Netanyahu Admits Sabotage of Iran Talks His Primary MissionNetanyahu Admits Sabotage of Iran Talks H [View all]

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/25/netanyahu-admits-sabotage-iran-talks-his-primary-mission

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Tuesday that the purpose of his upcoming visit to Washington, D.C. is to do "everything I can" to prevent a nuclear deal between global powers and Iran—an admission that critics say reveals he is pushing for military escalation and potentially war.

"This agreement, if indeed it is signed, will allow Iran to become a nuclear threshold state," Netanyahu declared in a statement released Tuesday, according to media reports. "It is my obligation as prime minister to do everything that I can to prevent this agreement."

"Therefore," he continued, "I will go to Washington... because the American Congress is likely to be the final brake before the agreement."

Critics say that the prime minister's push to undermine the diplomatic process is ultimately a call for dangerous military escalation.

According to Jamal Abdi of the National Iranian American Council, who spoke with Common Dreams, "A shorter version of what Netanyahu is saying is he is coming to Washington to ensure we can't get a diplomatic solution and are on the path to war."

Phyllis Bennis, senior fellow at Institute for Policy Studies, told Common Dreams that amid the controversy over his visit, the prime minister is facing a growin