Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a 40-minute speech to Congress on Tuesday that ruffled a few feather in Washington, but the message was clear: Obama's nuclear deal with Iran needs to be stopped or it will pave the way for the Middle Eastern country to develop a nuclear bomb.
"My speech is not intended to show any disrespect to president Obama or the esteemed office that he holds," the Prime Minister clarified on Monday to critics who claim that the America-Israeli relations have been diminishing lately. "I have great respect for both."
But Tuesday's speech, unapproved by the Obama administration, warned that the U.S. should be careful about any deals made with Iran, especially considering the fact that Iran has not only been funding aggression against Israel, but is not to be trusted in any sort of alliance of nations with the U.S. and Israel.
"So at a time when many hope that Iran will join the community of nations, Iran is busy gobbling up the nations," he said. "We must all stand together to stop Iran's march of conquest, subjugation and terror."
Netanyahu made sure to point out, as he did in Monday's speech, that he is thankful for the support that the United States has provided for Israel, but many still believe that the Prime Minister's speech was meant to undermine President Obama's foreign relations plan.
But it's the contradiction in Netanyahu's two proposed alternatives to Obama's plan that has many speculating that he maybe just not want any deal at all.
In Netanyahu's first proposal, he suggested that Iran is too aggressive and irrational to fully comply with any type of nuclear deal, and it would never stop moving toward the development of a nuclear weapon.
But on the other hand, Netanyahu said that the U.S. should instead seek more sanctions, driving Iran into the corner. "If Iran threatens to walk away from the table -- and this often happens in a Persian bazaar -- call their bluff," he said. "By maintaining the pressure on Iran and on those who do business with Iran, you have the power to make them need it even more."
The contradiction, as many political analysts have pointed out, is that he's saying that Iran is both irrational and rational, depending on the scenario. But it's later in the speech when Netanyahu cites American policy that "no deal is better than a bad deal."
"Well this is a bad deal," Netanyahu stated. "It's a very bad deal. We're better off without it."
Netanyahu, of course, is most worried about the development of short-range nuclear weapons by Iran, that would not be able to reach the U.S, but could easily reach Israel. And he adds that the Muslim country won't rest until it has total control.
"Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam," he said. "In this deadly game of thrones, there is no place for America or for Israel, no peace for Christians, Jews or Muslims who don't share the Islamists' medieval creed. No rights for women, no freedom for anyone."
"So when it comes to ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy."
