Daily Times

At the time of writing, Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address both houses ofthe US Congress on Tuesday, March 3. In wanton disregard of protocol, John Boehner, the speaker,invited Netanyahu to address the Congress. The official protocol permits a head of any foreign government to be invited by the head of the US government,the president of the US. John Boehner is within his rights to invite any speaker of any country to visit or even address the Congress. It is also a flagrant violation of the protocol when the head of any foreign government responds to the invitation extended by anybody other than thepresident and agrees to visit the US. I am not sure such a breach of protocol has happened in the recent history of the US but it is not surprising that under the current hostile political environment, the Republican leadership will leave no stone unturned to embarrass, if not humiliate, President Obama. They are not only challenging the religious orientation of Obamabut even his patriotism is being called into question. This speaks volumes about the political bankruptcy of the Republican Party and moral degradation of the leaders who aspire to lead the party and take charge of the country in future. Isaac Herzog, the Israeli opposition leader, has denounced Netanyahu for choosing a date so close to the general election to visit the US and take on Obama.
The issue that Netanyahu will eloquently highlight at the Congress is well known. He will explain how dangerous a deal the US government is going to conclude with Iran on the nuclear issue. He has warned several times in the past that any agreement with Iran would be unwise and would enable Tehran to acquire nuclear capability, which would pose an existential threat to Israel. In September 2012, Netanyahu claimed in a graphic presentation at the General Assembly that Iran was at the threshold of making a nuclear bomb and that time was running out for the international community to stop Iran from reaching that stage. His claim has never been corroborated by the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), the nuclear watchdog. Netanyahu feels he is within his right to set a limit that the US administrationshould concedein conducting negotiations with a foreign country.
It was in September 2013 that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposed a negotiated settlement of the nuclear issue. He even suggested that within 12 months a deal could be reached. Obama responded positively, spoke to him on the phone and suggested talks at the foreign ministerial level. The members of the Security Council and Germany enthusiastically agreed to try a negotiated settlement. In the following month the representatives of the five-plus-one countries and Iran met in Vienna for the first time in 40 years to end this crisis in a peaceful way. Netanyahu questioned the motives of the Iranian government and felt the latter was only buying time to make the bomb. The Israeli government issued statement after statement during the negotiations that the representatives of thefive-plus-one countries were conceding too much and cautioned that no deal was preferred over a bad deal. In other words, the Israeli government was in favour of walking out of the negotiations and planning for a military solution. Secretary of State John Kerry assured the Israeli government that the negotiators were not impervious to the “security of Israel” in crafting an agreement with Iran. Defending the dialogue, John Kerry claimed recently, “Israel is safer today with the added time we have given and the stoppage of the advances of the nuclear programme.”But Netanyahu has remained unconvinced; he favours a military solution.
No agreement was reached within the 12 months due to disagreement on the lifting of sanctions and on the number of centrifuges Iran would be allowed to retain. The US-led western countries demanded a complete moratorium on the uraniumenrichment programme while Iran found no fault in the continuation of peaceful nuclear activity, which began with US assistance during the Eisenhower-Shah era under the Atoms for Peace Programme. Iran demanded termination of sanctions and release of Iranian assets frozen in the US and Europe. Western countries want a shutdown of the Arak nuclear site and an end to nuclear enrichment. Netanyahu wants the negotiationsto produce a deal that leaves Iran with zero ability to enrich uranium.That is by definition impossible.
It appears from the statements released by the White House that an agreement is in the makingthat will allow Iran to retain about 6,000 enriched centrifuges, limit stockpiles of potentially fissile materials and submit all nuclear facilities to the IAEA’s inspections. Iran will cease its nuclear enrichment programme for 10 years, limit uranium enrichment to five percent and send spent nuclear fuel to Russia for reprocessing. The US administration feels that the new Iranian leadership, emerging after 10 years,would be tempted towards higher learning and technology and lessenthusiastic towards nuclear enrichment. They will explore a greater dividendin the trajectory of peaceful co-existence with theirneighbours. In return, the US may terminate sanctions and Tehran will join the international community in fightingIslamic State(IS) in the region, persuade the Assad regime to come to a settlement with the rebels and help Baghdad to pursue a broad-based inclusive governance.
The proposed deal is far from ideal but what are the alternatives? Netanyahu favours air strikes on the nuclear sites deep inside Iran. Military experts are doubtful about whether air strikes could eliminate the nuclear facilities. They are afraid such strikes would ignite anti-US sentiment in the streets of Iran and the Middle East and frustrate all attempts of reconciliation and peace building in the Muslim world. Tehran will be more determined to acquire nuclear capability and in the absence of the IAEA’s inspection it might acquire the capability sooner than expected. The consequences of ill-advised and badly planned Iraq invasion are still felt and no amount of remorse and apology have healed the wounds of the millions killed and maimed in Iraq and in the US. The nation cannot afford another war. Another round of sanctions will not convince Japan, China, South Korea and India to look for non-Iranian oil.
The invasion of Iraq facilitated the resurgence of Iran as a regional power. Tehran now wields influence in the region stretching from Bahrain to Lebanon. It is only wisdom to accept the reality and treat Tehran accordingly. China was kept outside the United Nations for over20 years. It will not be too much to expect responsible behaviourfrom Tehran once it is recognised as a regional power.US-Iran cooperation can help heal the deep wounds Israel has created in the past 65years.

The writer is a former official of
the United Nations