PRIME MINISTER Netanyahu has been more vocal than any of his predecessors about the ‘looming Iranian danger,’ insisting that any agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons will amount to nothing more than a technical pause. He has been rallying members of Congress to impose additional crippling sanctions on Iran, hoping that the mounting economic pressure will precipitate a regime change, or at a minimum, force the current regime to abandon its ambition to acquire nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu has convinced himself that President Obama’s ‘eagerness’ to strike a deal with Iran would leave Israel vulnerable, even though the President has forcefully and repeatedly made it clear that under no circumstances will he strike a deal that can remotely undermine Israel’s national security.
Netanyahu, with wide Republican support in Congress, contends that notwithstanding Iran’s change of tone, its apparent willingness to cooperate, and insistence that its nuclear program is peaceful, Iran is a wolf in sheep’s clothing determined to achieve its nuclear goal, however long that might take.
Tehran has already secured two principle demands: enriching uranium on its soil and limiting any new agreement to a number of years. From Netanyahu’s perspective, this is a recipe for disaster, as Iran would subsequently be free to pursue its nuclear weapon program.
Netanyahu maintains that even though Khamenei has repeatedly stated that he is against the building of nuclear weapons, Khamenei distinguishes between the possession of nuclear weapons and having the technology and materials to assemble one in short order, which amounts to the same thing.
The problem here is that Netanyahu does not believe that President Obama will demand an airtight longer-term agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Even though the US has kept Israel informed about the substance of the negotiations with Iran, Netanyahu spared no efforts to rally Congress to legislate a new set of sanctions that could only derail the negotiations.
Netanyahu’s acceptance of the invitation by House Speaker Boehner to address a joint session of Congress to rebut President Obama’s Iran strategy is misguided and terribly damaging to US and Israeli strategic interests.
For Netanyahu to ignore protocol and notify the White House only after he accepted the invitation and refused to rescind it, is a slap in the face of the President who has done more than any of his predecessors to safeguard Israel’s security.
Netanyahu has ignored every appeal from the media, leaders of Jewish organizations, Israel’s European friends, and many others to cancel his trip, if for no other reason but for Israel’s sake.
To be sure, Netanyahu has disgraced Israel and undermined its crucial relations with the most important ally that stood by it, rain or shine, and remains its ultimate defender.
Being that the US has and continues to be the ultimate guarantor of Israel’s national security, it defies logic that the US would allow any loopholes in a new long-term agreement that would in any way endanger Israel at a later date.
Netanyahu knows too well that should Iran violate the new agreement, and if it were determined that the use of force is necessary to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, only the US can undertake such an extreme measure.
Furthermore, even if Netanyahu loses his mind and decides to attack Iran on his own, the US will still be dragged in because Israel does not have the military capability to embark on such an awesome undertaking without US support, given the likely horrifying regional consequences.
By what logic does Netanyahu have the chutzpah to second-guess the US and act in a reckless and appalling manner, which can only damage Israel’s sacred ties with the US to score some political points at home, especially at election time?
Netanyahu knows better than most people that without the US’ political, military, and economic support, Israel could not have existed, let alone become a regional powerhouse in all walks of life.
A responsible Israeli prime minister must work closely with the US to produce an airtight deal and rally his allies in Congress to work toward that end, instead of trying to torpedo an agreement that could, at least potentially, eliminate the Iranian threat.
To begin with, the US must make it clear that it will not hesitate to impose additional crippling sanctions with the full support of Congress if Iran continues to drag its feet. The agreement should include the following provisions:
Iran’s technical ability to construct a nuclear weapon must be curtailed by a significant reduction in the number of centrifuges, and restrictions must be placed on the installation of advanced ones.
Iran’s plutonium-production capability at Arak must permanently be disabled, and strict limits must be imposed on the quality and quantity of the production of enriched uranium.
The US should insist that Iran end its research and development of its ballistic missile program, which could threaten Israel, and agree on the most unfettered, intrusive, and unannounced inspections regime.
The Mullahs must be persuaded that the US is prepared to resort to the military option to stop Iran’s drive to become a nuclear state by remaining militarily vigilant throughout the Gulf. Finally, the agreement should be effective for at least 10 years.
Netanyahu must understand that the eventual normalization of relations between the US and Iran is the best way by which to eliminate the Iranian threat. Therefore, if there is any chance, however small, that such an agreement will stand the test of time, it must be explored.
The alternative is leaving Iran free to redouble its effort to reach the nuclear threshold, forcing the US to choose between the lesser of two evils: to contain Iran (which is costly, dangerous, and prone to instability), or attack its nuclear facilities, which will further destabilize the region and undermine rather than enhance Israel’s national security.
Notwithstanding the accolades Netanyahu may receive from the floor of Congress, he has betrayed what is best for Israel. The Israeli electorate must remember this as they cast their votes come election day.
There is no doubt that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s acceptance of House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to address a joint session of Congress on Iran is extraordinarily damaging to Israel-US relations. The damage, however, transcends the bilateral relations as it reverberates and impacts adversely on Israel’s relations with scores of other countries. Netanyahu and his messenger boy, Ron Dermer (Israel’s Ambassador to Washington), thought they had cleverly outmaneuvered the White House by concocting such a cynical ploy, but they will soon realize – if they haven’t already – that they have sunk into such disrepute that it will haunt them for the rest of their political careers.
Many Congressional Democrats are incensed by Netanyahu’s diplomatic transgression. They have decided to drop new legislation to impose additional sanctions on Iran until after the March 24 deadline, when an agreement will have to be achieved in principle between Iran and the P5+1. By his own shortsightedness, Netanyahu risked the bipartisan Congressional support of Israel and ended up with precisely the opposite of what he wished to achieve.
Irrespective of who the President is and which political party he is from, Americans have high esteem for the Executive Office of the President. Netanyahu has not only snubbed Obama, but dishonored the office that holds such awesome constitutional powers, which is apparently beyond the grasp of an arrogant caretaker prime minister.
No leader with any self-respect would have dared to do what Netanyahu has brazenly done. Even if Netanyahu ends up canceling the visit, the damage to Israel has already been done, while inflicting extreme harm to the US’ strategic interests.
The repercussions of Netanyahu’s ill-conceived and poorly-executed scheme are numerous, which only a reckless person could fail to consider.
The erosion in the bilateral relationship between Israel and the US will only harden the position of Israel’s staunch enemies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, who will seek to exploit it. Indeed, the greater the tension between Israel and its sole defender, the greater the resistance will be from Israel’s enemies, as they see no reason to relent or be flexible.
America’s European allies, including the UK, France, and many of the Scandinavian countries, who have serious disagreements with Israel’s policies on the settlements and the continuing occupation, have not taken serious punitive actions against Israel, only because of American urging not to do so. They will now feel more emboldened to go after Israel in the international arena—giving support to BDS and seeking other punitive measures as they see fit.
For the Arab states who believe that the US is in Israel’s pocket, Netanyahu’s defiance of the White House only confirms their belief, especially as they will likely witness several standing ovations (albeit undeserving and contrived) from the floor of the House of Representatives during Netanyahu’s speech.
This will not only further undermine US interests in the Middle East, but will also erode America’s influence on the leading Arab countries that can pressure the Palestinians to make important concessions to Israel, especially in the peace process.
As Senator John McCain of Arizona, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said about the state of US-Israeli relations, “It’s the worst that I’ve ever seen in my lifetime, and that in itself is a tragedy.”
There are those typically arrogant Israelis who have no clue how critical the US’ political, military, and economic support is to Israel’s very survival, and who take America’s support for granted.
Even if Israel could manage without American financial aid and somehow survive without military support, it cannot endure without America’s crucial political backing, which is no longer a given because of Netanyahu’s six years of defiance and deceit.
I want every Israeli to think for one moment what will happen if the US votes in favor, or even abstains, the next time the Palestinians push for a UNSC resolution to establish a state based on the 1967 borders—which they will be encouraged to reintroduce in the wake of the US-Israeli crisis.
Within a few days, more than one hundred countries would recognize it. Israel would become an occupier of another state, subject to massive international sanctions. Many countries would withdraw their ambassadors, further isolating Israel and making it a pariah state. Scores of its officials would be threatened with facing the International Criminal Court for human rights violations.
There are those Israeli fools who suggest that Netanyahu is absolutely correct that Obama is a paper tiger and will not do anything against Iran. Suppose this is true—who will do something about Iran? Netanyahu? He has been bluffing for years, and even if he wasn’t bluffing, can Israel do it on its own and pray that the US comes to its rescue?
Notwithstanding the continuing American public support of Israel, other than refusing to meet Netanyahu, the President should take punitive action to convey to the Israelis that their leaders cannot commit such political lapses with impunity.
At a minimum, the White House should declare Ambassador Dermer, who should have known better as a former political consultant for the Republicans, persona non grata for his conniving and deliberate breach of diplomatic protocol to prevent such sad episodes from ever happening again for Israel’s own sake.
Netanyahu must remember that Obama knows that if Tehran comes any closer to reaching the breakout point in its nuclear weapons program, the US will shoulder the responsibility because only the US can do something about it.
Considering the turmoil sweeping the Middle East and the danger Israel faces, any Israeli leader must safeguard Israel’s relations with the US because its national security depends on the US’ commitment.
Although relations between Israelis and Americans, as people-to-people, is strong and more enduring than the transient relations between the two heads of state, a misguided leader such as Netanyahu has, nevertheless, inflicted probably irreparable damage to the ties between the two countries, which only sober and wise Israeli leaders can mend.
The Israelis must deny Netanyahu another term in office because should he win, his victory will demonstrate that they are following a blind shepherd who is systematically destroying Israel’s vital relations with the US at a time when Israel is in dire need of America’s unmitigated backing. (alon@alonben-meir.com)
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