Obama, Netanyahu, Israel and Iran

Barack Obama, in his first face to face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said among his many remarks, regarding Iran, "We're not going to have talks forever.

Such words may play well with Netanyahu and many in his cabinet and in the Knesset who have advocated pre emptively striking Iran's nuclear facilities,(an attack they presented to President Bush in 2008, who surprisingly rebuffed their plans).

The Israeli's are terrified about Iran's nuclear potential and obsessed with the idea of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon at all costs. Netanyahu describes the Iranian leadership as fanatical extremists bent on destroying Israel.

Such rhetoric only ramps up the decibel level and gives recognition to Iran's President Ahmadinejad's rantings and bombastic remarks denying the holocost and wanting Israel wiped off the map; remarks that have been condemned the world over as ignorant and irresponsible. Ahmadinejad may be Iran's president, but the real power in Iran rests in the hands of Ayatollah Khamenei, someone who has never uttered the inflamatory demise of Israel and has refuted the idea of Iran possessing nuclear weapons as something against the Koran. Ahmadinejad is on Khamenei's leash. He does not seek a nuclear confrontation with Israel, knowing as all leaders do, nuclear arms are not offensive weapons. They serve only as a deterrant to prevent other nuclear armed states from attacking them; knowing their own annihilation is assured with any pre emptive nuclear attack. Khamenei is keenly aware of Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal. He is not suicidal and is not about to sacrifice the Iranian civilization, that has existed for over a millenium, on the altar of a nuclear confrontation with Israel.

Obama is well aware Iran possesses no nuclear weapons at this time. He also knows an Israeli pre emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities will have devastating and unpredictable consequences. It would unleash and embolden Islamic terrorism, disrupt and worsen the already dire economic situation in America and the world as well as cripple and disrupt world oil supplies. It will destroy any possibility of a reconciliation between the Israeli's and the Palestinian's, most likely emboldening terrorists to inflict horrific suicide bombings into Israel itself and further radicalize Hamas in the occupied territories and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It would return Iraq into a new cauldron, inciting Iraqi Shiites there to turn against their American occupiers.

Lastly, it would only delay Iran's nuclear development by (as reported) 5 years at the most and more ominously, make the Iranian's more determined to develop( or acquire) nuclear arms.

Thus it is imperative that Obama have renewed diplomatic relations with Iran and specifically with Khamenei. There should be no talk of "appeasement" and no threats of pre emptive attacks. These talks must be without any pre conditions and no artificial deadlines. And, most importantly, Israel must be prevented from pre emptively attacking Iran. This can only be done by President Obama, whether done with open transparency or covertly, behind the scenes. But, he must state unequivocally, the U.S. will not accept, under any circumstances, Israel's pre emptively attacking Iran.

Obama may have said he wouldn't talk forever with Iran. He would be wise to recall Churchill's famous words, "It is better to jaw jaw than to war, war."

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future