Netanyanu should postpone his speech on Iran

By J. Zel Lurie

DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gotten himself in a deep hole. He and his ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, had arranged with Speaker of the House, John Boehner, for him to address both Houses of Congress early in March. Twice before, prime ministers of Israel had the honor and privilege of addressing both Houses of Congress, but this one was different.

For Bibi, it was an important campaign speech. He envisioned Israeli TV showing him addressing Congress to several standing ovations. This would be an important cog in his campaign to steer the voter away from what interested him most, the high cost of living and housing, which has spiraled during Netanyahu’s regime.

Netanyahu did not expect that Abe Foxman, the veteran head of the ADL, would lead a vigorous backlash by American Jewry against Bibi’s snub of President Obama. Abe has always been the self-appointed American spokesman for Netanyahu’s government. Much to Abe’s discomfort, he found himself on the same side as J Street which mobilized the Jews, particularly the young ones against Bibi’s campaign speech.

I have a solution for Bibi. Bibi has a legitimate objection to the United States making a deal with Iran. I oppose him. I support the President, but I and the American people should listen to his objection. In his opinion, the proposed deal with Iran will delay but not stop Iran’s nuclear ambition. Iran’s leaders have threatened time and again to destroy Israel. They could do so when Iran has the bomb and the missile to deliver.

Iran should be stopped now by increasing economic sanctions as proposed by Republicans and many Democrats in Congress.

The solution is simple. Postpone the speech for two or three weeks until after the March 17^th elections.

Twenty-one Democratic Congressmen have sent a letter to Speaker Boehner asking that he postpone the invitation. They say that they would like to hear “him or her” who will win the Israeli election on March 17^th.

I say that if Speaker Boehner sets a new date a few days after the election, Bibi will still be prime minister. Even if he loses the election, Bibi remains prime minister until after a new coalition is organized and wins approval by the Knesset.

A few weeks ago on these pages, I advised Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni to sew up the election by announcing that Moshe Kahlon will be their minister of housing. Kahlon had made his reputation a few years ago when he was minister of communications. He broke the monopoly of the cell phone companies and reduced the prices by half.

Kahlon was high up on the Likud list on the 2012 elections when Bibi announced that if he was elected, Kahlon would have a suitable budget to build rental housing. Bibi lied. After the election, he appointed a friend of the West Bank Jewish settlers as minister of housing. He spent his budget in the West Bank and not in Israel.

Kahlon left the Likud. He’s expected to win a dozen odd seats in the election. Whether or not he joins Netanyahu’s Likud or The Herzog Livni Zionist camp may decide who will form the next government.

“I am a man of the right,” he says to show his difficulty in joining with Isaac Herzog’s Labor Party.

But Tzipi Livni is a woman of the right. She has served as minister in the Likud coalitions. Her father was chief operation officer for the Irgun, the right-wing opposition to Ben Gurion in their fight for a Jewish state.

No one listened to my advice three weeks ago. How can a 101-year-old man who has never lived in Israel give good advice to Israelis? I doubt anyone will listen to me today, but it is still good advice.

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Lurie, a centenarian, is a freelance writer based in Delray Beach, Florida.  Your signed comment may be posted in the space provided below or sent to jzel.lurie@sdjewishworld.com