadian television, said emphatically, clearly in response to me,"The U.S. is not setting deadlines for Iran."
"The world tells Israel, 'Wait, there's still time,'" I said."And I say, 'Wait for what? Wait until when?' Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel. I instructed National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror to tell the press that we hadn't asked for a meeting with Obama, even though Dermer had. Amidror said it was the only time he had lied in all his years of public service. I offered a lame excuse to Mitt Romney on why we couldn't meet. He accepted it graciously.
Obama pushed back on this:"We've imposed the toughest sanctions ever on Iran. The idea that we're spending more time convincing Israel not to act than on Iran is not true. Some of the concerns we raised were raised by your military people, too.""We don't need to get into the deliberations of our military but they are more nuanced than that," I said.
Gary's first suggestion was that I physically draw the bomb while standing on the podium. After some quick trials I passed on that idea. I would have the bomb diagram prepared in advance.