Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington to speak about Iran and for no other reason, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, said in an interview.
“Let me be clear that the prime minister’s visit to Washington is intended for one purpose — to speak about Iran, that openly threatens the survival of the Jewish state,” Dermer told Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic in an email Q&A over the weekend. “The survival of Israel is not a partisan issue. It is an issue for all Americans, because those who seek Israel’s destruction also threaten America.”
Dermer is believed to have orchestrated the invitation issued by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to address Congress about U.S. Iran policy. The White House found out about the speech, which is scheduled for March 3, three hours before Boehner announced the address on Jan. 21. The address will come exactly two weeks before national elections in Israel.
Dermer told Goldberg that “Israel is very concerned” that the deal currently being negotiated by the world powers, known as the P5+1, would not dismantle Iran’s nuclear weapons capability. — jta