Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to address a joint session of the US Congress on March 03 at the invitation of Speaker of the House John Boehner, has made Israeli relations with the Obama administration cool as he criticised unwarrantedly world leaders in a speech at a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem. Netanyahu reportedly said that world leaders had pledged to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but appeared to have given up on this commitment. He said, "The deal apparently coming together with Iran would allow the country which in the past threatened to destroy Israel to develop the means to create fissile materials to produce many nuclear weapons."
US National Security Adviser Susan Rice in her reaction condemned Netanyahu's decision to accept the invitation of the House Speaker to appear at the joint session of the Congress. By accepting the invitation, Susan Rice said, "Netanyahu injected a degree of partisanship, which is not only unfortunate, I think, it's destructive of the fabric of the relationship."
Democratic members of the Congress have been caught in an embarrassing situation because of timing of the speech by the Israeli Prime Minister only 14 days before election of the Israeli parliament. His speech at the joint session of the US Congress could be interpreted as if Netanyahu is enjoying blessings of the US.
According to the Washington Post, several Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives along with at least five Senators would boycott the speech of the Israeli Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Netanyahu did not accept invitations to meet separately the Democrat Senators. At a Congressional hearing on February 24, Secretary of State John Kerry said Israel is safer today with the added time. "We have stopped the advances of Iranian nuclear programme." Referring to the accord that slightly eased sanctions while negotiations took place, he said, "We got that agreement---which by the way the Prime Minister opposed." Kerry further added that Netanyahu was wrong.
The Israeli Prime Minister is also facing crisis at home. The Israeli state comptroller in his report to the attorney general said, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara have spent in a single year some $24,000 on take-out, even though they have full-time cook, as well as $280,000 on cleaning expenses for their three homes while both of them spent $68,000 over two years on hair, makeup and presentation depicting this spending as a criminal act. This bombshell report was revealed just a month ahead of Israel's Knesset election which is due on March 17 this year. On February 26, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Hergoz urged the Prime Minister to cancel his upcoming speech to the US Congress saying: "He will cause strategic damage to its ties with Washington" while he condemned Netanyahu's decision not to meet separately Senate Democrats, saying the Prime Minister is playing politics.
It is very difficult to understand the policy of Netanyahu. He has become a ruthless dictator by driving out two ministers from the coalition government whimsically because Justice Minister Livni spoke to Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas without his knowledge and another Minister for being critical of the Prime Minister. The Israeli Prime Minister is also responsible for a despicable move to stamp out very existence of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip in August last year and acting irresponsibly so far as the rehabilitation of Jews concerned in occupied territories of the Palestinians in violation of the Geneva Convention. Apart from these crimes, the Israeli Prime Minister should face criminal charges for killing about 400 children in 50-day war against Palestinians in August last year.
Lawmakers in the US should take note of the fact that British, French, Swedish, Spanish and Irish parliaments have accorded recognition to the state of Palestine. It is also significant to note that the European Union has also imposed restrictions on preferential tariffs being granted to Israel if goods originating from illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank go to Europe. It is high time that lawmakers in the US Congress should reconsider its special relations with rogue state of Israel.
The writer is a retired diplomat from Bangladesh.
amjad.21@gmail.com
