Netanyahu and Obama
Offline The speech is "not intended to offend Obama". Tension between these two stretches back quite aways. :
www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31699339
Excerpt :
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his coming speech to the US Congress is "not intended to disrespect" President Barack Obama.
In a speech to the top US-Israel lobby, Mr Netanyahu said the last thing he would want is to make Israel a US partisan issue.
Mr Netanyahu has been invited to speak at the US Capitol on Tuesday by House Speaker John Boehner about Iran.
It is seen as a rebuke to Mr Obama's threat to veto new sanctions on Iran.
The White House has said Mr Obama will not meet Mr Netanyahu during this trip as he is visiting too close to Israel's election date.
Analysis: Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East Editor
This is Mr Netanyahu's most difficult visit to Washington DC. He has come to try to influence the US Congress to do all it can to block a deal with Iran about the future of its nuclear programme.
Mr Netanyahu said a deal, which is at critical negotiating stage, could threaten the survival of Israel because Iran would still be able to develop a nuclear weapon. Israel has a nuclear weapons programme, which it doesn't open to international inspections.
Mr Netanyahu sees himself as an Israeli Churchill, warning about dangers ahead. But he has been accused of barging into an American political debate, ignoring all that the Americans do for Israel.
The Obama White House has accused him of intervening in Washington politics, "damaging the fabric" of the relationship between Israel and the US. At home his opponents say he is trying to strengthen his position ahead of elections in two weeks time.
"I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them" Mr Netanyahu told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) conference in Washington.
He added while US leaders "worry about the security of their country", "Israeli leaders worry about the survival of their country".
But Mr Netanyahu said disagreements would not hurt the US-Israel relationship in the long-term.
"Reports of the demise of the Israeli-US relationship is not only premature, they're just wrong," Mr Netanyahu said "Our alliance is stronger than ever."
The announcement of the Israel prime minister's visit came a day after Mr Obama's annual state of the union address, in which he warned Congress he would veto any attempt to impose additional sanctions on Iran during negotiations.
Mr Netanyahu was preceded at Aipac's conference by US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, who said the US-Israel relationship would never be politicised but defended negotiations.
"We believe diplomacy is the preferred route to secure our shared aim," Ms Power said. "But if diplomacy should fail, we know the stakes of a nuclear-armed Iran as well as everyone here. We will not let it happen."
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
- Login to post comments
It's a joke. Iran is no more an enemy than Iraq ever was even with Saddam.
I believe it is better to keep Iran as is and allow moderate changes from their people to swing them towards a more secular country.
america has been meddling in iran since at least the 1906 revolution, so it's not like we're just now getting concerned. the US would like nothing more than to see another pro-western monarchy, no matter how repressive it would be. in fact, the more repressive the better, i would wager, since the 1979 revolution, much as we secularists might dislike it, was a genuinely popular revolution.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
I was listening to the radio today and I found myself disgusted with the attitude of the speakers. I am of the belief to stay out of Iran and let the kids revolt of they want to; let them over throw the government.
The day Netanyahoo dies I'll dance a jig. Hopefully it'll be extremely painful and humiliating. He deserves nothing less.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.