Obama baulks at Bibi’s red line

THE threat of a nuclear Iran may not be a laughing matter, but that didn’t deter Benjamin Netanyahu from making light of the current speculation surrounding a potential Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic when he addressed the AIPAC conference this week.

“I’d like to talk to you about a subject no-one has been talking about recently … Iran,” the Israeli Prime Minister joked in his opening remarks to the 13,000 delegates on Monday night.

Despite the jocular start to his speech, there was no mistaking the seriousness of his tone as he continued, noting “We’ve waited for diplomacy to work. We’ve waited for sanctions to work.

“None of us can afford to wait much longer,” he added.

“As Prime Minister of Israel,” he said, “I will never let my people live under the shadow of annihilation.”

And in a warning to those who claim Iran would never use nuclear arms, he insisted, “I will never gamble with the security of Israel.”

Would he bow to US pressure to refrain from an attack? Stating he appreciated the alliance with the US, Netanyahu said,

“When it comes to Israel’s survival, we must always remain the masters of our fate.”

The Prime Minister’s speech came two days after Barack Obama addressed the conference, pledging his unwavering support of the Jewish State. “My administration’s commitment to Israel’s security has been unprecedented,” the US

President said, before he too turned to the topic of Iran. “No Israeli government can tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime that denies the Holocaust, threatens to wipe Israel off the map and sponsors terrorist groups committed to Israel’s destruction,” he said.

Nailing his colours to the diplomacy and sanctions mast, Obama nonetheless stated “I will take no options off the table,” warning Iran that ultimately, “I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its ­interests.”

Away from the conference hall, the two leaders met face to face at the White House on Monday for private talks reportedly dominated by the subject of Iran. Before the Oval Office doors closed, however, each party outlined the views that fuelled their AIPAC speeches.

“Israel must have the ability, always, to defend itself, by itself, against any threat,” Netanyahu told  Obama. “Israel has the right, the sovereign right, to make its own ­decisions.”

The US President, meanwhile, insisted “The United States will always have Israel’s back when it comes to Israel’s security” and stressed “when I say all options are at the table, I mean it.”

“Having said that, I know that both the Prime Minister and I prefer to resolve this diplomatically. We understand the costs of any military action,” Obama added.

For full coverage, see this week’s AJN.