"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." - Matthew 5:9
Throughout the history of our great country, the United States, there has not been an invite quite like the invite made by Speaker John Boehner. Earlier in March, our top leader in the House of Representatives invited the prime minster of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to speak before a joint session of Congress.
A foreign leader asked to speak before Congress is not unusual, especially if it is an ally of the United States. Japan's prime minister will be giving a speech later this year. What was unusual, however, was the nature of the speech given, and the protocol by which the speech came about.
Mr. Netanyahu explicitly requested that our legislative branch forego support for the president. The arrogant orator asked the legislators to undermine an ongoing foreign policy strategy being implemented by the executive branch -- a branch which was given immense power in foreign affairs by the Constitution.
The historic disrespect for the office of the president was orchestrated by Republicans in Congress behind the back of the administration. No one from the White House, including Secretary of State John Kerry, who had met with the ambassador of Israel shortly before the invite was announced, was notified. They learned about the invitation after the fact. An unprecedented breach of protocol led to the controversial speech.
All of these events took place right before a close and heated election in Israel. The whole affair stunk of putrid politics.
Given the incomparable sleight, one would have expected it to be for a peaceful cause. To the contrary, the speech called for the nuclear negotiations with Iran to cease. Calling it, "a bad deal," although a deal had not been reached, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear that he favored war. Because without a diplomatic deal, or a framework to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, war is more likely than not to occur.
Iran is backed into a corner, and rightfully so. The economic sanctions put into place by President Obama and the other security council members of the UN have been effective. But, the purpose of the sanctions was to get Iran to the negotiating table. By refusing to negotiate, Iran hardliners will be empowered and Iran will have to forge ahead lest it appear weak.
A majority of Americans support the talks, including myself. War and military campaigns should be the last option. Those who favor all or nothing diplomacy put the world at risk; each and every hawkish rhetoric puts our troops into the potential line of fire. Our leaders need to take that seriously. Our military men and women should have an unambiguous reason for putting their own lives at risk.
Peace through understanding can be accomplished. Certainly, we should celebrate those who are willing to fight for peace even if it is unpopular. At the very least, they should be given a chance.
