Netanyahu’s showdown with Obama

It seems a clash between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the American administration is inevitable.

Netanyahu has been turning the heat up on US President Barack Obama by saying that a nuclear deal with Iran will be risky for the security and survival of Israel. He made it perfectly clear that he would mobilise the Americans to force Obama not to sign a deal that could leave Iran with any nuclear capability.

Much to Obama’s chagrin, the Israeli prime minister is gearing up to address the Congress today, despite the unequivocal objection of the American administration.

This situation explains much of the tension between the White House and the current right-wing government in Tel Aviv.

Early on in his presidency, Obama underscored his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for a peaceful deal with Iran on its controversial nuclear programme.

This position has long contrasted with that of Netanyahu and his right-wing supporters in the US.

In fact, the pro-Israel hawks in the US have been unwilling to appreciate any American position that is not aligned with that of the Likud’s approach.

Obama’s reiteration that he is committed to the prevention strategy with regard to Iran’s nuclear programme did not change the minds of right-wing Israelis and pro-Israeli forces in America who argued that Obama’s position would appease Iran.

Their statements were not lost on the Israeli public. For this reason, Obama’s standing in Israel, according to many polls, has gone down. Less than 10 per cent of Israelis say that Obama was pro-Israel.

It seems that their differences are coming to a crossroads.

Despite the White House’s message that Netanyahu should not give a speech before the Congress, Netanyahu is defiant.

The growing rift between the two sides cannot be more obvious. To the core, and herein lies the crux of the matter, Netanyahu gives primacy to security and strength. 

His ideology and too much reliance on the right-wing constituency in Israel discourage him from meeting the American administration half way on two issues: the Middle East peace process and Iranian nuclear programme. 

As such, Netanyahu clashes with Obama on almost every issue, from the two-state solution, to Arab Spring and the best way of dealing with Iran’s nuclear programme.

At a deeper level, Netanyahu’s insistence to give his speech today may shatter the already thorny relationship with White House and could come as a test of the resilience of the “special” relationship that for so long has characterised
Israeli-US ties.

To be sure, the Israeli public is concerned about its country’s relationship with America.

According to Jonathan Rynhold, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, the Israeli public’s concern is sharpened in light of the upcoming speech of Netanyahu before the Congress, where he is expected to severely jab at Obama’s approach to Iran.

Sources close to Netanyahu leaked that he would try to kill the deal even if this ruins his relationship with Obama in the process.

Netanyahu argues that Iran is to make the best out of the deal and that nothing in the deal prevents Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon in 10 years to come. 

Preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear capability is a priority for Israelis, as they believe that a nuclearised Iran can pose a credible threat to the survival of Israel. 

Netanyahu seems willing to undermine the ties with Obama for the sake of making sure that Iran cannot develop nuclear weapon.

In two years’ time, Obama will be a former president and then Israel can patch up the special relationship with America.

Obviously, no amount of push back could discourage Netanyahu from giving his speech. The US administration has already begun to undermine Netanyahu, but it remains to be seen what Netanyahu is going to say to turn the Congress against Obama.

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