After
listening to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to AIPAC in which he justified
his decision to address Congress tomorrow, I have just one comment: Get over it. The world needs to get over the political question as to
whether Netanyahu should have accepted the invitation to speak before Congress and
focus on the real issue: how best to deal with Iran.
Israel
and the United States have legitimate differences over how to prevent Iran from
going nuclear and that is all we should be discussing. Focusing so much time on
whether the Prime Minister insulted the President or whether he accepted the
invitation in order to help with his reelection at home distracts from the serious
and existential threat Israel today faces. With such a critical issue before us
we cannot afford to allow petty politics to get in the way of America and
Israel working together to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
One
last point: The Prime Minister in his talk today made an interesting
distinction between America and Israel’s stance on this issue. Whereas
America’s primary concern is its security and standing in the world, Israel’s
sole concern is her very survival. That distinction helps account for the
stricter tone and approach the Prime Minister is advocating in comparison to
the approach of the US Administration. Clearly this issue is critical for both
countries but it’s only life and death for one. Therefore, despite the politics
and possible breaches of protocol, we must speak up. As the holiday of Purim approaches and we
recall the last Persian leader who threatened the Jewish people, we must follow
the example of Mordecai and Esther to lend our support to those who speak in
defense of our people.
