Christie: ‘No Handshake’ with Iranians Until They Recognize Israel’s Existence
There would be no handshake or any meeting between U.S. officials and Iranian officials until they recognize Israel’s right to exist, Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said Sunday.
“We will not have an agreement, a handshake or meet with anyone of the Iranian government until they recognize the right of Israel to exist,” Christie said to loud applause during a two-hour-long town hall meeting in Peterborough, New Hampshire, Sunday evening. Adding, the U.S. should not tolerate Iran’s call to wipe Israel off the map by engaging in state sponsorship of terrorism in the region
“Unacceptable,” the Republican presidential hopeful said. “America should not be dealing with a country who’s doing that to our best ally in the Middle East.”
Christie said he would also tell the Iranians that under no circumstances would they be allowed to develop nuclear weapons under his watch, and would use military force to stop them if needed.
With regards to the Iran nuclear deal, Christie referred to last week’s report that Iran tested a long-range ballistic missile in violation of UN resolutions to prove that Iran should not be trusted. “Lemme tell you, those long-range missiles aren’t to shoot Israel. They don’t need long-range missiles to shoot Israel. Those long-range missiles are for us,” he said.
“John Kerry – with that big smile on his face – should be ashamed of himself. He and this president, and Secretary Clinton – who supports this agreement – have betrayed .. this country,” Christie added.