Going it Alone: Israel’s Cold War with Iran

Israeli Fighter Jets - Public Domain

It’s painfully clear by now that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu failed in his mission to prevent a bad deal with Iran.

Even before Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski became the 34th Senator to endorse the deal last week, thus ensuring a presidential veto of a congressional vote against would stand, there was a sense of inevitability which Team Netanyahu alone did not share. Now, with the White House obtaining the 41 Senators needed to filibuster any vote altogether – with change to spare – that defeat for Netanyahu has turned into a rout. Adding insult to injury, the carefully stage-managed drip-drip of Democratic support for Team Obama demonstrated that there was never really any doubt of a White House victory – they were merely savoring the moment.

And a bad deal it most certainly is, in so many ways – if anyone needed reminding: The farcical 24-day warning period preceding any “surprise” check on nuclear sites; the fact that Iran can still continue enriching uranium, won’t need to shut down its heavy water plants, and can continue research and development into faster, military-purpose centrifuges; the permission to continue its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program; that Iran isn’t required to end its support for terrorism or vicious incitement to destroy Israel. All this, and more, while achieving an end to economic sanctions which will pour billions into Tehran’s coffers and fuel its aggressive, imperialist foreign policy.

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