What is Bibi Selling?

Watching Binyamin Netanyahu address a joint session of the United States Congress, I could not help but feel sorry for those in attendance. Not only were they victims of a cattle–call to blindly ‘defend’ Israel; they had also, as per Robert Michels, ceded their democracy to someone who had the appearance of ‘professional leadership.’

And yes: Netanyahu is a leader in the eyes of many in the United States. You should hear how many members of Congress fondly refer to him as ‘Bibi.’ They rush to embrace him as one of their own, and as part of their overall fight against an existential enemy in the Middle East. Of course Bibi is a leader. You ought to hear him speak. He is captivating. His voice is booming and deep. His pristine gray hair is combed and sleek to special effect. More than anything else, the Israeli prime minister has an American accent. No other leader in the world – not even Canada’s prime minister – can actually do American Speak like Bibi does. And the Americans LOVE it.

Perhaps, that’s why I was sick to the stomach throughout the speech. Here was a body of people being taken for a ride by someone who knows the system only too well. Bibi was educated in the United States, and before his many roles in Israeli public service, he served as Deputy Ambassador of Israel to the United States. Again, he is eloquent in all things American, and everyone knows that if he were American, he would have been a foremost Republican. For this, the Republicans love him and mollycoddle him – running away from their own president – into the arms of a man who knows that a deal between the United States and Iran will not be a good thing for him. We must not even mention the fact that he is facing a tough election back home and needs the optics of standing ovations.

Now, let’s get a few facts straight: Iran is a dangerous nation. It has been a state sponsor of terrorism, and Hezbollah is its biggest piece of evidence. On the other hand, the Persians are also not just a Muslim people; their civilization goes back generations to Nebuchadnezzar and the ‘hanging gardens.’ While the Shah was deposed in 1979 and replaced by a repressive regime of ideologically aggressive conservatives, the 35 years or so since then have given birth to a generation of Iranians who want nothing more than the latest mobile phone or a fully functional Internet. This was displayed in the short-lived Green Revolution and probably gave Iran its current less-than-crazy President. In simple terms, Iran is making progress, and the pact that Bibi is against should do more than just address the nuclear ambitions of a sovereign nation.

If the United States, five other world nations and Iran struck a deal, many things would happen: First, businesses would rush to invest in a country that has, for a long time, been cut off via crippling sanctions. Iran has the capacity to rival Saudi Arabia and Israel economically, and so, we must not necessarily miss the invisible hand of oligarchs in these things.

When Bibi talked about the ‘farewell to arms’ during his speech, I could not take it anymore. I just turned the speech off and thought of his incipient gall as he built up to the essence of his speech: Do not do a deal with Iran – any deal – because any dealing with Iran threatens Israel. He speaks of the Iranians like they do not bleed when they are cut with a knife, and as if progress has not been made. More than anything else, he speaks to the Americans as if they are children – with no knowledge of what is happening in his neighborhood. Well, just like he knows that Senate Minority Leader had an accident, we also know that he is such a salesman.

Disclaimer
The views expressed in this opinion column are those exclusively of the writer, and not of the Habari Network.