Netanyahu To Present An Ultimatum To Obama

Netanyahu To Present An Ultimatum To Obama
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Well, maybe Bebe will not read Obama the riot act, per se, but he IS expected to give Obama an ultimatum ... attack Iran, and soon, or we (Israel) will.  

It is no secret that the US President does not particularly like Mr. Netanyahu, nor Israel.  His actions have made it plain that his favor lies with the Islamic states and not the Jewish state of Israel.  So the world should not be surprised if the meeting between the two leaders swings from cold and icy to hot and wrathful in minutes.  In fact, one would be advised to do so.

According to the European papers, an ultimatum present by Netanyahu to Obama would give the US a couple of months within which to act against Iran.  If the US spurns the ultimatum, then all bets are off and Israel will moist certainly take the reins in its teeth and throw its considerable military might at Iran.

Now, here the thing:  If Israel attacks Iran on its own, there is no conceivable way the US can stay on the sidelines of the ensuing war.    Understand this:  if, somehow, Obama does manage to keep US military assets out of the fray between Israel and Iran, then US credibility for supporting its friends will evaporate immediately.  Already, the US has a bit of a reputation as "a flake" when it comes to abiding by the terms of mutual protection agreements.  When an American president makes an agreement with another country, the very next president may well decide that he is not going to abide by that agreement -- making it totally worthless.  Much like promises, treaties are made to be broken.

Recently, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is reported to have said the US can't be counted on to come to Israel's aid.  Lieberman noted that the US has, so far, refused to intervene in Syria to protect Syrian civilians against their dictator President Bashar Assad’s murderous rampage.  While I don't agree with Mr. Lieberman's implication that America should intervene in Syria, I understand his frustration with Obama's foot dragging on a decision to aid Israel with the Iran threat.

To say there is a VERY strained relationship between America and Israel is just plain wrong.  It is WRONG to blame  AMERICA when the strained relationship is NOT between America and Israel, but between Obama and Israel!  The American people are four-square behind Israel.  It is the American President, Obama, who created the distance between these two friends.  That MUST be understood before one can grasp the depth of the frustration the American people feel concerning the Obama Administration's shunning of our best friend , heck, our ONLY friend in the Middle East.

For those of us who follow the wicked game of politics, it is clear that Obama will do darned near anything to avoid involvement in another shooting war -- ANY WHERE -- before the November elections.  But fate has a way of making fools of all of us. There is an expression that covers if very well:  "Men making plans makes God laugh."   I am paraphrasing, of course, but I'm sure you get the drift.

My point is -- Obama may sit and twiddle his thumbs if he chooses, but when the balloon goes up -- America will be at war whether he likes it, or wants it, or not.

Yes, the American people ARE war weary.  But, we understand we have an obligation to help our friend, Israel, when its very existence is threatened.  Too, the Obama Administration doesn't seem to grasp that when Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, the US is target number two. By assisting Israel we will be helping ourselves.

This week, more heat will be brought to bear on Obama's reluctance to stand with Israel. Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney will address the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention this week. President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres also will speak. You can bet sparks will fly.

Look.  Netanyahu is a former Israeli Special Forces warrior ... a heck of a soldier.  Soldiers are the last to want to go to war -- but -- they are the first to know when war is inevitable.  Mr. Obama, on the other hand has no military experience... none.  In my opinion, Mr. Obama should consider, and consider seriously, Mr. Netanyahu's assessment of the situation with Iran.

More than ever before, the Media from around the world has focused on the meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) this week.  For good reason.  News will be made this week.  Decisions could also be made this week, as an off-shoot of the AIPAC meeting, that could very well affect the entire world. 

There can be no question that when the Israeli/America ~vs~ Iran war begins, the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf states will become rather "iffy" instantly. That, alone, will have a huge effect on the world's teetering economy.  Having said that, we must understand that the time is fast approaching when the world must "bite the bullet," and endure the pain necessary to rid the world of a threat that is, in itself, a nightmare.

There is no easy answer to the Iranian question.  It is impossible to negotiate with those who will not negotiate.  Obama's flowery oratory is trumped by legendary  Persian hyperbole. Thus -- an impasse.

And, yes, there is a history of nasty business between Iran and the Jews of Israel.  The scars still smart.

Before Iran was renamed Iran it was Persia.  The rift between the Jews and the Persians is not new  It goes back many centuries.  It is important to note the word "Iran" means "Aryan."  The name of the country "Iran" means "Land of the Aryans"; the Iranians consider themselves the original Aryans (Yes, if you were wondering, the same Aryan Race that the White Supremacists and the Nazis speak about). Over 500 years before the birth of Christ King Darius referred to himself as "Darius the Great": There is an ancient inscription, dating back to at least 504 BC, in which King Darius said: "I am Darius, the great king... Persian, the son of a Persian; Aryan, from the Aryan race."

The name changed in 1935.  The suggestion for the name change from Persia to Iran is said to have come from the Persian ambassador to Germany, who was a Nazi sympathizer.  You may recall that in 1935 Germany was ruled by Hitler. Aryanism was equated by the Nazis as the highest level of human civilization.  The Persian ambassador was persuaded by his Nazi friends that Persia would be better off as an ally of Nazi Germany.  The Persian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent out a memo to all foreign embassies in Tehran, requesting that the country be called "Iran."  You may check the source here:

http://www.payvand.com/news/04/dec/1153.html

You may also check the book of Esther in the Old Testament of The Bible for the story of one of the most well known clashes between the Jews and the Persians/Iranians.  The end result of that ancient unpleasantness  will be celebrated by Jews this week, Thursday, March 8th, as the "Feast of Purim."

It is impossible to read the book of Esther, this week especially,  and not see the parallels between an ancient Jew approaching a great potentate asking for help to save the lives of the Jewish people.  One can only hope Obama reacts as did King Ahasuerus and that Obama and Netanyahu can both enjoy a few of those famous "Haman's Ear" cookies in celebration of the special occasion when the Jews were saved and Haman, the evil prime minister of Persia, did not succeed in his plot to kill all the Jews of Persia. 

They say history repeats itself.  I'd say ... THEY are right.

J. D. Longstreet