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Why We Need to Hear Netanyahu

(Politico) Mike Rogers and Michael Doran - Netanyahu's speech is the act of a true and courageous friend. All of America's traditional allies in the Middle East are deeply distrustful of Obama's outreach to Iran. When allied leaders see the White House treating Netanyahu to a level of hostility usually reserved for adversaries, their trepidation only increases. Evidence mounts by the day that Obama sees Iran as an attractive partner in defeating the Islamic State and stabilizing the Middle East more broadly and that he sees the nuclear deal as the key step to realizing that partnership. These apparent intentions are deeply troubling to the Israeli government, which is watching today as Iran leads Syria and Hizbullah in a combined offensive on the Golan Heights against the rebels. If Iran wins, Israel and Jordan will find Iranian troops ensconced on their border. If the president follows through with such a plan without first subjecting its terms to a rigorous debate in Congress, he will be concluding an agreement that is entirely personal in nature. The legitimacy of such a deal would be hotly contested, rendering it inherently unstable. By helping to force a more thorough examination of the matter, Netanyahu is performing a service to us all. Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) was chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (2011-15) and is a distinguished fellow at the Hudson Institute, where Michael Doran is a senior fellow.
2015-03-03 00:00:00
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