Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington now, trying to paper over his disdain for US President Barack Obama long enough to secure a new deal with defence officials to restock his nation’s armoury. There’s little love lost at a personal level between the two men, but Netanyahu knows he can always count on his friends in Washington, in the Jewish lobby, and in the Republican Party.
He is still smarting from the fact that the US along with Russia, France, the UK, China and Germany brokered a deal with Tehran on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme — a deal that he views as being the ultimate threat to the very existence of his country, with Iran having the means and access to technologies that could potentially give it a nuclear weapon.
When Netanyahu last came calling to Washington, it was at the request of his Republican allies and came in the midst of his re-election campaign in March. Then, citing protocol, the White House declined to roll out the welcome mat for a prime minister who was trolling for votes among right-wing Israelis back home and who would use any photo opportunity in the Oval Office for political advantage. The reality too was that Obama could not meet Netanyahu on a partisan trip sponsored by the Republicans.
This time around, Netanyahu will come to receive assurances that the US is committed to its long-time ally in the Middle East and, as an assuage to the nuclear deal with Iran, the Israeli Prime Minister will return home with a 10-year military deal that will include access to the latest US hardware.
But Netanyahu also wants money. A current deal that sees Washington subsidise Israel to the tune of $3 billion annually is set to end in 2017. Netanyahu wants more. Having brokered and made a deal with Iran, the US will simply write a bigger cheque to Israel to keep it quiet — or a little quieter at least — over its opposition to the treaty with Tehran. It’s the usual business, and business as usual.
