Netanyahu to embarrass Obama in upcoming US visit: Analyst

Hosting Israeli leaders is the “standard policy” for every US president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to further embarrass President Barack Obama in his forthcoming visit to Washington, an American analyst says.

Eric Draitser made the remarks when asked for his views on an announcement by the White House that it would host Netanyahu in November.

This is “not a surprise,” the analyst told Press TV on Sunday. “This is standard policy for the US president, even Barack Obama who has allegedly such strained ties with Israel.”

“Ultimately Netanyahu is embarrassing Obama in the form of coming to speak to Congress against Obama’s Iran deal, in the form of his underhanded tactics towards Obama in trying to sway public opinion in the US and most importantly the opinion in the US Congress,” he maintained.

Obama has aggressively countered the Israeli premier’s arguments against the Iran nuclear agreement, characterizing opponents as warmongers.

Ties between the two leaders have also been strained because of Netanyahu’s opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, a key element of US foreign policy regarding the conflict.

Draitser, however, said that none of that will affect Tel Aviv-Washington relations because “it is a symbiotic relationship within the US-Western imperial system,” to which Israel is a “fundamental part.”

“Israel is very much dependent on US military aid [and] the US is very much dependent on Israel to be able to impose its will in the Middle East,” he noted.

The analyst added that this relationship continues regardless of who is president or prime minister, and it is not going to change because of a “measly president who will be out of office in the next eighteen months.”

Despite the disagreements, Netanyahu’s visit will be mainly aimed at “further entrenching this US-Israeli symbiosis,” he suggested.

Israel lobby influence on Washington unaffected by Iran deal

The Democratic Party’s success in blocking a Republican resolution to oppose the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in Congress has been considered a heavy blow to the Israel lobby.

Obama regarded the vote on the procedural motion as "a victory for diplomacy, for American national security, and for the safety and security of the world.” Netanyahu and other opponents of the deal have constantly called it a threat to Israeli and US security.

Draitser, however, said the Israeli lobby, specifically the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), will still hold their heavy influence over US foreign and domestic policies.

“Obama is demonstrating that regardless of the Iran deal, both the Republican and Democratic parties are still very much under the thumb of AIPAC... and many of the other very powerful, very wealthy Israeli lobbying groups,” the analyst noted.

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