Pres. Biden invited Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White a few months ago and both tried to turn over a new leaf in US-Israel relations after the horror show of eight years of bile between Obama and Netanyahu, and four years of turmoil during the Trump presidency. Bennett was hailed here as a breath of fresh air compared to his predecessor. All the flattery and good cheer seemed to have worked. The Israeli leader appeared to accede to Biden’s commitment to pursue negotiations for a return to JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran:
…He [Bennett] promised Joe Biden, in their private conversation in the White House towards the end of August, that he, unlike you-know-who, will not conduct a public campaign against the administration. He will not act behind the president’s back in Congress. He will express Israel’s position, and the practical work will be conducted through the diplomatic channels.
All this nicey-nice from the Israelis would have been anathema to Netanyahu. In return, follow-up visits to Washington by both foreign minister, Yair Lapid and defense minister, Benny Gantz, happened. Finally, the two allies appeared to be singing, if not in unison, at least in something resembling harmony.
But as the negotiations appear to have stalled, with Iran’s hardline leadership abandoning the negotiating positions of its predecessor, the Israeli knives have come out again. Just before the nuclear talks resumed earlier this week, Secretary of State Blinken held a contentious phone consultation with Bennett in which he excoriated the Israeli leader after his government renewed a plan for 2,000 units of new settlement housing, which it had tabled only days before.
Even more irksome was Blinken’s demand that Israel cease any sabotage operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program during the JCPOA talks. This is an unprecedented public exposure of a rift between the US, which is focused on a diplomatic solution and Israel, which never met a problem that couldn’t be fixed by firing bullets at it. Yediot Achronot, which first reported this exchange, did not say how Bennett responded. But the fact that media reports have noted how tense the call was, indicate all was not roses. Further proof of this is two separate strident statements from Bennett and Mossad chief, David Barnea. The former stated that the talks had already proven themselves to be a failure and that the Europeans and US should walk away and refuse to give in to Iran’s “nuclear blackmail.” Which is rich, considering that Israel isn’t a party to the talks and should have no say in how they are conducted. Joe Biden already has enough trouble on his hands with a stalled domestic legislative agenda, plummeting poll ratings, and nettlesome Iranian interlocutors, without adding a petulant Israeli leader to the list.
To add insult to injury, Barnea launched into a rant against Iran in which he said:
“Iran will not have nuclear weapons — not in the coming years, not ever. That is my promise, that is Mossad’s promise. Our eyes are open, we are prepared, and we will do…everything that is necessary to alleviate the threat against Israel and thwart it by any means.”
Barnea said that a “bad” deal between Iran and the world power will be intolerable.The top spy said there was no need for any country to have three nuclear sites able to enrich uranium to 60%, for anything other than military purposes and the production of a nuclear weapon.
I would focus on Antony Blinken as he is more hawkish towards Iran. Israel has performed very poorly in the relations during the Obama/Biden period. I’m sure Bennett would be on the same page as Netanyahu, even less concerned about comments from the White House as a bi-partisan US Congress is fully committed in support of Israel. Settlement building and Palestinian evictions from East Jerusalem has barely received any criticism. Israel shut down of the six Human Rights NGOs as other nations have done before: Egypt and Russia. Israel is ambivalent about Russia and Ukraine and one won’t find any harsh criticism about Putin. The Biden administration has fully support the Trump/Kushner/Pompeo deal with Arab States called the Abraham Accords. Gross violations of human rights by most all signatories does not headlines make: UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
The 800 pound gorilla in the room is Donald Trump.
And it may be reasonable for Bennett to believe that Biden is a one-term President.
@ Kareem: Trump isn’t a gorilla. He’s a washed-up has-been. If Bennett wants to lay down his bet on Trump, be my guest. He’ll lose, big-time.
Trump drops another hint he’ll run again.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-hints-at-2024-run-in-interview-with-nigel-farage-2021-12
Trump, or a Trump anointee, like Gov. DeSantis, could defeat Biden, assuming Biden actually chooses to run for a second term.
The United States is in the midst of a very, very serious social and political malaise and may well take it out on the Democrats.
@Kareem: Stop with the nonsense. You claim to know something about American domestic politics. Either you know nothing and are spouting drivel or you’re deceiving yourself with delusions. Neither De Santis nor Trump could be elected dog catcher in a national election in 2024. And that’s even with a weak Democrat like Biden.
[comment deleted: I frown on attempts at snark directed personally at me by commenters. Try it again and you’ll be moderated.]
Kareem and Richard, I also sure as heck wouldn’t count on Trump or some other Republican defeating Biden in 2024. The majority of the American support Biden’s policies and then some, and they oppose what Trump and the Republicans have done and are doing. It’s a little under 3 years until the next presidential election.
Israel have enriched plutonium not uranium.
@ Arik: “The same enrichment process” meant enrichment of fuel for nuclear weapons, which both countries have done. I did not mean that Israel used the same type of fuel as Israel.
I was very happy to see this. I hope this is all true.After all it was Obama who Biden served as Vice President that negotiated the nuclear deal with Iran that Trump broke. So Biden should want the negotiations to restore it. And then there’s the additional settlement housing that Bennett wants, that Blinken criticized him for. I’m sure that Biden often hears from J Street and from the many other Jews who oppose what Israel does.
Israel needs the secrets of the F-35 avionics for further research and development of their own systems. Apparently PM Bennett would like to speed up delivery of at least two of the eight contracted Boeing KC-46 Pegasus air refuelers. This request dates back to July 2020, however the plane has some technical problems and two years late on delivery schedule..
Failure of reinstating the JCPOA nuclear deal may come at great expense ….
Recent joint ballistic missiles defense exercises of the US and Israeli air forces may, under certain circumstances, become an operational reality part of the regional plan to defend Israel from ballistic threats.
Target date Summer 2022, exactly a decade after a serious threat under the Obama presidency. Just wondering whether the Pentagon has been wise to deliver the F-35 with a remote operated self-destruct button.
See also the 1998 Rumsfeld Commission Report on rogue state ballistic missile threat.