Putin's Syria Strategy

At the opening plenum session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, President Obama said that any resolution in Syria must include the removal of Bashar Al-Assad as president. President Putin, in his speech, insisted that Assad was not the problem and that his exit would enable the Sunni Jihadists, mainly ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat Al-Nusra, to take over the country.

Putin's argument has merit. Obama's incessant calls for the removal of Assad is a continuation of the well-intended but totally naive, misguided and eventually disastrous US policy during the so-called "Arab Spring" of assisting with the overthrow of secular, stabilizing, pro-Western dictators in favor of "democratic elections". And we all know how that turned out.

Those US driven elections brought to power extreme anti-American Muslim forces like the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, etc., and Shiite Iran in Iraq and Yemen.

Putin gets it. He knows that Assad is a cruel dictator, but he also knows that ISIS and Al-Nusra are far worse. He knows that Syria, as a sovereign state, no longer exists. (See map below) It is already permanently divided back into four distinct areas of sectarian control: about 70% of the country is controlled by Sunni ISIS or Al-Nusra, with the Kurds and Yazidis self-governing their historical homelands in the North (helped by Iraqi and Iranian Kurds), the Druze in their homeland in the Southwest (unofficially helped by Israel) and the Alawites (Assad's sect) holding on to the narrow coastal area, their historical homeland, and for the moment Damascus, thanks to what's left of the Syrian military, dwindling Hezbollah forces and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) Al-Quds Brigade fighters.

 

Putin understands that the idea of bringing everyone together in a kumbaya session to put this Humpty Dumpty back together again is ridiculous. But is preserving the Alawite dictatorship, with or without Assad, in Syria his real goal? In "Syria" - no.  But in the Alawite homeland (the red area in the map above), yes!

With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia realized that it needed a warm water port and Middle East airbase to continue to project force, influence policy and protect Russian economic and diplomatic interests in the region. Working closely with, and supporting both Hafez Al-Assad, and his son Bashar, Russia supplied the minority Alawite regime with weapons, air power training, advisers, and lots of money and diplomatic support, in exchange for the construction of a modern, deep water naval base at Tartus, and use of the Basel-Al Bashar civilian and military airport at Latakia - both locations within the traditional Alawite homeland on the warm Mediterranean coast.

If the Alawite homeland fell to the Sunni Jihadists, and right now they are very close, Russia would lose both facilities.

Barbara Opall, writing this week in defencenews.com,  quotes Dima Adamsky, associate professor at the Herzliya Inter-Disciplinary Center's Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, who said that Putin seeks to play a constructive role in the chaos that is Syria and the region beyond. In an article in Foreign Affairs and a subsequent interview last week, Adamsky said he expected Putin to push for a UN mandate to forge and help secure a diplomatic solution for Syria which, despite US objections, will include Assad and Iran.

Beyond Putin's desire to regain a foothold in the region and fortify Assad, a strategic ally, Adamsky cited Russia's "very real strategic concern" in stemming the spread of Islamic jihadists who may return to wage insurgencies in Russia and its interests in Central Asia and the North Caucasus.

Moreover, Moscow's buildup in Syria allows it to cultivate new alliances and arms markets in the region while rehabilitating its pariah status in the West due to land grabs in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.

Adamsky also noted Russia's new naval doctrine, published earlier this year, which prescribes a permanent presence in the Mediterranean, with the naval facility at Syria's port town of Tartus playing a critical role.

"Syria used to be the Soviet naval center of gravity during the late Cold War, from which it launched actions testing the US Sixth Fleet. It's now the only overseas base of the Russian Navy outside of the Russian Federation, and a robust presence there is definitely part of their plan," he said.

As Imra.org reported on Tuesday from Israel:

• "American failure to militate against a Syrian regime deploying chemical weapons, barrel bombs and creating a deluge of refugees has all but paved the way for Moscow to reassert a Soviet-like presence in the war-wracked country and the warm Mediterranean waters beyond".
• "That, in a nutshell, is the widely held assessment of Israeli policymakers and experts, who blame Washington for creating yet another layer of complexity in Israel's operations against Hezbollah, the Tehran-sponsored Lebanese Shiite organization battling on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad regime".
• "According to the Russian expert who routinely plays the role of Putin in war-game exercises in Israel, Russia's return to the region is unstoppable, and it is up to Washington, NATO, Israel and others in the region to adapt their policies accordingly "Putin is here to stay... Russia's doctrine prescribes a penetration into warm Mediterranean waters, a foothold in the Middle East and this will force Israel, the US, Turkey and other actors to rearrange and rethink how they've been engaging Syria since the end of the Cold War," he said.

Also quoting Adamsky, Imra agreed that Putin's move is "a seemingly very elegant move. It enables him to address several issues across different domains: He fortifies Assad, battles the Islamic States, sustains arms and energy markets, and is in a position to open new relationships and alliances in the region. 

   And through the Russian Orthodox Church, he can portray himself as the savior of the persecuted Christian minority in the region."

But Israel is still very concerned. Bibi Netanyahu flew to Moscow last week with top IDF commanders and Intelligence officers. They met with Putin and his security chiefs and agreed on a mechanism for deconfliction to avoid mishaps.

Yaakov Amidror, a retired Israeli major general and former national security adviser to Netanyahu, insisted that planned deconfliction mechanisms are tactical and do not imply any agreement on Israel's part for strategic coordination with Russia. "In areas where more than one state is operating in the same theater, you need deconfliction," he said.

I personally agree with Amos Gilad, the Defense Ministry's longtime director of policy and political military affairs, who estimates that Assad controls barely 25 percent of Syria's once sovereign territory, with ISIS now battling the al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front for control of the Golan. "To our north, there is a country that was once called Syria. But Syria has disappeared. There is no Syria, and I don't think it ever will return." Gilad said.

Which is why I cautiously welcome, for the time being, a strong Russian presence, as the lesser of evils.

 

MAP: Syrian Breakup 

Jerusalem Conflict - The Third Intifada?

Over the past three weeks we are witnessing daily terrorist attacks of stones and fire bombs against civilians, police and IDF in and around Jerusalem, with the epicenter being the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount.

Palestinian youth, are incited by their leaders to throw rocks, cinder blocks and fire bombs at Jews who have come to pray at the Western Wall during the holidays. When the Israeli police go up to Temple Mount to stop them, these terrorists draw them into an ambush inside the Dome of the Rock where, with full agreement of the Muslim clerics, there are stockpiled stones, bottles, iron bars, fireworks and other deadly projectiles. With numerous cameras strategically placed both inside and outside the building, the Palestinian authority use the videos to show the world how the “heartless Jewish Stormtroopers” desecrate the building by entering without taking off their boots.

In a speech last Wednesday, PA president Abu Mazen encouraged the rioters when he said: “We bless you, we bless the Murabitun (those carrying out Ribat, religious conflict/war to protect land claimed to be Islamic), we bless every drop of blood that has been spilled for Jerusalem, which is clean and pure blood, blood spilled for Allah, Allah willing. Every martyr will reach Paradise, and everyone wounded will be rewarded by Allah. Al Quds (Jerusalem) is ours, the Al-Aqsa is ours, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is ours, and they have no right to defile them with their filthy feet. We will not allow them to, and we will do everything in our power to protect Jerusalem.”

But is Jerusalem really “theirs”?  While reasonable minds can debate exactly what the boundaries of Israel were during different historical periods, or the actual geographic footprint of Jerusalem in different times, some facts are undeniable.  

In fact, probably the only three things that all Jews, regardless of political or religious conviction, synagogue affiliation, country of residence, citizenship, age, gender, social level, education, etc. agree on, ….are the irrefutable and well documented facts that:

1.     The land of Israel is the historical, given homeland of our nation.

2.     Since the arrival of Abraham and his extended family some 4,000 years ago, there has never been a day when there were no Hebrews or Jews living somewhere in the Land of Israel.

3.     Jerusalem, from the time King David captured it from the Jebusites around 3,000 years ago, has been, is and always will be, the eternal (and now functional) capital of Israel, with an unbroken Jewish presence.

4.     During 2,000 years of exile, Jews all over the world ended the Passover Seder with the pledge: “Next Year in Jerusalem”.

These facts are indisputable. They are recorded in the Bible, in archeological finds and historical documents from around the Middle East, like the Dead Sea Scrolls, and even in the Quran.

However the Palestinian leadership consistently claims, and teaches in their schools, that the Jews never had a connection with the land of Israel or with Jerusalem, and that there never was a Temple. They claim that it was always “Palestine”.    

But do the Palestinians have a comparable historical narrative and claim? Here are the documented facts:

1.     The name “Palestine” never existed until the Roman Emperor Hadrian, after crushing the Jewish revolt led by Bar Kochba (132-135CE) renamed the combined Roman provinces of Syria and Judea: “Syria Palaestina”, in an attempt to suppress Jewish connection to the land. This was the first time in history that any part of the region was called “Palaestina.” The population was mostly Jews, Syrians, Bedouins, nomadic tribes, Greeks, Egyptians and Roman garrisons.

2.     The name was later used, in reference to various areas, by successive rulers: Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mameluks, Turks and British, but…

3.     There never was an independently sovereign country, kingdom, principality or even city-state called “Palestine”.

4.     And the only time that Jerusalem ever served as a national capitol or seat of power between the Roman exile 2000 years ago and until the rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948 – was during the British mandate (1920-1948) mostly in the King David Hotel.

5.     Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Quran (it is mentioned 669 times in the Old Testament and 154 in the New Testament)

This brings me back to the current wave of deadly violence in Jerusalem, which is referred to by some comentators as the “Temple Mount” or “Third” Intifada.

Despite the deadly violence, and though the stone throwing and firebombing has expanded beyond Jerusalem, most analysts think that this will probably not evolve into a full scale intifada or uprising.

The main reason is that by all accounts the current Temple Mount violence is an attempt to change the 1967 status quo agreement that gives Jordan overall authority over the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa mosques, while the Palestinian Authority has religious and administrative control and Israel security control.

Jordan’s authority is now being challenged by Fatah and Hamas on one side, and by the radical “Northern Islamic Movement in Israel” of Sheikh Raed Salah on the other. Both are paying and inciting the rioters to increase the violence in the hope that the UN will condemn Israel for violating the “sanctity” of the shrines and using “excessive force”, while simultaneously changing Jordan’s role.

Unfortunately the violence in and around Jerusalem may continue for a while. Israel will have to take any and all steps necessary to stop it. There is a debate now within the government now whether to ease up the restrictions on security forces using deadly force.

The current wave of violence and terrorism will be stopped...at least until the next round. The question is - will it be another hit to Israel's image? The next few weeks, or month, will tell.

Only Good News From Israel

After covering the (mostly) disconcerting political, diplomatic, security and domestic news about Israel and the Middle East over the past year, I've decided that my first column of the year 5776 will be dedicated exclusively to positive and uplifting stories about how Israel is making the world a better, safer, healthier, happier and more secure place for everyone, through technology, ingenuity, initiative...and maybe a little chutzpah.

More information about these and many other inspiring stories from Israel can be found at:

• israel21c.org
• nocamels.com.

 Here are just eight of the "GOOD NEWS from ISRAEL" stories from the past year:

1. Lab Animal Alternative. Israeli scientists recently made history when they built a bionic liver. This invention could be the solution sought by both scientists and animal-welfare activists seeking to put an end to live animal testing. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology in Germany have created a liver-on-chip device mimicking human physiology. They call it a 3D micro-reactor, or in less scientific terminology, a bionic liver. "The liver organs we created were less than a millimeter in diameter and survived for more than a month," said Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, the study's lead author and director of Hebrew University's Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering. The breakthrough was due to their idea of adding nanotechnology-based optoelectronic sensors. "We realized that because we are building the organs ourselves, we are not limited to biology, and could introduce electronic and optical sensors to the tissue itself. Essentially we are building bionic organs on a chip," said Nahmias. The sensors in the device allowed them to detect small, rapid changes in cellular respiration that nobody has ever seen before. This enabled them to identify a previously unknown mechanism of toxicity in the common pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol). The global market for this technology is estimated to be worth $17 billion by 2018. ( nocamels.com)
2. Discovery of Melanoma Trigger Could Stop Skin Cancer in Its Tracks. A new Tel Aviv University study sheds light on the precise trigger that enables melanoma cells to become invasive killers, providing a future method to block cancer by pinpointing the precise place in the process where "traveling" cancer turns lethal. (nocamels.com)
3. Israeli Researcher Is Outsmarting HIV to Cure AIDS. Thirty-four years since the first reported case of AIDS in the US, and there is still no cure for the approximate 35 million people worldwide whose immune systems are infected. Given the limitations of existing drugs, an Israeli researcher at the Technion's Faculty of Biology proposes a new strategy that will focus on the interactions between the virus' and the host cell's proteins, instead of solely focusing on targeting the proteins of the virus. This strategy is set to be significantly more effective in attacking the disease as the HIV-1 virus cannot survive without relying on the cellular mechanisms of the host cell. (nocamels.com)
4. Israel Signs Agreements with Beverly Hills and LA To Provide Water Tech. Israel entered into separate agreements with the Beverly Hills City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, "...for the purpose of establishing a formal relationship that fosters the exchange of research and information, facilitates joint developments, and enhances relationships and opportunities to incubate solutions to the water crisis." Beverly Hills established a similar agreement with Israel in order to combat one of the worst droughts in California's recorded history. (nocamels.com)
5. Revolutionary Device Detects Deadly Diseases, Cancer, On The Breath. Prof. Hossam Haick of Israel's Technion has developed a device that can sense disease on the breath, much like a breathalyzer test. What he calls the SNIFFPHONE uses nanotechnology sensors to analyze the particles on the breath and is able to pinpoint exact diseases, like certain kinds of cancer, pulmonary and even the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases. (nocamels.com)
6. A better potato. It took nearly 30 years of research, but Hebrew University's Prof. David Levy developed strains of potatoes that thrive in hot, dry climates, and can be irrigated by saltwater. Potatoes are one of the top sources of nutrition in the world, but they never before grew well in hot, desert regions like the Middle East. Now farmers in these regions can grow potatoes as a cash crop. Levy said that he also intended his research to enhance understanding between Israel and its neighbors, as scientists and officials from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco meet with Israeli scientists to share knowledge and build bridges of information and technology. (israel21c.org)
7. Fishing in the desert. Over fishing is a serious threat to the food supply, a grave situation since fish is the main source of protein for hundreds of millions of people. But what if fish could be raised virtually anywhere, even in the desert? That is just what the Israel's GFA (Grow Fish Anywhere) Advanced Systems has made possible. The Israeli "zero-discharge" system eliminates the environmental problems in conventional fish farming, and doesn't depend on electricity or proximity to a body of water. Specially developed microbes purify fish waste byproducts right in the tank, with no need for spillage and refilling. The largest facility using GFA technology, in New York, produced about 100 tons of sea bream, bass and tilapia in 2010. (israel21c.org)
8. Israelis perform lifesaving heart surgery on 10 Tanzanian children. Ten children in Tanzania have been given a new lease on life thanks to an Israeli medical delegation that flew out to the eastern African country to perform the lifesaving heart surgeries. The 20 Israeli doctors, nurses and medical technicians volunteer their time and expertise for Wolfson Medical Center's Save a Child's Heart (SACH) organization. The medical delegation also examined hundreds of other children with congenital heart defects. In March, a pediatric cardiology team from the Wolfson Medical Center teamed up with a Zanzibar medical team to screen 251 children's hearts in Zanzibar and Tanzania. SACH is now working to bring some of the children to Israel for lifesaving cardiac surgery and follow up care. The SACH charity has treated thousands of children from 45 developing nations. (israel21c.org)

Next week I'll go back to analyzing the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, the atrocities of ISIS and Al-Qaeda, the maneuvering of Putin, Bibi's tap-dancing to keep his coalition alive, the ongoing saga of the dangerous Iran nuke deal, the Israel-Palestine peace process and more.

 

But for now I highly recommend that you visit the two websites listed above, where you will see, again and again, just how amazing Israel is and the contributions it makes every day for the benefit of mankind.

Israel is certainly not perfect. But these days, when the darkness of extremism seems to be engulfing the region and spreading to Europe, Israel is, without a doubt, a bright and shining light to the nations. And for that we should all be very proud, and very grateful. I know I am.

 

And may 5776 bring us all more good news from Israel, the Middle East and the world.

5776 - A New "World Order"?

This coming weekend we will say goodbye to the Jewish year 5775 and welcome 5776 with our traditional wish: "Let a year and its curses end, let a year and its blessings begin".

Unfortunately, events in the Middle East over 5775 portend that the "curses" of this year - masses of refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, political instability, ISIS, al-Qaeda, terrorism and Iranian nukes will not only spill over into 5776, but will grow, strengthen and expand in ways that, according to many experts and analysts, will change the so called "world order" as we know it (or think we know it) today.

I want to make it clear at the outset that when I use the phrase "New World Order" I'm not referring to Illuminati conspiracy theories, biblical prophesies, Woodrow Wilson's post WWI "fourteen points" or H.G. Wells' 1940 book of the same name.

I'm referring to the geo-politic changes that are happening right now in the Middle East and Europe, their causes and ramifications.  

What is happening? Why is it happening? Can anything be done?

A.  Mass waves of Syrian and Iraqi refugees entering Europe.

1. 1. Why? Wholesale destruction of entire Sunni, Yazidi and Christian communities by Syrian government forces and anti-government rebels, particularly ISIS and al-Nusra.
   2. Causes?
      • Total absence of security. Streets ruled by armed thugs.
      • Lack of US credibility to oust Bashar al-Assad, especially after  the "red line" debacle.
      • Growth and strengthening of ISIS despite President Obama's September 3, 2014 vow to: "degrade and destroy ISIS".
      • Destruction of Syria's economic infrastructure.
   3. Possible effects?
      • Influx of over a million Moslems will exacerbate the already tense relations between Moslems and Christians.
      • Already fragile economically, most EU countries are at risk of collapse, and are calling to suspend the "open borders" (Schengen Agreement) between member EU countries, a pillar of the EU unity.
      • Right wing nationalistic politicians, especially in the stronger states are already calling to scuttle the EU and go back to Individual state sovereignty.

So this potential European "new world order" is more like "back to the old days". 

B.  New Middle East Arms Race

1. 1. Why? The Iran Nuke Deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - JCPOA).
   2. Causes?
      • The yet unsigned "verbal understandings" (as Iranian negotiators still call the JCPOA) not only does not prevent Iran from acquiring nukes, it virtually guarantees that they will have them within 10 years, unless they cheat.
      • If they cheat, the time frame is reduced to 2-3 months if they build them...or less than two days if they decide to buy one or two from North Korea with all the money they'll have now.
      • No one in the Middle East (including Israel) believes that the US can "defend" them "if Iran attacks with nuclear weapons", as was promised by senior US officials both in Washington and the region. One Arab commentator pointed out that by definition, the "defense" would come after the attack...!

3.  Effects:

• The US, Russia, China, Germany, France and other countries are falling over themselves in a rush to sell Israel and the Sunni Arab countries, lots of sophisticated high tech weapons, igniting an arms race in a region that is currently hosting two bloody Sunni-Shiite wars (Syria and Yemen), and that thanks to the so-called Arab Spring has lost most of the secular dictators that kept the region stable and persecuted Islamists and Jihadists.

So here is the "new order" I believe that we will see materializing, one way or another, starting in 5776:

• As American credibility, influence and power declines in the Middle East, we will see more Russian intervention, led by Putin. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since right now it seems to be the only chance to achieve some sort of stability in the region. Putin and the Russian leadership have good relations with Israel, Egypt, Syria (Assad and the Alawites), Turkey the Gulf States and...Iran.
• Europe will continue to be stretched to the breaking point by more and more refugees from Syria, Iraq, North and Central Africa, Sudan and even Turkey. The EU may not survive.
• ISIS will continue to grow and expand the Islamic State, possibly remerging with al-Qaeda.
• Both Extreme Islamist terror organizations will continue to attempt bigger and more devastating 9/11 style attacks in the US and Europe.
• Iran will make every attempt to cheat on the JCPOA, while continuing its nefarious activities to expand its hegemony in the Middle East and Africa, while supporting terrorist activities worldwide - even if they are Sunni, like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Qaeda. It may also try to start a war with Israel before Israel destroys the over 100,000 Iranian missiles deployed in Lebanon. That would be a bad mistake...
• In all this Israel will continue to develop, invent, absorb immigrants (and maybe a few refugees...), grow its economy, solve problems, win sports tournaments, export miracle medical inventions and, as always, be a shining light to all the nations of the world.

5776 will come in this weekend like a bride: Somethings will be "old"; somethings will be "new", somethings will be "borrowed"...and a lot of GOOD things will be "Blue and White."

Shana Tova, Happy 5776!

The Questions NOT Asked on the Webcast

Last Friday, the Jewish Federations of North America (JIFNA) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations hosted a webcast with President Obama to address concerns of American Jews over the yet unsigned and P5+1 - Iran "Nuclear Deal", the "JCPOA".

 

After watching the recording twice and studying the transcript, it's my opinion that the "understandable concerns", as the President defines them, were not addressed in any serious way.

 

In a long and predictable set-up monologue, the president reiterated his administration's talking points about: His "commitment that Iran would not get a nuclear weapon" and his conviction that..."This deal blocks every way - every pathway that Iran might take in order to obtain a nuclear weapon".

 

After detailing Iran's "commitments" according to the JCPOA the President said: "So you have the existing facilities being transformed. You have a commitment in which stockpiles of highly enriched uranium are being shipped out. We create then a verification and inspection mechanism across the entire nuclear production chain within Iran that is unprecedented - more rigorous than anything that has ever been negotiated in the history of nuclear nonproliferation."

He also claimed that: "And we also preserve the capacity to snap back all the various sanctions provisions" if Iran cheated.

 

Moderators Michael Siegal, chairman of JIFNA and Stephen Greenberg, Chairman of the Conference of Presidents then asked the following questions:

1. How the president feels about the acrimonious name-calling negative rhetoric between proponents and opponents of the deal.
2. "Will America continue to help Israel maintain its strategic and qualitative military edge in the region"?"
3. Aren't you concerned that after 15 years, Iran will have access to the highly enriched uranium that they need to build a nuclear weapon...?"
4. "Do you worry at that time that Iran might build as large a nuclear infrastructure as they want?"
5. "What about others in the region? And do you expect that others will also insist on building comparable nuclear infrastructures?"
6. "And then lastly, and importantly, how does this deal reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation in the region?"

The President's rather long answers to the above can be summarized as:

1. "I think that people of goodwill can come down on different sides of this issue..."
2. "Yes. That's always been a priority of ours"
3. "...is that possible? Absolutely".
4. "...in 15 years, if, in fact, what the critics say is true, and they have just been playing a waiting game, or this deal just was a pause button, I have every confidence that the President of the United States, 15 years from now, is going to be in a position...to take actions that are necessary, including potentially militarily force to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon..."
5. Did not respond to the question
6. By restricting Iran for 10-15 years

Good questions, with predictable, "talking points" answers.

  

But...I would have liked to hear a few more questions - more direct and less spin:

1. Was the "JCPOA" ever actually signed? If so - by whom? We know the Iranians didn't, according to them only the Supreme leader can sign it. As far as I can see there are no pictures on the internet of any P5+1 leader signing the document.
2. Why do the Iranians call it a "verbal understanding"? 
3. Don't the two "secret" agreements signed by the IAEA and Iran, where Iran will self- inspect the nuclear military facility at Parchin, not to mention the "no military base or undeclared site clauses" negate your claim of "vigorous verification and inspection mechanismacross the entire nuclear production chain within Iran that is unprecedented".
4. And what happened to your promise of "robust, anytime - anywhere inspections?
5. How can you "snap-back" sanctions with thousands of international companies already visiting Teheran with their country's Trade and Commerce ministers, and closing contracts? Or with Russia, China, Germany, France and the UK (the P5) jumping in, too?
6. On what basis do you claim that the JCPOA improves Israel's security, when Israel's elected leaders, nuclear experts and major military and security experts say it doesn't?
7. Earlier this month David Albright, former IAEA lead nuclear inspector and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, testified at a Senate hearing that even if Iran follows the procedures laid out in the recent nuclear deal, it can still "break out" to nuclear weapons capability in as little as six to seven months, and not a year as you have claimed. Another testimony from Dr. Robert Joseph, former US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, also criticized the deal because it "recognizes and legitimizes a path to nuclear weapons, provides for ineffective verification, fails to prevent breakout, and fails to limit Iran's ballistic missile development". Moreover, Dr. Joseph argued that the deal increases the likelihood of nuclear proliferation in the region, undermining the nonproliferation regime and the IAEA, and enabling a more aggressive and repressive Iranian regime, thereby increasing the prospect of conflict and war. He called for Congress to reject the deal because "a bad agreement is worse than no agreement". So, Mr. President, please tell us how can we reconcile these two diametrically opposing narratives: One from your administration, the other from experts and scientists with years of nuclear non-proliferation experience?

 These are the questions I would really have liked to have heard asked...and answered.

 

If anything, the webcast left me even more convinced that this is a very bad deal...for Israel, for the US and for the Middle East.