i24news—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Tuesday that a deal being negotiated between world powers and Iran would leave Tehran free to develop nuclear weapons. In an impassioned address to the US Congress, conducted even as Secretary of State John Kerry was in talks in Switzerland with his Iranian counterpart, Netanyahu branded Iran a global threat.
“That deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons,” he said, placing himself in stark opposition to US President Barack Obama’s policy of containing Iranian ambitions through a diplomatic accord. “It would all but guarantee that Iran gets those weapons, lots of them,” he said. “Because Iran’s nuclear program would be left largely intact, Iran’s breakout time would be very short.”
Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, co-author of a bill that would impose new sanctions if the Islamic Republic does not reach a political framework agreement by March 24, escorted the Prime Minister into the House Chamber to give his speech. The day before, he told the crowd at AIPAC— “When it comes to defending the U.S.-Israel relationship, I am not intimidated by anyone—not Israel’s political enemies, and not by my political friends when I believe they’re wrong.”
Around 50 Democratic members stayed away from the event, but many more lawmakers from both sides of the aisle did attend, and Netanyahu was welcomed with a standing ovation.
“I may agree with some Democrats that the political timing of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation to speak to Congress …may have been unfortunate, and that we must work fervently to keep the US-Israel relationship a strong bipartisan endeavor. But I take issue with those who say the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States is ‘destructive to U.S.-Israel relations.’
“When it comes to Iran, I say to the Ayatollah and President Rouhani that any deal—to be a good deal—has to be built on more than mothballing Iran’s program—more than on an inspection-and-verification regime focused on monitoring a one-year break-out capability. You can be certain, the mullahs are not going to call us in Washington when they decide to breach the agreement. They are going to sneak-out—covertly, gradually, over time—when they think we’re not looking, just as they have in the past and they are going to parse the words of this agreement and argue—as they have already—about whether a nuclear advancement technically violates the agreement.
“…A good deal, not just any deal, is what we need.”
The Prime Minister, in his hour long speech, told Congress: “I know that my speech has been the subject of much controversy. I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political,” he said. “That was never my intention. You want to thank you, Democrats and Republicans, for your common support for Israel year after year, decade after decade…. We appreciate all that President Obama has done for Israel,” he insisted, citing the close security cooperation between the countries.
But, despite his warm opening words, his speech built to a thorough denunciation of the proposed accord, citing Iranian leaders’ threats to “annihilate” Israel and “aggression” against their Middle East neighbors.
“So you see, my friends, this deal has two major concessions. One, leaving Iran with a vast nuclear program. Two, lifting the restrictions on that program in about a decade. That’s why this deal is so bad. It doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb. It paves Iran’s path to the bomb.”
Sen. Rand Paul, (R-Ky.) said he was “pleased to hear” Netanyahu’s speech and will continue to stand by Israel. Jewish Home party member Ayelet Shaked said: “The US is throwing Israel under the bus.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): “As one who values the US–Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears throughout the Prime Minister’s speech—saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5 +1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation.”
Shortly after Netanyahu’s speech, opposition head and leader of the Zionist Union party Isaac Herzog delivered a speech in the Gaza envelope criticizing the PM’s address. “There’s no doubt that Netanyahu is a very good speaker, but let’s face it, the speech that we heard today—impressive as it was—didn’t stop Iran’s nuclear aspirations. The painful truth is that when the ovations are over, Netanyahu remains alone, Israel remains isolated and the negotiations with Iran will continue without any Israeli involvement.”
