Netanyahu: World blames Palestinians

JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The world is starting to realize it's the Palestinians, not the Israelis, obstructing Mideast peace, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday.

Palestinian officials refuse to move ahead with the peace process due to Iranian pressure and tensions within the Fatah political party, Netanyahu told a group of Russian-speaking journalists.

His remarks were reported by Israel Radio.

The world also understands the nuclear arming of Iran is the Middle East's main problem now, not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel Radio quoted Netanyahu as telling the journalists.

U.S., Israeli and European officials allege Tehran is planning to build nuclear weapons while Iran's leadership says the nuclear program is to generate electricity without dipping into the oil supply it prefers to sell abroad, and to provide fuel for medical reactors.

Israel considers the possibility of Iranian nuclear weapons an existential threat, The New York Times reported.

Netanyahu also reiterated to the journalists his promise of last week to ask U.S. President Barack Obama to release Jonathan Jay Pollard from prison. Pollard is a U.S. civilian intelligence analyst convicted in 1987 of spying for Israel.

Netanyahu will send a letter to Obama asking for the release next week, Ynetnews.com reported.

Pollard's current projected release date is Nov. 21, 2015.