Israeli political correspondents who accompanied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sarah, to Washington this week found themselves on Monday facing US officials who tried to explain to them what a war against Iran would mean for Israel. Based on what they say, the US administration expects a war would bring about the collapse of the Israeli economy, recession, and a financial crisis that would be part of a global economic crisis.
It's a bid odd that Israeli correspondents need the prodding of foreigners to ask the hard questions about the consequences to the Israeli economy of an Israeli political decision. It is even odder that not one of them found it proper to ask either the US officials or Netanyahu's aides whether the US had promised to help Israel in any way if its attack against Iran ignites a prolonged war, or whether there might be unexpected developments.
Can Benjamin Netanyahu be sure that the US will use all its power against the international community, which would consider Israel as bearing the sole responsibility for the failure of the efforts to isolate Iran and for the prevailing instability in the Middle East? Would the US administration see fit to defend Israel's leaders who will be blamed for the rise in the price of oil, greater unemployment, and the fall into a lengthy recession? Is the Israeli government prepared to assume the responsibility of risking a wave of anti-Semitism arising from the perception of Jews as the instigators of an era of violence and war?
Instead of these questions, what the Israeli public received at great length, was Netanyahu's speech to AIPAC. Quotes about nuclear ducks, a count of the number of applauses he received from the audience, and remarks about the Jewish vote, which is "very important in the upcoming elections." This is more or less the mix of reportage our courageous correspondents provided us from Washington.
Not even one of them bothered to examine how much the Jewish vote really does have an influence, how much AIPAC - an organization of conservative Jewish and evangelical Christians - really speaks for the American Jewish community. Had our correspondents bothered to check what has been written in the US press lately, they would undoubtedly note the debate about one fateful question: is US politics about to face the rise to power for a very long time of a new coalition of liberals - leftists in the parlance of Israeli talkbacks - and minorities?
No one from this coalition spoke to the Jews meeting at the AIPAC convention. They were not invited, and they apparently did not ask to be. Even if nothing was said today on this point, it is clear that the kind of politics and ideology of the representative American Jewish establishment is not part of this new coalition. The important point is that this is the coalition that is supposed to ensure President Barack Obama's reelection in November, and it considers an Israeli attack on Iran as not just undesirable, but lacking any legitimacy.
Obama could try to maneuver between the different forces, bridge the interests of the liberal coalition that supports him and the interests of American Jews who support Netanyahu. But if he has to pick a side, and if he is pushed to blame the troubles of the global economy, it is clear who will be blamed.
We will almost certainly not read all about this in the coming days. But don’t worry, we will receive blissful descriptions about Netanyahu's spirit on his flight back to Israel.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 6, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012