In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2, President Obama warned Israel is losing credibility as a peacemaker because of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostility to the peace process, and warned that the policy of sanctions against Iran can’t just last forever.
The prospect of a deal between the P5+1 and Iran on Iran’s civilian nuclear program has fueled Israeli concern about the prospect that years of ever-increasing sanctions will begin to be released, and they really had hoped to make the sanctions a permanent fixture of Iran’s economy.
Obama’s admission that sanctions aren’t a “forever” thing is a major concession, and does suggest that significant sanction relief, Iran’s major focus in the talks, will indeed be coming as part of the deal. Selling that to Israel is important, however, as Israel’s lobbying power could keep Congress averse to the deal if they’re not at least sort of on board.
That is likely where plans for a massive US increase in military aid to Israel will come in, with expectations of a 50% increase in per-year aid as well as a one off bonus of billions of additional aid just for a tacit agreement not to try to block the Iran deal. Israel has denied this, but the whole point of the deal is that it will be secret, allowing Israel to publicly complain while privately backing off its lobbying efforts.
"Warns Israel Is Losing Credibility as Peacemaker"
what credibility? i mean, outside of american media stories?
look, just as israel is pulling "accuse others of doing what you
already do" as with allegations of iran using a civilian nukular
program to make nukular bombs,
they accuse iran of engaging in negotiations as cover to
continue their illicit actions. don't believe it? look at a time-
lapse map of the occupied territories over the past 20 years.
In civilian life this is known as extortion. The US policy is obviously: we do not negotiate with hostage takers; we do negotiate with extortionists.
This whole sordid mess of negotiations with Iran has the smell of Versailles. The people of Iran will never forget the attempts to bully their nation into submission with sanctions.
"Obama’s admission that sanctions aren’t a “forever” thing is a major concession"
It is significant that Obama realizes this. However, it is not so much a concession of US policy as a recognition of the policy of those applying sanctions at our request.
Remember, the US had no economic relations with Iran. There was nothing of the US to sanction. "The sanctions" are by other nations, and they have made it quite clear those are not a forever thing. That just isn't an option, no matter that some here would like to think it could be.