The US and Israel on Wednesday escalated their increasingly public spat over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the US Congress next week, as he accused world powers of rolling over to allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons.
US Secretary of State John Kerry openly questioned Netanyahu’s judgement on the issue.
The comments injected new tension into an already strained relationship between the close allies ahead of Netanyahu’s address to congress on Tuesday. More Democratic lawmakers announced they would skip the speech, which was orchestrated by Republican leaders without the knowledge of US President Barack Obama’s administration.
Photo: Reuters
Netanyahu hopes his speech will strengthen opposition to a potential nuclear deal with Iran, Obama’s signature foreign policy objective. US and Iranian officials reported progress in negotiations this week on a deal that would clamp down on Tehran’s nuclear activities for at least 10 years, but then slowly ease restrictions.
Netanyahu lashed out at the US and other usual staunch allies of Israel.
“It appears that they have given up on that commitment and are accepting that Iran will gradually, within a few years, develop capabilities to produce material for many nuclear weapons,” he said in Israel.
“They might accept this, but I am not willing to accept this,” he said in remarks delivered in Hebrew and translated. “I respect the White House, I respect the president of the United States, but in such a fateful matter that can determine if we exist or not, it is my duty to do everything to prevent this great danger to the state of Israel.”
Kerry, testifying at a congressional hearing, dismissed Netanyahu’s worries. He said that a 2013 interim agreement with Iran that the prime minister also opposed had in fact made Israel safer by freezing key aspects of Tehran’s nuclear program.
“He may have a judgement that just may not be correct here,” Kerry said.
His comments, as well as statements from other top US officials, made clear the Obama administration had no plans to mask its frustrations during Netanyahu’s visit.
In an interview on Tuesday, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice said that plans for Netanyahu’s speech had “injected a degree of partisanship” into a US-Israel relationship that should be above politics.
“It’s destructive to the fabric of the relationship,” Rice told the Charlie Rose show. “It’s always been bipartisan. We need to keep it that way.”
Netanyahu’s plans to speak to Congress have irritated many Democratic members, but also have put them in a difficult spot — fearing they will look anti-Israel if they do not attend.
Still, a number of Democrats have said they plan to skip the session, including Senator Tim Kaine, who said Netanyahu’s speech was “highly inappropriate” given its proximity to Israel’s March 17 elections.
Senate Democrats invited Netanyahu to meet with them privately while he is in Washington, but the Israeli leader refused the invitation, saying such a meeting could “compound the misperception of partisanship” surrounding his visit.
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