The Language of War: Netanyahu in Washington

On Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak to a joint assembly of the United States Congress. In what seems like an intentional breach of political protocol, Speaker of the House John Boehner invited Netanyahu to speak without first seeking President Barak Obama's permission. The White House is white hot over the Prime Minister's trip to the United States next week. The Washington Post describes the President and his administration as 'unhinged'.

For the past several months, the President of the United States has bypassed Congress and secretly entered into nuclear talks with Iran. In essence, the President is proposing that Iran be allowed to enrich their uranium, a precursor to developing nuclear weapons. This treaty calls for Iran allowing "inspectors" to chart their progress. Ironically, this proposed nuclear treaty is similar to the treaties the United States made with North Korea. However, during the Gulf War, when the United States government was focused on the opposite side of the world, North Korea broke their end of the bargain and created a nuclear bomb from the enriched uranium they'd been allowed to make all those years under the various treaties.

Benjamin Netanyahu believes the same thing will happen in Iran. According to the Prime Minister, any 'negotiations' that end in a nuclear treaty allowing Iran to enrich uranium is "an existential threat" to Israel.   The Jerusalem Post in its February 9, 2015 headline says Netanyahu's acceptance of Boehner's invitation to speak before Congress is "not political, it's existential." Every American parent ought to make his son or daughter put down their video games and go look up the definition of "existential." If Netanyahu is right, our youth could be trading in their video consoles for a military gear very soon.

An existential crisis is one when a people or a nation's very existence (thus the word 'existential') is in question. Benjamin Netanyahu believes that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, it will be used to "blow Israel off the map." That's the very thing, according to Netanyahu, the leaders of Iran wish to do. The terrorist organization that serves as the frontal piece for Iran is Hezbollah. Under cover of the Syrian civil war, Hezbollah--and thus Iran--have been taking military actions to procure the Golan Heights on the northern border of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu believes that Iran's ultimate intention is to destroy the nation of Israel. To give Iran the means to create nuclear weapons creates an "existential crisis" for Israel.

When a nation or her leaders perceive an existential crisis, they'll attack their enemies for the purpose of survival. The word 'existential' to war is like lightening to thunder. One always comes first. After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Saddam Hussein called the Shia-led Iranian government "an existential threat" to the Sunni/Baathist government of Iraq. Shortly thereafter, on September 22, 1980, Iraq invaded Iran and caused the longest conventional war of the 20th century, the 1980-1988 Iraq/Iran War.  It will be very interesting to count the number of times Benjamin Netanyahu uses the phrase "existential threat" or "existential crisis" when before Congress.

"Existential" is the language of war, and Americans need to pay attention. Netanyahu would never risk offending the people of the United States or their President without cause. He is giving us every indication he intends to attack Iran if they proceed with development of a nuclear weapon, regardless of American support.