WarSclerotic

As German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Saturday, when it comes to the Iran nuclear talks the moment of truth is drawing near. In the Swiss city of Lausanne, representatives of six world powers and Iran are working hard to remove the final obstacles standing in the way of reaching an agreement, or a memorandum of understanding, by Tuesday.

In 1897, the First Zionist Congress was held in Basel, Switzerland. This is where the Zionist vision was formulated. Now, 118 years later, in another Swiss city not too far from there, the Iranian nuclear vision is coming to fruition, representing a mortal danger to the Zionist state. So Switzerland has played a recurring important role in the lives of our people, for better or for worse.

After nearly 12 years of negotiations with Iran, the world powers see a light at the end of the tunnel. Israel, on the other hand, sees only darkness. The idea of Iranian nuclear weapon is surreal and frightening. But by Tuesday, it may be a fact on the ground. This is truly crazy.

But Israel is not alone. More and more U.S. media outlets have been reporting in recent days about the dangers of a deal with Iran. Also, Congress does not plan to keep its mouth shut. Even Martin Indyk, a former Middle East envoy for President Barack Obama, was quoted in the Washington Post as saying about the current situation in the region, “A vacuum was created that Iran exploited. Now we have to make a choice. Not taking a stand in Syria was the original mistake that helped to open the gates of hell.” Indyk noted that U.S. allies in the Middle East feel “threatened by the chaos that surrounds them. The first priority is to reassure them that we are with them.”

However, a bad deal with Iran will send the exact opposite message to America’s friends in the Middle East.

In 2003, when talks with Iran began, the goal was to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. France, Germany and Britain sought to limit Iran’s capabilities and the U.S., led by President George W. Bush, conducted military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Iranians were minor players. Fearing an attack, Iran even halted uranium enrichment. At that time, the Iranians could not have even dreamed of an agreement that would let them keep 6,000 centrifuges and maintain low-level uranium enrichment activities. And as an added bonus, this deal would lift the sanctions currently in place on Iran.

It is not just the enrichment levels that are problematic, it is also the principle involved. A rogue nation like Iran should not be entitled to do things that even normal nations like Canada and Mexico do not do.

Since 2003, Iran has not changed, but America has. Perhaps this is the root of the problem.

Even the fractious Arab League is united by the threat Iran poses to the stability of the Middle East. Everyone is aware the dangerous double game being played by Qatar, which poured fuel on the fires that erupted in Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya during the Arab Spring. But even Qatar, the supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood (which found a sympathetic ear in Obama’s Washington), is concerned about Iran’s growing strength. So it is no wonder that Qatar has joined the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which was established almost overnight, to attack the Shiite Houthis in Yemen, who are backed by Iran. Moreover, the Iranian threat has even led to reconciliation between Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ‎ and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

It is clear that the Arabs are united against Iran. So why is it so hard for Obama to read the writing on the wall?

Another difficulty for Obama is France. In the nuclear talks with Iran, the French have stood strong, demanding a good agreement with no holes in it. In November 2013, France delayed the signing of the interim deal with Iran by two weeks until several amendments were added. Yet even French media outlets admitted this weekend that, despite the presence of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Lausanne, Iran and the U.S. are the drivers of the negotiations and both want a deal at any price. So who are France, Germany and Britain to disturb the Iranians and the Americans? And who is Israel? Or the Arabs?