Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, recently stated his intentions to speak before the United States Congress on March 3rd. Relations between Israel and the U.S. decline as Netanyahu vows to rebuke President Obama in front of the entire world on the political stage. He’s upset because he doesn’t feel like the U.S. is doing enough to thwart nuclear threats from Iran. The nation of Israel claims that Iran will use nuclear weapons against them. Israel wants the U.S. to keep Iran at bay.
However, Israel is also developing nuclear weapons. They also refuse to allow inspectors to go into their facilities to research their weapons. Israel is starting to become a bully, and perhaps it is time that they are met with the same sanctions that Iran faces right now. The White House may not jump to that conclusion just yet, but the souring relations could lead to future sanctions if Netanyahu doesn’t back off soon.
President Obama says that the White House could turn a cold shoulder to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The U.S. usually sends top diplomats to participate in this meeting, but they could send lower-ranking officials in protest to Netanyahu’s speech.
If a public relations war is what Israel wants, then that may just be what Israel gets. The White House is making it clear that any attempt to undermine them and discredit them will lead to harsh consequences. They are going to bring the hammer down on Netanyahu and anyone that supports him.