Representing the United States in cooperation with Iran is not possible | Israel

The signing of US President Joe Biden’s signature on a nuclear deal with Iran has put the new Israeli government in jeopardy. It has two options: following the policy of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has banned any alliance with Iran that may include a slight reduction in sanctions, or a “if you can’t beat them, join them” alliance with Biden’s management is known in the next group.

At his first meeting with US counterpart Antony Blinken on June 27, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also suggested what the new government would do. “We believe that the key to resolving this conflict is through direct and professional dialogue, not a press conference,” Lapid said. This would be in stark contrast to Netanyahu’s brutal campaign against the 2015 agreement, in which he rejected Obama’s response to negotiations before signing a treaty.

The treaty, which had a limit of 10 to 15 years in some respects, was not perfect. However, some Israeli security officials insisted it was better than no compromise, as it forced Tehran to abandon the uranium that had failed and to accept an unprecedented exploration government.

Netanyahu turned his back on Obama to urge Congress to oppose the 2015 deal, but failed. The agreement was signed. Netanyahu took advantage of the close relationship he had with President Donald Trump and Republicans, which helped them a lot in the 2018 US departure from the agreement. And what did Israel get from this, other than the anger and frustration of the signatories – Russia, China, the UK, and France?

President-elect Biden responded to the question in December 2020, just weeks before he went to the White House, announcing that opponents of Iran’s alliance had yielded results against their opponents’ demands. “[Iran] has increased the potential for nuclear weapons. They are getting closer to being able to have enough nuclear weapons, “he said.

Biden’s January 2020 protests by Trump for ousting the US from the Iranian alliance could be read again as an attack on Netanyahu. Biden said at a conference in Nevada that “everything that has happened in Iran and Iraq in recent weeks was brought about by Trump’s departure from the 2018 nuclear deal which has received strong international support”.

Netanyahu apparently is unaware of his major failures in an area that for many years has called himself “Mr Security”. From Knesset’s opposition bench, it continues to support US efforts to establish a nuclear deal with Iran. They are on the receiving end of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Lapid, who have been accused of undermining Israel’s security by promising to give the United States a warning in advance about any war in Iran.

“If it were not for the shocks, we would not be able to destroy weapons in Iraq,” Netanyahu said, referring to Israel’s 1981 nuclear disarmament near Baghdad. He added that the US had repeatedly asked him to make such a commitment but he refused.

On his first day on the job, Lapid said his first task was to establish Israeli relations with Democrats. He followed this up with Blinken at their June 27 meeting in Rome. “In the last few years, mistakes have been made,” Lapid told Blinken. “It was painful for Israel to stand on two sides. We will make amends for them together.”

The success of the US-Iran negotiations has forced Bennett to make a decision to “move” or risk two problems – with the US and other world powers, as well as with Lapid and his allies left on the home. Biden officials have made no secret of their efforts to form an alliance with the new Israeli government.

Israeli officials have always insisted that when it comes to Iran’s nuclear program, “all decisions are on the table”. In other words, Israel does not condemn the nuclear weapons attack in Iran. However, when a resident of the Oval Office is a rational leader who seeks to resolve conflicts peacefully, rather than at gunpoint, such a decision is virtually impossible.

On the other hand, if negotiations end, not because of anti-Israel protests, and Iran wins one of these days to acquire nuclear weapons, the Israeli army will attack nuclear weapons under the international umbrella.

Netanyahu’s double failure – the acceleration of Iran’s nuclear program and the difficulties in relations with Democrats – should teach Bennett an important lesson. Israel cannot defeat the US. Even if they win, they can lose.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor of Al Jazeera.