In a forceful address to the US Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday pilloried the deal currently being negotiated by America and five other major powers with Iran, terming it “a very bad deal” that doesn’t block, but “paves Iran’s path to the bomb”.
“This is a bad deal. A very bad deal. We are better off without it,” said Netanyahu, who received a rousing reception to a speech delivered in controversial circumstances with the White House disapproving of the Republican Speaker’s invitation to him and his prompt acceptance. While conceding that there was “substantial disagreement” with Israel over how to deal with Iran, Obama questioned Netanyahu’s premise and assumptions.
“Netanyahu made all sorts of claims: This was going to be a terrible deal. This was going to result in Iran getting 50 billion dollars worth of relief. Iran would not abide by the agreement,” Obama told the news agency, adding: “None of that has come true.” Notwithstanding the Obama administration’s cold-shouldering, Netanyahu sought to heap praise on President Obama for all that he has done for Israel over the years, but then proceeded to systematically attack a deal that he is reportedly keen on.
Netanyahu trained his guns on Iran from the word go, arguing that it remains as radical and untrustworthy as ever, with its supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei spewing “the oldest hatred of anti-Semitism with the newest technology”, remarking: “He tweets that Israel must be annihilated.”
Equating Iran with ISIS, he charged that both were “competing for the crown of militant Islam”, commenting: “One calls itself the Islamic Republic. The other calls itself the Islamic State. Both want to impose a militant Islamic empire first on the region and then on the entire world.”
“We must all stand together to stop Iran’s march of conquest, subjugation and terror,” Netanyahu told the joint meeting of Congress. His speech was interrupted by frequent applause from lawmakers, predominantly Republicans. About 50 Democrats stayed away, but party leaders in the two Houses – Senator Harry Reid and Representative Nancy Pelosi – were present. “I know that my speech has been the subject of much controversy. I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political. That was never my intention,” Netanyahu said as he thanked both Democrats and Republicans for their support for Israel over decades. US-Israel relationship has always been above politics, and must always remain so, he added.
Although the nuclear deal is still being discussed with Iran, Netanyahu voiced alarm over two major concessions that would leave Tehran with a vast nuclear infrastructure, providing it with a short break-out time to the bomb.
“According to the deal, not a single nuclear facility would be demolished. Thousands of centrifuges used to enrich uranium would be left spinning. Thousands more would be temporarily disconnected, but not destroyed,” he said.