Op-Ed: Tensions between Washington and Jerusalem increases daily

The deteriorating relationship between U.S. President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has been obvious to the world. The two men cannot trust each other, and the tension between their opposing agendas has increased significantly.

The fundamental issue is about Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report from Washington disclosed that Iran is making speedy progression in their nuclear weapons program. Both nations will confront critical future events. For Washington, that event is the November 2012 election. A Mideast war outbreak would have negative impact upon the global economy, and this situation will influence American voting results; therefore, the Obama Administration is currently attempting to avert war before this year’s election. For Jerusalem, that event begins when Iran reaches the “immunity zone,” which is the point when conventional military action will not be able to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons to destroy Israel, according to DEBKA files. Iran has placed 5,000 centrifuges in the underground nuclear weapon’s facility at Fordow and elswhere. This site, constructed deep inside a mountain near Iran's holy city of Qom, would be nearly impossible to destroy without the employment of tactical nuclear weapons, according to National Post News and Reuters. Finally, although both sides concur that a nuclear Iran is simply dangerous for the Mideast, their strategic assessment for the time remaining to resolve this dilemma is very distinct from each other. For many Israelis, their clock is “ticking faster” than the timepiece in Washington. Therefore, while analysts believe that Israel will eventually strike Iran, it remains unclear whether Israel will take action before the November 2012 elections, and to what extent will America support Israel.