Bibi’s 15 minutes of fame are up

He has an impressive resume. That, you cannot take away from Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu.

A graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he studied for a bachelors degree in architecture and a Master of Science in Management Studies, Netanyahu also studied political science at MIT and Harvard University. He surely is an Ivy League character to boot!

He later picked up a job at one of the world’s respected business management consulting firms, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

It is, therefore, not surprising that ‘Bibi’ is one of the most strategic leaders globally and is so politically savvy that after getting out of the prime ministerial seat several years earlier, he bounced back to become the lone Jewish State’s 17th prime minister.

Even from his speeches, every word, every delivery, is carefully chosen always for its well thought out strategic effect.

His muscular, if not bellicose, foreign policy stances, however, are rooted in his military background, which was hardened by the death of his eldest brother while commanding the 1976 Entebbe rescue operation to free the passengers of an Air France airliner held captive in Uganda.

Born in 1949 in Tel Aviv, Israel; but exposed to America during his formative years as a teenager while his father was a history professor there, Netanyahu is in his heart of hearts, even in his public posturing, a warrior.

He is a former Israeli special forces commando, who actively participated in daring combat missions, including the so-called Operation Gift during the War of Attrition that freed hostages from a hijacked Sabena Airlines aircraft held in Beirut, Lebanon.

If he had his way today, the former diplomat would have already bombed Iran to kingdom come just to ensure that Tehran, which has vowed to obliterate Israel from the face of the earth, does not get a nuclear bomb and carry out a test launch on the Jewish state.

So, when the hawkish Israel prime landed in the United States of America (USA) at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, stood at a podium in the US congress—the most glamorous and most consequential political stage for a global message—and literally declared that US President Barrack Obama is a naïve negotiator who is being hoodwinked by the Ayatollahs of Iran, it was not just about the politics at home.

Sure, the high profile and highly anticipated speech may have gained Netanyahu a fleeting bounce in the polls from the right wing Israel voters, but Bibi—despite regurgitating similar warnings about Iran for several years that never came to pass—was speaking from deep conviction: That no amount of negotiations would halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Granted, from the start, it was clear—and has continued to be—that Netanyahu and Obama are miles apart on policy on Iran and the Palestinian Authority. But to go to the US and trash-talk an American president before a joint session of Congress is almost unheard of.

No wonder, at least 50 Democrat representatives boycotted the speech largely because the Speaker never involved the While House in bringing in Netanyahu.

It was a mark of disrespect that left House Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi—who braved Netanyahu’s arrogant speech out of diplomatic need—furious. But the Republican dominated House cheered. But if Netanyahu and Republicans thought that the speech would scatter the ongoing P5+1’s nuclear talks, he was wrong. In fact, the negotiating players simply ignored him and ploughed ahead. What is even worse for Netanyahu is that he has not tabled a viable plan of his own, but has been in the forefront criticising others’ work. He says Obama is negotiating a “bad deal” even when the talks have not been concluded. He wants a “much better deal” that nobody has heard from him.

So, yes, from a rhetorical point of view, Netanyahu had a grand time in Congress, but message wise, his 15 minutes of fame are up.