Netanyahu’s bluster finally getting noticed

The dangerous, right-wing bluster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu serves to undermine his nation’s security, Fareed Zakaria astutely observes in his recent Newsweek essay.

While Netanyahu is busy raging against the potential danger of Iran, he’s kepy equally busy insulting his nation’s best friend and chief ally and protector, the United States.

Iran is indeed an important issue, Zakaria writes, “But after watching Netanyahu's government over the past year, I have concluded that he is actually not serious about the Iranian threat. If tackling the rise of Iran were his paramount concern, would he have allowed a collapse in relations with the United States, the country whose military, political, and economic help is indispensable in confronting this challenge? If taking on Iran were his central preoccupation, wouldn't he have subordinated petty domestic considerations and done everything to bolster ties with the United States? Bibi likes to think of himself as Winston Churchill, warning the world of a gathering storm. But he should bear in mind that Churchill's single obsession during the late 1930s was to strengthen his alliance with the United States, whatever the costs, concessions, and compromises he had to make.

He continues: In a smart piece of analysis in Israel's Haaretz newspaper, Anshel Pfeffer, no fan of the Obama administration, writes, "When senior ministers or generals list Israel's defense priorities, there is always one point on which there exists total consensus: The alliance with the United States as the nation's greatest strategic asset, way above anything else. It is more crucial than the professionalism of the Israel Defense Forces, than the peace treaty with Egypt and even than the secret doomsday weapons that we may or may not have squirreled away somewhere...But [Netanyahu] has succeeded in one short year in power to plunge Israel's essential relationship with the United States to unheard of depths."

Zakaria and Pfeffer make important points. What they aren’t saying is that Netanyahu appears to pay a great deal of attention to his Obama-hating friends and supporters in the United States. This is the crowd that finances the relentless call that the President is soft on terrorism.

Insulting Vice President Joe Biden on a trip to Israel was a sign to some observers that Netanyahu is almost as interested in regime change in America as he is in Iran.