Netanyahu Scoffs at Iranian Overtures, Setting Stage for Showdown With U.S.
With a harsh, quick-fire condemnation of the Iranian president even as the White House is making overtures in his direction, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel presaged a potential showdown with President Obama over how to address Iran’s nuclear program, a point of contention between the two men, and the countries they lead, for years.
Amid news that Mr. Obama had reached out to the newly elected Iranian leader, Hassan Rouhani, with a private letter, and renewed discussion in Washington of negotiations that could lift sanctions against Iran, Mr. Netanyahu’s office dismissed as “media spin” a flurry of statements by Mr. Rouhani about the goals of his nation’s nuclear program and his willingness to engage in diplomacy regarding it.
This is a clear example of why it is so complicated to work toward diplomatic solutions to problems in the Middle East. Much has been said about Iran and Syria as client states of Russia, but Israel is clearly a client state of the US. There do seem to be doors opening to negotiation with both Syria and Iran. Until something substantive is actually accomplished nobody can be entirely sure how serious their intentions are. The vast majority of the American public strongly prefers that the US government try the diplomatic approach before resorting to more war.
So what does Netanyahu really want? He seems to find even the prospect of diplomatic explorations threatening. Could it be that he sees a lessening of tensions in the Middle East as a threat to his hold on power in Israel? I certainly can't read his mind, nor that of any of the other players. But in both the case of Syria and Iran he continues to press for military attacks by the US as the only possible solution.