Netanyahu in Washington

by Stephen Lendman

Haaretz published a live blog Tel Aviv time. At 6:20 PM, protesters outside the White House chanted: "Arrest Bibi. He is a war criminal. No war on Iran. Free free Palestine."

At 6:18PM, Netanyahu arrived at the White House. He and Obama met.

Reports said Obama told him negotiations with Iran won't take sanctions or possible military action off the table.

Ahead of Netanyahu's arrival, Israeli radio interviewed US ambassador Dan Shapiro. He said Obama remains steadfast. He won't let Iran develop nuclear weapons.

Perhaps he had a hard time saying it with a straight face. US and Israeli officials know Iran has no nuclear weapons program.

They lie claiming otherwise. Doing so is red herring cover for longstanding regime change plans.

Israel wants a regional rival removed. Washington wants Middle East dominance. It wants it globally. It wants it unchallenged.

It wants all independent governments toppled. It wants pro-Western vassal states replacing them.

From the Hague, Israeli President Shimon Peres repeated the Big Lie. "All options" remain on the table to force Iran to cease its nuclear program, he said.

Asked if Israel will join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Peres equivocated saying his government will consider it.

Israel is one of only five non-signatory Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) states. The others are Angola, Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan.

In 1993, Israel and Myanmar signed CWC. They haven't ratified it. All CWC signatories automatically become OPCW members.

Peres was asked about Iranian President Hassan Rohani's General Assembly speech.

This writer called it eloquent, straightforward, honest and important. He spoke truth to power. He did so sincerely and candidly.

Israel's delegation walked out. It did so disgracefully. Netanyahu called Rohani's speech "cynical." It was "full of hypocrisy," he claimed.

His presidency represents "no change in Iranian policy." It buys time "to achieve nuclear weapons," he added.

Peres echoed similar sentiments. He criticized Rohani's speech. He repeated the Big Lie about Iran wanting nuclear weapons.

At the same time, he knows Israel maintains formidable chemical, biological and nuclear weapons arsenals.

According to an unnamed Israeli official, Netanyahu and Obama discussed maintaining pressure on Iran.

Netanyahu wants sanctions sustained. He wants them stiffened. He wants Iran's economy to scream.

It's taken a heavy tool. Ordinary Iranians suffer. Netanyahu wants them hit harder.

On Tuesday, he addresses the General Assembly. He'll present Israel's "rights as a nation, our determination to defend ourselves and our hopes for peace."

"I will speak the truth. Facts must be stated in the face of the sweet talk and the blitz of smiles," he said.

Netanyahu deplores peace and stability. He thrives on conflict, destabilization, subversion and deep-seated anti-Arab/Persian hostility.

On September 30, Reuters headlined "Netanyahu urges Obama to keep sanctions in place on Iran."

He warned about not being swayed by Iran's "sweet talk." He wants stiff pressure maintained. He wants war. He may get it.

It may take longer to launch than he wishes. For years, he and other Israeli officials lied. They claimed Iran is months away from developing nuclear weapons.

They know Tehran has no intention doing so. So does Obama. He and Netanyahu agreed on maintaining hardline Iranian policy.

Netanyahu said no deal is better than a bad one. Much has been made about an Obama/Netanyahu rift. At times, it's hard separating rhetoric from reality.

Neither leader appears happy about the other. Disagreement between them is palpable. It's over Iranian red lines and deadlines.

Netanyahu is abrasive and callous. A previous article called him the mouth that roars. It did so for good reason. He repeatedly puts both feet in his mouth. Doing so risks swallowing them.

He's arrogant, offensive, duplicitous, thuggish, and dangerous. He's an embarrassment to legitimate governance. It's hard imagining why Israelis put up with him.

One observer urged him to "set red lines on his malice toward Obama." Israelis and many others are fed up with his bluster.

He's gone out of his way to alienate support from his closest ally. An unnamed Israeli official said he caused "profound" damage in relations with Washington.

He's irresponsible. He oversteps traditional boundaries. According to a Bulgarian proverb:

"When God wants to punish someone, the first thing He does is take away his brains."

Bibiism is a state of mind. It reflects Netanyahu's hardline authoritarianism. His bottom line is what he says goes. He rejects opposing views.

He's combative and overbearing. Observers call him pompous, domineering, and insufferable.

He engages in the politics of permanent confrontation. He never misses a chance for a good fight. He avoids reconciliation and cooperation.

It's hard putting up with his antics. Former State Department spokesman PJ Crowley witnessed nine face-to-face meetings with Obama.

There's "a lack of rapport between these two men," he said. "They don't like each other very much. Plus, there are serious differences between our interests and Israel's."

Netanyahu stresses "agenda setting." It's personal with him. He believes his hawkishness got Washington to impose tougher sanctions. He's not about to attack Iran alone.

In a November 2012 press conference, an open microphone caught former French President Nicolas Sarkozy saying "I cannot bear" Netanyahu. He called him "a liar."

Obama responded saying: "You're fed up, but I have to deal with him every day."

According to Netanyahu:

"Leaders are tested at times of differences with our allies, even our closest allies. We face huge challenges."

"As prime minister, it's my duty to insist on Israel's vital interests and to ensure its security and future."

"The most important interest today is to prevent Iran from continuing its clear effort to obtain nuclear weapons - weapons in the hands of a state that calls for our destruction and is bent on achieving its goal."

As long as he remains prime minister, relations with America and other nations won't be easy. His bluster wore thin long ago.

In 2011, he lectured Obama on Jewish history. He has a knack of making more enemies than friends. He alienates associates around him.

On Tuesday, he'll address UN member states. His comments don't make easy listening. A follow-up article will explain more.

On September 30, Press TV headlined "Obama didn't speak about Iran's right to enrich: Rice."

National Security Advisor Susan Rice said Obama didn't comment "about a right of Iran to enrich."

"We have said that as a member of the NPT - in the context of Iran meeting its international obligations - that means fulfilling its responsibilities under the IAEA resolutions, as well as the UN Security Council resolutions, that once it has done that we would recognize that it, like every other nation, as a good-standing member of the NPT has a right to the use of peaceful nuclear energy."

“But we're some distance from that being achievable, obviously, because right now, Iran remains in non-compliance with its obligations under the Security Council resolutions."

False! Iran fully complies with NPT provisions. It hasn't violated Security Council resolutions.

Rice expresses visceral anti-Iranian sentiment. She's a staunch administration hawk. South African journalist Getahune Bekele called her a "consummate ally of grubby despots."

Obama calls her "extraordinary." Her style matches Hillary Clinton. She deplores peace, nonviolence, diplomacy and social justice. Her outbursts match Netanyahu's.

She endorses US lawlessness. She relishes imperial conquest. She's indifferent to human suffering.

She's a monument to wrong over right. She's an embarrassment to her country, position and humanity.

Her abrasive style makes more enemies than friends. She's one of America's worst ever envoys. She can't be trusted.

Nor can Obama and Netanyahu. Their styles differ. Their policies are more likeminded than different. They want regime change in Iran.

They differ on tactics and timing. Their bottom line positions are similar. They want Iranian sovereignty destroyed. They're willing to wage war to do it.

Ukrainian/Israeli Poet Hayyim Bialik (1873 - 1934) once wrote about "heart's blood and marrow pay(ing) the price of the blaze." Perhaps he had Obama and Netanyahu in mind.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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