Continued Controversy Surrounding Netanyahu's Upcoming Speech in the U.S. Congress

With increasing criticism in the U.S. and Israel regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming speech in the Washington Congress about Iran, an Israeli official stated that the country was unaware that the invitation extended to Netanyahu was 'partisan'. Zachi Hanegbi, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, said in an interview with the Hebrew section of Israel Radio on February 5 that when the Prime Minister accepted the invitation from John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House, he was not aware that the Democrats in the U.S. were not informed about this invitation. Meanwhile, Zachi Hanegbi, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party, deemed it unlikely that Netanyahu would cancel his trip. The date set for this speech is March 3. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has stated that he will not attend Netanyahu's speech due to a scheduling conflict, and several Democrats in Congress, who previously supported increased sanctions against Iran like Republicans and Israel, have announced they will boycott Netanyahu's speech. On the other hand, Netanyahu has repeatedly stated in recent days that his country will loudly oppose any 'bad nuclear deal' between Iran and the powers and that due to 'time constraints', it is necessary for him to urgently go to Congress to express this. The Jerusalem Post reported last Tuesday that 'remarkable progress' in negotiations between Iran and the U.S. regarding Iran's nuclear program has severely worried Israel and created a feeling that the situation is unraveling, with Iran potentially able to have thousands of centrifuges for continued enrichment. Last Wednesday, Netanyahu also stated during a visit to the 'Hermon Heights' near the Syrian border that Iran, in addition to Gaza and southern Lebanon, is planning to open a new front against Israel from the Golan Heights. Netanyahu, who in past speeches has likened the Islamic Republic of Iran to Nazi Germany, is now comparing the Iranian regime to ISIS in light of the global outrage over ISIS's crimes and the burning of a captured Jordanian pilot. Netanyahu said last Wednesday, 'ISIS burns people alive, and the Iranian regime executes not foreign captives but its own people in the streets with cranes.' At the same time, Israeli media reported on February 6 that a media campaign funded by Sheldon Adelson, a Jewish billionaire and key supporter of Netanyahu, has begun in the U.S. against the Democrats. According to this report, this campaign threatens Democrats who wish to boycott Netanyahu's speech in Congress with the withdrawal of financial support from American Jews. American Jews are a significant source of funding for the Democratic Party, and a substantial majority of them traditionally vote for Democrats. However, within Israel, rival parties to Likud and also cross-party figures accuse Netanyahu of dragging Israel's strategic and vital relations with the U.S. into the worst crisis in decades for party interests on the eve of parliamentary elections. Former President Shimon Peres and former Mossad chief Meir Dagan have expressed astonishment at Netanyahu's 'stubbornness' to go. Politicians from the 'Zionist Camp' (a new coalition between the Labor Party led by Isaac Herzog and the 'Movement' party led by Tzipi Livni) say Netanyahu thought that the applause from Congress members for him would guarantee the continuation of his government two weeks before the Israeli elections. Despite all the political criticism among Israeli parties and the recent major scandal in Israeli media regarding 'selling scraps' by Sara Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's wife, the latest polls indicate that the Likud party still has the best chance among parties. Sara Netanyahu was accused of returning empty beverage bottles purchased for the Prime Minister's residence to supermarkets, pocketing a thousand dollars, but later deposited this money into the state treasury. For each empty bottle, 25 'agorot', equivalent to one-sixteenth of a U.S. dollar, is given to the bottle returner. Only very stingy individuals collect empty bottles for this very small amount of money. However, Sara was accused of taking money from the bottles of beverages that arrived for official state parties at the residence. Polls published on February 5 indicate that Likud will secure at least 25 seats out of 120 in the Israeli Knesset, making it stronger than any other party, and in that case, Netanyahu's chances of forming a government for the fourth time are greater than any politician. Israeli sociologists say that voters in this country are primarily focused on security; Netanyahu presents himself not only as 'Mr. Security of Israel' but also as 'the guarantor of the life and survival of the Jewish state.'