The Israeli diplomatic echelon was not caught by surprise with the deal reached between world powers and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program on Tuesday, with the working assumption for weeks in Jerusalem being that the deal is a foregone conclusion and Israel must instead prepare for the day after.
A senior Israeli diplomat told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday morning that Israel isn’t hanging its hopes on the American Congress’s review and vote on the deal, which will be a 60-day process, but the Jewish state will nevertheless try to diplomatically engage with Congress to drum up opposition to the deal.
The source revealed that Israel will focus its attention on the dangerous nature of the deal, and will avidly avoid condemning US President Barack Obama’s administration for pushing through the deal.
That tactic comes despite the fact that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday that “there are those who are ready to make an agreement at any price,” sending a barb Obama’s way.
“There is no point in criticizing the administration for now, because soon we will need to speak with the Americans about the amount of compensation (to Israel – ed.) over this process. We need to attack this very bad deal, and there is no doubt we will condemn it in all ways, but there is no point in shaking up relations with the United States at this point,” the senior source told Arutz Sheva.
Showdown in DC
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) is set to visit Washington DC for a series of meetings at the start of next month according to prearranged appointments, in an opportunity that will be used to address the deal.
Likewise the American administration is expected to invite Netanyahu for an official visit in the near future, marking his first such visit since being reelected in March. Obama has already stated his intentions to invite Netanyahu after a deal is reached and before Congress votes on approving it.
Apparently Obama’s administration intends to invite Netanyahu while Ya’alon is in the country, so as to discuss the security compensation that America will give Israel to mitigate the deal with Iran, the leading state sponsor of terror that has backed Hezbollah and Hamas in their wars against Israel.
Senior White House officials have said their goal is to close the matter of compensation before the Congress vote, and thereby lull pro-Israeli members of Congress into approving the deal by indicating to them that Israel’s security interests are protected.
However, the Israeli diplomatic echelon is aware of the American intentions and is weighing its response.
“Netanyahu of course will not refuse the American invitation,” explained the source. However, he noted that “together with the meetings with the president and representatives of his administration, it is likely that the prime minister will meet with Congressmen as well, and continue to criticize the deal as long as there is an opportunity to influence.”
Regarding Israel’s steps moving forward, Ya’alon stated Monday that once the deal is signed, Israel will have to “defend itself” at all costs against the nuclear threshold state, indicating potential independent military actions against the Islamic regime’s nuclear program.
