By Sami Jamil Jadallah.
When it comes to the Iran Nuclear Deal it is not the American public that will make the decision. The fate of the Iran Nuclear Deal is in the hands of Israel, its Fifth Column and in the hands of Israeli officials past and presents both pro and against the deal and Obama administration knows that very well.
The American public has been incited against Iran for a long time especially since the taking of American hostages (November 4, 1979- January 20, 1981) when American media set aside a special nightly program against Iran at the expense of all other national and international events. With a lingering anger about the hostage taking the general American public is lukewarm about the deal 28% v. 24%, while American Jews showing strong plurality for the deal 49% v.31%.
However at no time Ted Koppel nightly broadcast, ever-mentioned Israel’s deliberate cold-blooded murder of 34 sailors and civilians on the USS Liberty and the wounding of 171 sailors.
Against this background, Israel is the key player and decision maker on whether Congress will approve the deal and whether Congress can override an expected presidential veto.
Tens of millions of dollars have been committed, both for and much more against the deal funded mainly by AIPAC and associated organizations such as Citizens Against Nuclear Iran, United Against Nuclear Iran, Citizens for Nuclear Free Iran, with American Jewish multi millionaires and multi billionaire throwing a ton of money (more than $40 millions) trying to buy votes Congressional votes. At this moment it is neck and neck with the President of the United States loosing the comfortable margin he needs for his expected veto.
The administration desperate for votes has enlisted the help of American Jewish leadership with some 340 Rabbis announcing support for the deal and more are expected to announce their support this coming September when the Orthodox Union will try to bring hundreds of Rabbis to Washington.
The on going public debate for the most part specially on nightly news, features Israeli officials past and present. While President Obama is doing his best to secure support in Congress, Bibi Netanyahu personally and through the Israeli ambassador in Washington have been strongly lobbying Congress to vote against the deal with the Israeli ambassador secured meeting with 60 members of Congress in the last month.
Former members of the Senate the likes of Norm Coleman, Saxby Chambliss, Evan Bayh are following the lead of former Senator and Rabbi Joseph Lieberman who is leading the fight to defeat the deal in Congress.
On the other hand major former Israeli intelligence and military officers have been coming out in support of the deal.
Among those is the former head of the Mossad, Efraim Halvey “the attempt to change the rules of the game and to include further demands from Iran in the agreement, such as recognition of Israel and stopping support for terrorism shows that Netanyahu has no interest in the agreement whatsoever”.
Giving support to his counterpart, the former head of Shin Bet, Ami Aylon cam out in support of the deal, “ the deal achieved in Vienna is the best possible alternative from Israel’s point of view, given the other available alternatives.” Continuing to state, “ When it comes to Iran nuclear capabilities, this deal is best option”.
While members of Congress think they can get a better deal neither for Israel nor for America of course, have been raising issues of the competency of the technical team that helped negotiate the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Countering such claim is non other than Yitzhak Ben Israel, the Chairman of Israel Space Agency and the Chairman of the National Council for Research and Development in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space “ there is a dialogue of the deaf, the agreement is not bad, at all, even good for Israel.”
It is yet to be seen whether America’s national security and world security will determine the outcome of the vote or whether Israel once again determine American’s national security and interests through its agents in Congress.
The debate as we have seen is hardly among and between Americans; it is almost exclusively among AIPAC, Israeli officials, certainly between members of the American Jewish community. In the end, the vote in Congress is not about Iran Nuclear Deal it is all about which comes first America or Israel. Remember that next November.
