Conflicts of Interest: Biden Can Save the Iran Deal, Does He Have the Political Courage?

On COI #262, Kyle Anzalone and Connor Freeman cover political upheaval and boiling violence in Israel, as well as the latest Iran nuclear deal news.

Kyle breaks down critical changes in Israeli politics that have seen Prime Minister Naftali Bennet lose his parliamentary majority and what it likely means for U.S-Israel relations. More Knesset members may be leaving Bennet’s coalition, joining the Likud, and empowering Benjamin Netanyahu’s factions. Bennet will have to cover his right flank where he is currently facing pressure including to further expand the illegal settlements. There has also been an uptick in killings and tensions in Israel, Bennet has encouraged Jewish civilian volunteers to carry guns and provide assistance. Additional soldiers are being sent to the West Bank and areas near the Gaza Stip. This is setting the stage for a major escalation only a year after Israel’s last war which saw myriad brutal attacks on Palestinians in Israel proper, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, as well as hundreds of Gazans bombed and killed.

Connor discusses a massive hawkish campaign seeking to thwart Biden’s return to the nuclear deal with Tehran. An assortment of Democrats in the House of Representatives, Republicans in the Senate, top Biden officials, and neocons like Elliott Abrams are demanding that Biden cut off talks and/or give Israel more military aid. Even the Iranians, more recently known for their optimism regarding the negotiations’ progress, are becoming increasingly pessimistic in view of the dismal U.S. politics. The Israelis are boasting they successfully lobbied Biden to keep the IRGC on the terrorism blacklist. Tel Aviv hopes this move will be the “dealbreaker.”

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