Netanyahu: I’m speaking to Congress because this Obama/Iran deal is terrible

Mr. Netanyahu's first responsibility is the security of Israel, and right now the principle threat to that security is this foolhardy deal being pursued by the Obama Administration

You’ve probably heard about the upcoming address that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be making to Congress. And you’ve probably heard analysis that’s been solely based on the politics of the matter - and that, as a result, totally misses the point of what’s happening and why.

There’s the Israeli political angle: Netanyahu is up for re-election as Israelis go to the polls in March, so the pundits tell us he’s trying to burnish his credentials by appearing before the legislative branch of the United States.

And there’s the American political angle: The Obama Administration can barely hide its disdain for Netanyahu, and there are even reports it’s sending advisors to Israel to help his opponents. They’re upset with Republican leaders in Congress for inviting Netanyahu to speak, and supposedly Democrats plan to boycot the speech.

But none of this addresses the real reason Netanyahu is coming here. The real reason is the fact that Obama and John Kerry are working toward the completion of a deal with Iran that is terrible not only for Israel but for everyone who doesn’t want to see nuclear weapons in the hands of Islamic extremists. The mad mullahs of Iran make no secret of their hatred of the Jewish state. Their former president Mahmoud Ahmedinajad infamously declared that he wanted to wipe Israel off the map.

Even if you don’t think the Iranians would fire a nuclear missile at Israel as soon as its technologically feasible to do so, you have to recognize that the ability to do so gives them all kinds of strategic advantages we don’t want them to have. And characteristically, the Obama/Kerry talks with Iran are leading to a deal that, as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recently said, completely abandon the idea that Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.

Mr. Netanyahu’s first responsibility is the security of Israel, and right now the principle threat to that security is this foolhardy deal being pursued by the Obama Administration. It is his job as prime minister to oppose it in every way he can, which is why coming to the United States and speaking to Congress is not a political stunt but a governing imperative. In order to understand that, you have to understand that his job is first to govern and not just to get himself re-elected, which is why most pundits are not very helpful in shedding light on the subject. Because they don’t understand that at all.