U.S President & Israeli Prime Minister Agree on Short-Term Tactics For Halting Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Netanyahu Signals That Israel Can & Will Attack If Iran Persists – Obama Pledges He Will Employ Military Option If all Else Fails IsraCast Assessment: Two Leaders Concur That Iran Must Not Be allowed To Acquire Nuclear Weapons But Not On Deadline For Military Action
Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons
one way or the other – that was the message from both
leaders. But although they agreed on the strategy it’s not
certain they see eye to eye on the tactics. In the opinion of analyst David Essing the U.S.
President and the Israeli Prime Minister agreed on a
short-run modus operandi, but if it fails all bets are off.
‘In Obama We Trust’ – for the time being. That is one
way to sum up the latest Obama – Netanyahu summit
as perceived in Israel. The Israeli leader went to
Washington telling the world the Iranians were in the
home-stretch and nearing the finish-line of their nuclear
race. On the other hand, Obama contended the Iranians
had several laps to go and the stiffer sanctions could stop
them in their tracks.
However, he and then his Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta delivered their one-two punch – if the Iranians
persisted, America would draw the military option out of
its quiver.
This time Obama’s rhetoric was music to Netanyahu’s
ears. Israel was entitled to act in its own self-defense,
that was not in dispute.
However, if Israel were to do so ‘prematurely’ that
would not be in Israeli or American interests. Moreover,
Obama had rallied the international community, although
belatedly, against a nuclear Iran, so Israel should not
spoil it now.
There was no sign of Obama’s hectoring of Netanyahu
over the Palestinian issue. After Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas’s rapprochement with Iranian backed
Hamas, the Palestinians were not even on the back
burner – they were not even near the stove at this summit.
In summary, the U.S. President came pretty near
to presenting publicly an iron-clad assurance that
Netanyahu wanted to hear.
For his part, the Prime Minister articulated Israel’s case
so forcefully that even his political critics back home
marveled at his statecraft in bringing the Iranian threat
to front- row center on the stage of the international
community.
Now Netanyahu has agreed with Obama to explore
every possible avenue with Iran before the Israeli
government takes military action. In so doing, the onus
is now on Obama to deliver the goods on his Teddy
Roosevelt quote of ‘speak softly but carry a big stick!’
Will Obama’s big stick be big enough to deter the
Muslim fanatics in Tehran who see nuclear weapons
as the means for imposing their hegemony on the
Middle East and beyond? And while the next round of
diplomacy slowly gathers pace, not only Iran’s nuclear
clock will be ticking.
Netanyahu served notice in Washington this week that
he will never agree to let the people of Israel live in the
shadow of annihilation.
And not only in words, the PM’s body language and
composure also signaled that Israel can and will
eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat, if the President fails
to do so.
