Netanyahu set on seeking US allies against Iran deal

Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, appears determined to push allies in the US Congress to block the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, despite warnings his strategy would fail and further damage relations with the Obama administration.

With few Israeli analysts demonstrating any confidence Israel could muster the two-thirds support in Congress needed to overcome a presidential veto, a chorus of voices warned against persisting with a strategy they fear has left Israel increasingly marginalised.

Mr Netanyahu’s approach has been described as “coarse” by the German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and “way over the top” by John Kerry, the US secretary of state. Mr Obama is bullishly confident opponents in Congress will not be able to overturn the deal.

Pessimistic number-crunching by Israeli analysts echoes Mr Obama’s view. They point out congressional opponents would require 44 out of 188 Democrats in the House of Representatives to oppose the president, in the midst of a presidential election cycle and following the endorsement of the deal by Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate.

PM’s failure

The day after the Vienna deal, Mr Netanyahu’s reaction to the Iran talks dominated the Israeli media as much as the deal itself, with even usually sympathetic right-wing commentators cautioning against continuing a battle with the White House they believe he cannot win.

The conclusion of the deal – against Israel’s bitter complaints – continued to be presented by some political opponents as a historic failure on Mr Netanyahu’s part.

Lacking a foreign minister in his new government and with a controversial ambassador in Washington, Ron Dermer – regarded as being close to the Republican party and unwelcome at the White House – Mr Netanyahu is identified as the exclusive architect of the failed policy he has associated himself with.

Done deal

Although the opposition Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog, who also opposes the deal, has offered to help Mr Netanyahu with the diplomacy in the US, many analysts have argued the agreement is a done deal.

However, comments by Mr Herzog suggested the best Israel could now hope for was additional security assistance and guarantees from the US.

“I spoke to our good friends at [the pro-Israel lobby group] Aipac and other organisations in the United States, and I plan to go there soon to hold meetings in order to clarify the substance of the dangers in this agreement, for Israel and the region, and to demand that Israel receive a security umbrella in light of the difficult situation that we now face,” said Mr Herzog.

In the Israeli press, Ben-Dror Yemini, a usually reliably right-wing columnist, argued a continuing effort in Congress would damage Israel. “The agreement is a fact. There was a point in waging the battle against the agreement as long as something could have been changed. But this is a lost battle.

"Netanyahu chose a path that led to a direct confrontation with the [Obama] administration. If only this had helped. But the opposite happened. The damage was double. Both a crisis with the administration and a dangerous agreement." – (Guardian service)