When Benjamin Netanyahu looked out over the joint session of Congress that had assembled to hear him speak on March 3, the Israeli prime minister almost caught a glimpse of something unusual: empty seats.<\/p>\n
That would\u2019ve been a rarity in Washington, where bipartisan support for the Israeli government runs deep. Just a few years ago, Netanyahu packed the house for a controversial speech<\/a> on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.<\/p>\n This time, nearly 60<\/a> Democrats boycotted the address.<\/p>\n That left Republicans scrambling to fill the seats with staffers and allies<\/a>. They even awarded a plum front-row gallery spot<\/a> to GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson<\/a>.<\/p>\n What changed?<\/p>\n Netanyahu had come to harangue lawmakers about the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and a group of countries led by the United States.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The talks are aimed at restricting Iran\u2019s nuclear enrichment activities and allowing international inspections of its nuclear facilities. In exchange<\/a>, negotiators are offering Tehran relief from sanctions that have badly damaged its economy.<\/p>\n Win-win, right?<\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s not how Netanyahu sees it.<\/p>\n The hawkish prime minister, who happens to be facing an election very soon, thundered to Congress that the proposed deal would \u201cguarantee<\/a>\u201d that Iran develops a nuclear bomb. He even alluded to the Holocaust, implying that a deal with Iran would threaten Israel\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n The Democrats who skipped the speech mostly hemmed and hawed about procedural matters. They complained that House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, had violated protocol by not consulting President Barack Obama before inviting a foreign leader to speak.<\/p>\n A few others fretted that Boehner was turning Israel into a partisan issue by forcing lawmakers to choose between Netanyahu and Obama – who, just last January, threatened to veto<\/a> any legislation designed to sabotage the negotiations.<\/p>\n Obama himself skipped the speech too, citing a policy<\/a> not to meet with foreign leaders so close to their own elections. Vice President Joe Biden drummed up a scheduling conflict in Guatemala<\/a>.<\/p>\n Maybe they\u2019re all just too polite to mention the best reason for skipping: Netanyahu is simply wrong about Iran.<\/p>\n For one thing, there\u2019s nothing inevitable about Iran developing a nuclear weapon. As far back as 1992<\/a>, Netanyahu predicted that Iran could have a bomb within three years. Nearly 25 years later, Israel itself remains the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East.<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t stop Netanyahu from selling the same snake oil about Iraq<\/a> in 2002. The Israeli parliamentarian told Congress there was \u201cno question whatsoever\u201d that Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n \u201cI guarantee you,\u201d Netanyahu promised, that toppling the Iraqi leader \u201cwill have enormous positive reverberations on the region.\u201d<\/p>\n And this is the guy Congress is calling in on Iran?<\/p>\n U.S. intelligence agencies concluded back in 2007 that Iran had long since abandoned<\/a> any attempts to weaponize its nuclear program. The surest way to keep it that way is to cut a deal.<\/p>\n If Iran feels secure in its relations with Washington – and remember, the United States has invaded countries to both Iran\u2019s east and west in recent years – then it\u2019s less likely to contemplate developing a nuclear deterrent in the future.<\/p>\n A successful agreement could bring a measure of transparency to Iran\u2019s enrichment program, ensuring that Tehran is telling the truth when it says that it\u2019s only interested in nuclear power. It could also – maybe – bring about an end to the 36-year estrangement between Iran and the United States.<\/p>\n We tried it Bibi\u2019s way in Iraq. The next time he drops by Congress to offer more advice, let him tell it to a few more empty seats.<\/p>\n Peter Certo is the acting editor of Foreign Policy In Focus<\/a>. Reprinted from Foreign Policy in Focus<\/a> with permission. This commentary is a joint publication of Foreign Policy In Focus<\/a> and OtherWords<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When Benjamin Netanyahu looked out over the joint session of Congress that had assembled to hear him speak on March 3, the Israeli prime minister almost caught a glimpse of something unusual: empty seats. That would\u2019ve been a rarity in Washington, where bipartisan support for the Israeli government runs deep. 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