Obama faces challenge from Congress over Israel

In the mid-term election in November, 2014, the Republican Party secured majority seats in both the Houses of the Congress. Democratic President Barack Obama will face the music because the Republicans will not enact any legislation that may favour Democrats in future.

Over and above, Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of the Congress without the knowledge of the President. He is to speak on the situation arising out of negotiation with Iran by the US and other permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany to arrive at a comprehensive agreement with Tehran to avoid  uranium enrichment to produce nuclear arsenals. The Israeli Prime Minister would speak about the threat of a nuclear Iran in the region.

Netanyahu does not believe an agreement with Iran would halt production of nuclear weapons. The Republicans have extended invitation and Netanyahu has accepted the invitation while President Obama has indicated he would not receive him in the White House. Speaker John Boehner's invitation to the Israeli Prime Minister without seeking White House's approval, is a violation of state etiquette, norm and protocol . It gives the impression that two parallel governments exist in the US.

The invitation to the Israeli Prime Minister to address joint session of the Congress on March 03 is unethical because he is facing re-election on March 17.

Obama and Netanyahu are not having cordial relations over the Middle East policy pursued by the former's administration. Republican Senator John McCain, who is head of the Senate armed services committee, has this to say to the CNN's State of Union: "He would have talked to the White House before inviting Mr Netanyhau, but I certainly agree that you do not need their permission, given the state of relations." Senator McCain is of the opinion: "I am not putting the entire blame on the US President, but I will say this: no other president has had such a difficult relationship with the state of Israel since it became a country."

This is a travesty of truth. During the period of President GW Bush, relations between the US and Israel was at its lowest ebb.  

Obama in his speech on the State of the Union on January 20 warned lawmakers not to impose additional sanctions against Iran when negotiations between Five plus Germany and Iran are at final stage.

The President indicated he would veto any proposal for sanctions against Iran at this stage. The present tense situation has become complicated in case the President vetoes the bill for imposing further sanctions against Iran. The Congress, however, can override the veto by a two-third majority making the bill a law.  In that event, this will further embarrass Obama.

 As of now, Speaker Boehner is siding with Netanyahu who is likely to be defeated in the ensuing election in Israel. British Prime Minister David Cameron, while visiting the US at the invitation of Obama in January 15, requested lawmakers to avoid bringing any sanctions against Iran at this stage.

This situation created by the Republican Party reflects the influence of Israel  lobby in the US. There has been an orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby in the US to sabotage the talks with Iran. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee  (AIPAC) is a powerful lobby here. Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who is  a  Democrat, is on record saying: "We in Congress stand by Israel, something we have a joint bipartisan commitment -- no separation between us on this subject. In Congress, we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel". Nancy Pelosi is now leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.

Vice-President Joe Biden, who is pro-tempore president in the Senate, did not consent to be present. A dozen Democrats will possibly remain absent. Also, the possibility of a meeting of Netanyahu with Secretary of State John Kerry also looks bleak.

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen has observed: "It disturbs me to see Netanyahu brazenly insulting Obama this way, even if I share the Prime Minister's distrust of Obama's backbone. It's also foolish for Netanyahu to align himself with older, largely evangelical, and fiercely pro-Israel base of GOP (Republican) that Alliance may feel comfortably now, but it may come at the price of alienating younger Americans and Democrats - who are already dismayed by Israel's right-wing lurch under Netanyahu's leadership."

To conclude with the comment of columnist Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal: "Under our Constitution, it's the President who is commander-in-chief; he sets our foreign policy. It weakens our nation, substantively and in the eyes of the world, for the Congress to invite a foreign leader to embarrass the President on US soil. Given that one day Democrats will again control the Congress, while a Republican sits in the White House, Boehner may be setting a costly precedent."

The writer is a retired diplomat from Bangladesh.  

amjad.21@gmail.com