Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was caught on a hot mic Wednesday railing against the European Union's treatment of Israel.



Netanyahu was meeting with leaders at a regional summit, where a conversation with his Czech and Hungarian counterparts discussing Iran, Syria, ISIS, and EU-Israel relations was accidentally broadcast to journalists covering the conference.

Netanyahu went off on the EU's "crazy" insistence on resolving the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a precondition for closer ties with the 28-state bloc, and trumpeted Israel as essential to Europe's prosperity and survival.

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"It's crazy. I think it's actually crazy,” Netanyahu said. "There is no logic here. Europe is undermining its security by undermining Israel. Europe is undermining its progress by undermining the connection with Israeli innovation because of a crazy attempt to create conditions (for peace with the Palestinians)."

European ties with Israel would determine whether the 28-member union would "live and thrive or shrivel and disappear," he added.

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The EU doesn't recognize Israeli sovereignty over the land it won in the 1967 Mideast war.

"The European Union is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel - that produces technology in every area - on political conditions. The only ones. Nobody does it," Netanyahu said, citing Russia, China and India's willingness to do business with Israel despite differences in politics.

Netanyahu has pushed for closer trade ties with India and China in recent years. Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Netanyahu signed a number of trade agreements.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.