Issues Under Fire: Iran-P5+1 Deal Praised by Pope, Blasted by Netanyahu

Issues Under Fire: Iran-P5+1 Deal Praised by Pope, Blasted by Netanyahu

"In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world,"said Pope Francis from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Easter Sunday. In line with the six world powers and the broader international community, even the Vatican has given its blessings to the hotly contested agreement between the world and Benjamin Netanyahu. 

On the other hand, the Prime Minister of the occupation, Benjamin Netanhayu's message to the world was far less trusting in the Lord as he stated, "This deal will both threaten us and our neighbors," on CNN's State of the Nation. "Im not trying to kill any deal, Im trying to kill a bad deal." "I think this is a dream deal for Iran and a nightmare deal for the rest of the world," say Netanyahu in NBS's Meet the Press. 

Citing concerns of his Arab neighbors, Netanyahu's latest angle is to nudge as closely as he can to regional foes of Iran to bolster waning credibility and to show he's not alone in his fears, nor is he suffering from paranoia driven delusions. While its no secret, states like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates among others are nervously awaiting the final outcome of the proposed deal, to date, all have managed to restrain the irrational rhetoric and remained reasonable. 

Convinced a better deal could be negotiated if the P5+1 would only double down on crippling economic sanctions against Tehran and keep the military option alive, Netanyahu blasted every aspect of the framework agreement. Ramping up his rage, Netanyahu has called upon more than two thirds of Congress (so far) to abandon President Obama at a time when unprecedented progress is within reach with Iran. Reaching out to the GOP as well as any weak Democrats willing to listen, Bibi spent the entire Easter weekend pitching his case for derailing the agreement. Any agreement. 

With a complete disregard for how United States will appear if Congress kills this deal after being assessed and accepted by the international community, Benjamin Netanyahu's continued narrow-minded view of events, circumstances and conditions surrounding these talks may have revealed a crack in his sanity. If Benjamin Netanyahu is seeing things the rest of the world can not see, perhaps he's hearing voices no one else can confirm as well. 

Bottom line: President Obama, like Iranian President Rouhani, by most observer's estimation has maintained a consistent tone of reason, tolerance, open-mindedness and a willingness opt for peaceful solutions through dialog and diplomacy whenever and wherever possible.

When Pope Francis, the most potent force for peace in the world gave his blessing to the framework agreement, this writer was sold. Unfortunately, if the international community can't manage to isolate the process from unwanted and unwarranted intrusions from Benjamin Netanyahu's destabilizing influences, this framework agreement, described by the Pope as a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world, may never be realized. Podcast Below!