The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is about to step into the lion’s den but there’s little chance he’ll emerge unscathed. His currency with the White House and the Democrats stands at an unprecedented low not to mention his personal relationship with the US president that’s gone from cool to frosty, primarily due to his unwillingness to work toward peace with the Palestinians with serious intent. On that front, things are about to worsen.
Indeed, there’s an upcoming hurricane that may unsettle US-Israeli relations as never before. On Tuesday, Netanyahu is set to defy the Obama administration with an address to a Joint Session of Congress, on the invitation of the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, aimed at derailing America’s fledgling attempts to forge a détente with Iran.
Without a nod from the Oval Office, this is not only seen by his critics as an assault on protocol but also as blatant interference by a foreign government in America’s affairs. In reality, Israel has been swaying US foreign policy for decades on numerous topics in less obvious ways and it wasn’t so long ago that those who dared to publish exposes on the pro-Israel lobby’s reach were deemed by the mainstream to have breached a taboo with few escaping negative consequences.
It goes without saying that the lobby has always been fiercely defensive of Israel, but on this occasion, AIPAC has put out mixed messages. One of its prominent leaders, Ben Caspit, said the committee was “in shock” over Netanyahu’s upcoming address and had tried to dissuade him from coming. Yet AIPAC was quick to officially refute that assertion and has been actively reaching out to lawmakers for support. In truth, AIPAC hasn’t been exactly enthusiastic, but together with other pro-Israel lobbyists, it’s backing Netanyahu with the full force of its weight. The more liberal Israel advocacy organization J Street is anything but fired-up by the prospect. Its president said Netanyahu was “crossing some lines that haven’t been crossed before and is putting Israel into the partisan crossfire in way it has not been before.”
Nevertheless, Boehner is unrepentant and Netanyahu remains undeterred by administration snipes of the kind delivered by Obama’s Security Adviser Susan Rice, who termed his proposed visit as “destructive.”
Netanyahu’s a man with a mission, which is to persuade Congress to block the US getting cozy with Iran, a country which he considers to be Israel’s greatest existential threat. And, by all reports, he will tackle Obama head-on with the accusation that if US-led P5+1 talks with Iran to resolve nuclear issues reach fruition, Israel’s very existence will be threatened.
He says he intends to “speak up for the very survival” of his country and will explain to the American people the danger to Israel from “those who want to kill us” armed with technical details of how easily swiftly Iran’s peaceful nuclear program could be converted to military together with doom and gloom scenarios. Most Democrats aren’t buying it — or even if they are, they're not saying.
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have announced they plan to boycott his speech. Some openly accuse him of staging a political theatre targeting his home audience in order to fuel his re-election chances, although it’s difficult to see how eliciting a downward spiral in relations with Israel’s greatest ally, funder and weapons supplier, could win votes. With declining approval ratings and a mere five percent separating his own from his nearest rival — the Zionist Union’s Isaac Herzog — his Likud Party needs every vote it can get on March 17. Others condemn him for creating a bi-partisan rift in Congress, which, in reality, has been anything but united since Barack Obama took office.
Then there are those Congressional Democrats who are privately sympathetic to his cause or have been staunch backers of Israel throughout their political lives. They are in the unenviable position of having to choose between the policies of the Jewish State and those of their own Commander-in-Chief. There are some reports circulating that the lobby has warned errant lawmakers that they will pay a price for snubbing Israel’s premier.
Outside of his own country, Netanyahu is hardly Mr. Popularity, especially after Israel’s merciless onslaught on Gaza last year that robbed thousands of their lives, livelihoods and homes. However, setting aside the merits or otherwise of the messenger, his message that a nuclear Iran would constitute a danger is worth heeding.
Last month, several Arab states expressed their concerns that a deal permitting Iran to continue with its uranium enrichment program and leave most of its centrifuges in place, would result in regional nuclear proliferation on the grounds of self-defense. And now that Tehran effectively dominates four Arab capitals — Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and Sanaa — via its proxies, the Arab world’s alarm is as justifiable as Israel’s.
