ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Susan Rice Tells Israel Lobbyists Their Demands Are ‘Unachievable’
IT was a tough message before a tough crowd.
On Monday night, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice made the case for a diplomatic solution to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon — an argument that rankled many of the 16,000 activists who flooded Washington for the annual confab of the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying organization in the country.
Rice’s remarks, at the policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, were a direct rebuttal to a series of bills supported by AIPAC over the last year that the White House has threatened to veto for fear the legislation would derail the delicate nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers, the so-called P5+1. One such proposal demanded that any deal prohibit Iran from enriching any uranium on its soil — a high bar, backed by Israel, which Rice called “neither realistic nor achievable.”
“We cannot let a totally unachievable ideal stand in the way of a good deal,” she said. “Even our closest international partners in the P5+1 do not support denying Iran the ability ever to pursue peaceful nuclear energy.”
The remarks exposed the fundamental disagreement between pro-Israel hawks inside and outside Congress and world powers in the P5+1 about what’s attainable in a comprehensive deal with Iran. The current talks involve imposing new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for giving Tehran economic sanctions relief.
The remarks also sparked the most confrontational moment of the three-day conference.
Source: foreignpolicy.com