Netanyahu: Deal with Iran no 'farewell to arms'

UPDATE: Speaking from the Oval Office, with Defense Secretary Ash Carter at his side, President Barack Obama said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t offer anything new in his speech this morning before Congress.

Obama, who did not attend the speech or meet with the Israeli leader while he was in Washington, said he read a transcript of the address and declared it very similar to a previous speech Netanyahu gave on the Iranian nuclear deal. The prime minister’s proposal, which doesn’t offer a “viable alternative” to the deal Obama champions, would only lead Iran to increase efforts to produce nuclear weapons, the president said.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (1:15 p.m. EST): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a conciliatory note as he began his controversial address before Congress this morning, saying he never intended for the speech to become so politicized.

But if he came in like a lamb, he went out like a lion, vowing if Israel had to stand alone against Iran, his people were ready to fight.

“We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves,” he said. “For the first time in 100 generations, we the Jewish people can defend ourselves.”

Netanyahu’s hawkish words drew a standing ovation from the joint session of Congress, one of the few times both Republicans and Democrats showed universal approval for the Israeli leader’s words. The prime minister came to Washington to plead with lawmakers not to move forward with a proposed deal that would postpone, but not obliterate, Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. Far from being a “farewell to arms,” the deal would be a “farewell to arms control,” Netanyahu warned.

But the Obama administration supports the deal, and many Democratic lawmakers joined with the president in voicing disappointment over Netanyahu’s visit. President Barack Obama declined to meet with the prime minister during his time in Washington, and Vice President Joe Biden did not attend the morning’s speech. Some Democratic lawmakers also boycotted the address, although the party’s leaders, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, both attended.

Obama administration officials said they opposed the timing of the speech, just 14 days before Netanyahu is up for reelection in Israel. They said America’s relationship with Israel needed to remain bipartisan, something Netanyahu agreed with. But he said he felt obligated to come to Washington now because the proposed deal with Iran threatens Israel’s survival.

When Iran’s new president came to power several years ago, many people said he just needed time to usher in a new age of change and moderation in the country, Netanyahu said, adding that change isn’t possible for a regime whose ideology is deeply rooted in militant Islam. While Iran is helping some of its neighbors in the fight against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), U.S. officials should not be fooled into thinking that the enemy of their enemy is their friend, he warned, noting that Iran and ISIS have the same goal; they’re just fighting over who will get to rule the Islamic empire they both seek to establish. ISIS is armed with butcher knives, Netanyahu said, but Iran soon could be armed with nuclear weapons.

“To defeat ISIS but let Iran have nuclear weapons would be to win the battle but lose the war,” he insisted. “We can’t let that happen. But that, my friends, is exactly what could happen if the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran.”

Netanyahu focused on two major concessions in the proposal, which he said would all but guarantee Iran would be able to develop nuclear weapons in the near future. The first would allow Iran to maintain its nuclear infrastructure, giving it the ability to quickly ramp up weapons production. The second concession involves the length of the deal—10 years. At the end of that decade, Iran would be free to continue its nuclear weapons development with the world’s blessing, Netanyahu said, adding that neighbors in the region who are concerned about Iran’s aggression would feel obligated to obtain their own nuclear weapons, leading to an arms race in a region where “small skirmishes can trigger big wars.”

While Netanyahu offered plenty of criticism for the proposed deal, he didn’t suggest a specific alternative. Before world leaders, led by the United States, consider lifting any sanctions against Iran, they should make three demands: Iran should stop aggression against its neighbors in the Middle East, stop supporting terrorism, and stop threatening to annihilate Israel, Netanyahu said. The recent collapse in the price of oil has made the Iranian regime even more vulnerable and puts the United States and its allies in a much stronger negotiating position, he insisted.

“If Iran threatens to walk away from the table, call their bluff,” he said. “They’ll be back. They need the deal a lot more than you do.”

Standing up to Iran will not be easy, but it is necessary, Netanyahu said, concluding his speech with a reference to Moses, whose likeness appears at the back of the House chamber. Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and his words have steeled the Jewish people’s resolve for thousands of years, Netanyahu said, paraphrasing from Deuteronomy 31:6, which says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”