Yes, Israel the tail, continues to try to wag America, the Big Dog. Some things never change. Here we have the leader of a tiny sliver of a country preparing to come swaggering into America and attempt to dictate what the U.S. government must do. The audacity and arrogance of this man is absolutely astounding. Talk about an unwelcome guest!
What other country in the world would ever allow this man to come in and speak before the highest levels of its government, giving him a platform by which to interfere with its decision-making process? He is here at the invitation of the Republican leadership in the House, namely, one John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, and arch enemy of Mr. Obama.
The worst, most troubling aspect of this situation is the fact that Netanyahu, Boehner and their Congressional cohorts, by their collusive actions, are directly undermining a critically important process by which the major nations of the world, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the U.S., Russia, China, France and Britain, plus Germany, are working on an agreement to control Iran's nuclear program. These nations have been working tirelessly with Iran to reach an agreement and are making excellent progress.
Whether Netanyahu's operatives in Congress realize it or not, they may be aiding and abetting his attempts to torpedo and destroy these negotiations. So, what we have here could easily be construed as some form of treason; that is if, according to law, they are seen to working in concert with a foreign government to advance that country's agenda and objectives in direct opposition to those of the U.S. government.
Obviously, President Obama, officials in his administration and the State Department are incensed about this totally misguided visit; an increasing number of the members of Congress, notably Democrats, are boycotting Netanyahu's speech. And before very long we'll see whether President Obama will rise up and condemn this intrusion into our government's affairs or just meekly watch Bibbi wave his spell over Congress.
There are other prominent voices that do not agree with what Netanyahu is doing. AIPAC, the powerful Israeli lobbyist organization in America, has clearly indicated that it is not at all pleased that he has chosen to make this visit. AIPAC officials were extremely concerned that Netanyahu's actions would severely damage Israeli-American relations. Apparently they sent the Israeli leader a list of their concerns, pointing out the potential negative repercussions that might well follow. But does anyone believe the extremely stubborn Netanyahu will listen?
Then there is Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency that has been monitoring Iran's nuclear program for years and does not agree with Netanyahu's position; its officials have dismissed his continued warnings as being "hysterical." Other senior members of Israel's security establishment are very displeased with Netanyahu's rhetoric about the Iranian nuclear program and his constant threats of military action. This guy is a loose cannon.
Those like Netanyahu and Boehner don't seem to comprehend that if they are successful in destroying this process then they could be held directly responsible for Iran deciding that, to protect itself from Israel's nuclear arsenal, it has to build its own; and that's the last thing that anyone should want to see happen.
Netanyahu continues to prove that he a great impediment to any process where the end goal is to try to establish peace among nations. He, as the entire world now knows, is the caretaker of the largest concentration camp in the world, Palestine and its largest city, Gaza, where people are penned in like animals. So working for peace in not something that even enters his mind.
It's time for the American people to show Netanyahu the door, get him out of this country and send him home with his tail between his legs. While his many admirers in the Congress would never allow it, he should be banned from ever returning to this country. It's high time for Mr. Obama to lay down the law and make it very clear to him that he has no business interfering with the functions of this government; that he has no voice in the formation of this country's foreign affairs.
As bad as this situation seems to be, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. This planned visit to Congress has stirred up quite a controversy and many observers of world affairs are saying that it has the potential to further damage the already deteriorating relationship between Israel and the U.S.
Actually a change is long overdue; this relationship has been far too one-sided with Israel always on the receiving end. We may be getting closer to the day when the U.S. government reconsiders its very questionable practice of vetoing and defeating every UN Security Council resolution aimed at censuring and punishing Israel for its continuous humanitarian abuses. Also, it's possible that the U.S. government will finally come to its senses and discontinue its $3 billion annual aid program to Israel that the Israeli government largely uses to fund its military; it's time to stop throwing American taxpayer dollars into that black hole.
So as Mr. Netanyahu arrives in America and enters the halls of Congress Tuesday, let's watch to see if he tries to sabotage the U.S. government's negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. My prediction is that he will try to sow the seeds of fear and doubt into the minds of those in his audience but that his efforts will backfire as he will enrage the majority of the American people and return home in a cloud of shame.
Michael Payne
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