HE DISSENTS – AT 9:10 A.M. ET:  Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel has expressed his vigorous opposition to the deal with Iran just announced.  Israel has been briefed at every stage of the talks, and believes the agreement is a complete capitulation.  From the prime minister's office: 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the following statement at his meeting with Netherlands Foreign Minister Bert Koenders:

"I will refer later to the details of the agreement, but before that, I would like to say here and now – when you are willing to make an agreement at any cost, this is the result.

From the initial reports we can already conclude that this agreement is an historic mistake for the world.

Far-reaching concessions have been made in all areas that were supposed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability. In addition, Iran will receive hundreds of billions of dollars with which it can fuel its terror machine and its expansion and aggression throughout the Middle East and across the globe.

One cannot prevent an agreement when the negotiators are willing to make more and more concessions to those who, even during the talks, keep chanting: 'Death to America.'

We knew very well that the desire to sign an agreement was stronger than anything, and therefore we did not commit to preventing an agreement.

We did commit to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and this commitment still stands.

I say to all the leaders in Israel, it is time to put petty politics aside and unite behind this most fateful issue to the future and security of the State of Israel."

COMMENT:  Whether you like Bibi or not, and there are positives and negatives, he always gets the fundamentals right.  He does not run from the truth.  I suspect that many Republican leaders will come to that same conclusion.  The issue is what the Democratic leaders in Congress will do.

July 14, 2015