Netanyahu Speech Riles Democrats
March 4, 2015
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke to a joint session of the U.S. Congress concerning foreign policy with Iran. The speech was a breach with usual protocol, as House Leader John Boehner invited Netanyahu to address Congress without consulting with U.S. President Barack Obama. Netanyahu’s speech, just two weeks before he is up for re-election, openly criticized Obama’s Iran initiative concerning nuclear development in that nation. Some 50 Democratic members of Congress refused to attend the speech.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2015. Credit: AP Photo
The disagreement centered on more than just politics and protocol. President Obama—along with European allies, Russia, and China—is trying to persuade the government of Iran to agree to a pact to limit their nuclear holdings. The agreement specified the number of centrifuges Iran was allowed and called for Iran to permit international inspections of its nuclear sites. Should Iran exceed the number of centrifuges or refuse to cooperate with international inspectors, the governments urging the pact believe there would be enough time for them to act before Iran was able to build a bomb.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that Iran has a history of duplicity concerning pacts and agreements and of making statements threatening the state of Israel. Netanyahu argues that Iran should be allowed no centrifuges or nuclear material. As Iran is unlikely to agree to such terms, however, international inspections of sites would be impossible. The current pact negotiated by Obama may be the best of several less-than-perfect options.
Other World Book articles:
- Iran (2009-a Back in Time article)
- Iran (2010-a Back in time article)
- Iran (2011-a Back in time article)
- Iran (2012-a Back in time article)
- Iran (2013-a Back in time article)
- Israel (2013-a Back in Time article)
- Nuclear energy
- Nuclear weapon
