Danon: Israel seeks peace, but will invest in defence

The threat Israel faces from neighbouring countries means it will seek peace but continue to invest in defence to protect itself, the country's ambassador to the United Nations has said.

“We have no intention to escalate anything in the Middle East and our neighbours know that,” Danny Danon told BBC Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur.

“But they should know at the same time that if they try to pose a threat to our existence, we have the means to protect ourselves and we will do whatever is necessary to protect the Jewish people in Israel,” he added.

Mr Danon was responding to a question about the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech when he was visiting the Dimona nuclear plant.

Watch the full interview on Wednesday, 5 September 2018, on BBC World News and Thursday, 6 September 2018, on the BBC News channel, or watch again on BBC iPlayer (UK only)