A Deep Abyss Gaping between Obama and Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is characterized by a Republican mindset. At certain moments, one can even say that were he able, he would contend for the U.S. presidency against President Obama. Perhaps this fact drives Netanyahu to engage in a melee combat with Obama in spite of the heavy price for the national security of the state of Israel.

The impressive appearance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu year after year — especially this year, in front of 11,000 people — at the American pro-Israel lobby (AIPAC) brings up the question: Isn’t Netanyahu actually being the [presidential] candidate the Republican Party wants so badly?

Netanyahu is no stranger to America; he speaks English par excellence and knows how to make impressive appearances. He talks Republican, thinks Republican and even breathes Republican. Nonetheless, he is the prime minister of Israel, and I’m convinced that if Netanyahu were eligible, the Republicans would gladly adopt him and endorse his campaign against President Obama in the upcoming elections. Why all this imagination I present here? Because it’s possibly this feeling, this identification of Netanyahu as a Republican, that moves him to withstand President Obama and to engage in a melee combat with him, despite his knowing that the price is paid in the national security of the state of Israel.

This is about a fundamental argument between two world views. Netanyahu feels like he stands on his own. President Obama spoke in his address about 1967 borders with transfers of territory but did not give all the details; however, Netanyahu stepped in, issued a harsh response and gave the president a lecture in the White House. As the Israeli premier sees it, the U.S. president has folded up. Well, you know what? He has not; he was compelled to explain himself and put the focus on the things important to Israel this time.

“Netanyahu Would be Happy to Run Against Obama as a Presidential Candidate”

That’s Netanyahu’s outlook. He does not express it loudly, but you can say that Netanyahu believes that he did the right thing. Despite the fact that he stands at the head of a small country, he thinks that he managed to influence the leader of the big America, according to him.

President Obama’s outlook is in fact different. He’s probably thinking, “I tried to get the PM to make a serious concession, but he did not agree; [so] I had to say what everybody knows is a final formula for peace — yet Netanyahu has come here to fight.” Basically, Netanyahu set up his speech before the two houses of Congress behind the scenes — there is a Republican Congress opposing Obama, so it wanted this incident. Therefore, it can be that the President thinks that Netanyahu has inflated a little thing that could have been cleared in one-to-one format.

A deep abyss seems to be gaping between the two statesmen, but apparently what causes Netanyahu in the end to walk exactly into this arena of confrontation with Obama is maybe, just maybe, this perception that if he only could, he would be happy to run against Obama as a GOP contender.

Translator’s Note: Some words and sentences were missing in the printed text, so I’ve interpolated them from the video version.