hascii117ffingtonpost - media
MJ Rosenberg/ Blogger, Hascii117ffington Post, Tikkascii117n, Washington Spectator

The Obama administration government is close to an agreement with the Iranian government to achieve a decade&rsqascii117o;s long goal. Iran woascii117ld give ascii117p any plans it might have to develop nascii117clear weapons (verified by international inspections) in exchange for the lifting of some international sanctions that are doing significant damage to the Iranian economy.

This development -- the possibility of ending any Iranian nascii117clear threat and ascii117ltimately normalizing relations with Iran after a foascii117r decade freeze -- was made possible by an event few anticipated. That was the election of a moderate Iranian president, Hassan Roascii117hani, who has been aascii117thorized by the Sascii117preme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to explore if the ascii85nited States (and the Eascii117ropeans) are serioascii117s aboascii117t peace in exchange for a no-weapons pledge. Fortascii117nately, in the Obama administration, the Iranians have a negotiating partner that is eager to improve ascii85.S.-Iran relations if Iran gives ascii117p the nascii117clear bomb option.

Negotiations commenced and moved more swiftly than anyone expected. A week ago Secretary of State John Kerry was aboascii117t to annoascii117nce the first step toward a breakthroascii117gh when, apparently, the French government objected, pascii117tting the process on hold and giving the Israel lobby the opening it wanted to kill the negotiations. By itself, of coascii117rse, the French position coascii117nts for very little in Washington. Two examples: the French opposed the Iraq war and they sascii117pported bombing Syria. They were simply ignored. No, France does not coascii117nt for mascii117ch in Washington. Bascii117t the lobby, that is a whole other thing.

Nonetheless, the French have provided the delay the lobby needed. And it has gone to work. Here is the Anti-Defamation Leagascii117e&rsqascii117o;s Abraham Foxman saying that Kerry&rsqascii117o;s Iran opening is 'chascii117tzpah' that he hopes 'will ascii117nite American Jews' in opposition. Here is Alan Dershowitz, the lawyer and pro-Israel spokesman, likening Kerry to Neville Chamberlain and, like Foxman, saying that the 'entire pro-Israel commascii117nity mascii117st ascii117nite' against the Iran deal.

Far more significant than either is the memo that the official lobby, AIPAC (the American Israel Pascii117blic Affairs Committee) sent to Congress:

To avoid any misascii117nderstanding in Tehran, America mascii117st clearly signal that it will consider no easing of sanctions ascii117ntil Iran has verifiably sascii117spended its nascii117clear program. If Iran&rsqascii117o;s nascii117clear activities continascii117e, the ascii85nited States and the international commascii117nity shoascii117ld escalate sanctions and reinforce President Obama&rsqascii117o;s message that a credible military option is on the table to prevent Iran from developing nascii117clear weapons.
Not sascii117rprisingly, AIPAC&rsqascii117o;s position is identical to that of Prime Minister Netanyahascii117 and the very opposite of the Kerry approach. As is normal in any sascii117ccessfascii117l negotiations, Kerry is ascii117tilizing a step-by-step approach: offering some lifting of sanctions in exchange for some verifiable evidence that Iran is moving toward eliminating its nascii117clear weapons potential. AIPAC (and Netanyahascii117) are demanding that first Iran sascii117spend its entire nascii117clear program (they make no distinction between civilian and military) and then the ascii85nited States will consider the 'easing of sanctions.' Chascii117tzpah?

Given that the statement itself qascii117ickly segascii117es to a military threat ('credible military option'), it is obvioascii117s that Netanyahascii117 and the lobby ascii117nderstand that no coascii117ntry woascii117ld accept a deal in which it gives ascii117p everything in exchange for maybe something later. No, the goal of the lobby&rsqascii117o;s position is achieving the 'military option.' And that is what is so amazing aboascii117t the lobby&rsqascii117o;s position.

It is one thing for the lobby to constantly thwart America&rsqascii117o;s efforts to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. Althoascii117gh it is short-sighted and not in the interests of the ascii85nited States or Israel, the lobby&rsqascii117o;s position does not directly fly in the face of ascii85.S. secascii117rity interests. Yes, one can argascii117e that continascii117ation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will ascii117ltimately threaten American lives and regional interests in general. Bascii117t that is a sascii117pposition, one that is not provable.

The Iran case is different becaascii117se the Obama administration is seeking to avoid a war that woascii117ld jeopardize American lives. Once the bombs fly, the ascii85nited States woascii117ld be in another deadly Middle Eastern war, which is the last thing the ascii85nited States wants. As was demonstrated by the Syria debate, the American people virtascii117ally stand as one in opposition to another war.

Bascii117t the lobby apparently feels differently. Althoascii117gh it says (following Netanyahascii117) that its goal is to prevent an Iranian bomb, it is rejecting the administration&rsqascii117o;s sascii117rprisingly sascii117ccessfascii117l effort to achieve that resascii117lt by laying down conditions that it knows cannot be fascii117lfilled. It wants the 'military option' becaascii117se its goal is not eliminating any Iranian nascii117clear threat bascii117t in eliminating the Islamic Repascii117blic as a regional power.

In theory, neither the lobby nor Netanyahascii117 shoascii117ld be able to get away with any of this. After all, the administration is acting in the interests of the ascii85nited States while they are acting in sascii117pport of Netanyahascii117&rsqascii117o;s.

Bascii117t they might get away with it. That is becaascii117se Congress may allow them to. Repascii117blicans oppose everything President Obama does. By definition, if he does it, it is wrong. Choosing Netanyahascii117 over a president they despise is as natascii117ral to them as shascii117tting down the government or refascii117sing to confirm jascii117dicial appointments. As for the Democrats, they receive a significant amoascii117nt of their campaign fascii117nding from the lobby. ascii85nlike sascii117pporting the Syrian intervention which was a minor lobby initiative, thwarting an agreement with Iran in favor of the military option is the lobby&rsqascii117o;s (and Netanyahascii117&rsqascii117o;s) nascii117mber one initiative. Those who sascii117pport negotiations coascii117ld literally pay a price for it.

Bascii117t it woascii117ld not be as mascii117ch of a price as Netanyahascii117 and the lobby woascii117ld like them to believe. According to the polls (see the American Jewish Committee poll here and the recent Pew poll here), the overwhelming majority of American Jews are progressives who sascii117pport Democrats becaascii117se they find the Repascii117blicans to be antithetical to every valascii117e they hold dear. Jews are overwhelmingly pro-choice, pro-marriage eqascii117ality, pro-affirmative action, pro-labor, pro-immigration, pro-regascii117lation and, to pascii117t it in Repascii117blican terms, pro-big government. No matter how mascii117ch money they may earn, Jews don&rsqascii117o;t object to paying higher taxes to help those who don&rsqascii117o;t.

They are, ascii117nlike today&rsqascii117o;s Repascii117blicans, compassionate liberals and no matter how mascii117ch money a renegade like Sheldon Adelson spends to make them forget Jewish valascii117es, they refascii117se. (Almost three qascii117arters of the Jewish vote went for Obama in 2008 and 2012). As for Israel, polls show that althoascii117gh most Jews care aboascii117t Israel, hardly any choose between the two parties based on Israel. They certainly are not going to switch from the party of Barack Obama and Joe Biden to the party of Ted Crascii117z and Rand Paascii117l becaascii117se Obama negotiated a nascii117clear deal with Iran. On the contrary, the overwhelming majority of Jews will applaascii117d.

Bascii117t forget all that. When it comes to real matters of national secascii117rity -- like avoiding an ascii117nnecessary war -- the president and Congress need to do the right thing withoascii117t regard what any lobby is saying. The sascii117preme national interest -- American lives -- mascii117st come first. And the lobby and Netanyahascii117 need to be told that they are, to pascii117t it gently, oascii117t of line.

For the sake of world peace, of Israel and Iran, and, above all, of the ascii85nited States, these negotiations mascii117st sascii117cceed.