Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Cherishing Freedom and Offering Hope

Cherishing Freedom and Offering Hope
By Rep. Kristi Noem
March 6, 2015

“America and Israel, we share a common destiny, the destiny of promised lands that cherish freedom and offer hope” – a resonant statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he spoke to a joint meeting of Congress on March 3 about the consequences for his country – and ours – if a bad nuclear deal with Iran is finalized.  As I watched him speak from the House floor, I couldn’t help but think this was a speech the American people needed to hear – a speech we deserved to hear.

Nuclear talks with Iran have been ongoing for much of President Obama’s tenure.  They’ve been extended twice and under the current timeline, negotiators must agree on an outline of an accord by late-March with a detailed agreement due by the end of June.  Today, there are deep-seated and bipartisan concerns about the deal our administration is making with Iran.  Most notably, that it could fundamentally fail to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

I believe the administration vastly underestimates Iran and their intentions.  They assume that the Iranian regime will respond to diplomacy, but that assumption was and is wrong.  As the Prime Minister asserted in his speech: if Iran wants to be treated like a normal country, they ought to act like a normal country.

Iran has sent satellites into space, conducted numerous missile tests, and diversified their nuclear program, moving forward on the construction of a heavy water reactor and installing a new generation of faster centrifuges.  This could enable the country to very quickly produce bomb-grade materials in the near future.

Without question, the threats posed by Iran are immediate.  We cannot miscalculate their seriousness.

During his speech, Prime Minister Netanyahu admitted that Israel may not get the agreement it wants in these talks, but Israel needs an agreement that it could live with – literally.  I believe America needs an agreement that would allow Israel to survive too.

The national security interests of Israel do not stop at Israel’s border, as those who seek to destroy Israel wish the same fate upon America.  Israel shares our common values of liberty and democracy.  They remain a key partner as we’ve worked to defeat the terrorism of ISIL, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and affiliate groups.  We have collaborated on improving stability in the region, behavioral screening techniques for airport security, and counterterrorism efforts that bring security benefits to both countries.  For these and many other reasons, Israel is our strongest ally in a region that greatly impacts American national security.  Their survival is critical.

Time and again, President Obama and his administration has reiterated that no deal with Iran is better than a bad deal, but Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed back in his address, saying:  “This is a bad deal.  It is a very bad deal…. We are being told that the only alternative to this bad deal is war. That is just not true. The alternative to this bad deal is a much better deal.”  I agree completely and would urge the President to negotiate a better deal – a deal that would prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and the consequences it would have on America and our allies.

We live in a dangerous world, but Israel lives in a dangerous neighborhood. America cannot turn our back on our ally in times of peace – and certainly, not in times of heightened threats.

The Prime Minister closed his remarks with this: “Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land.  And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years. I leave you with his message today.  ‘Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them.’   My friends, may Israel and America always stand together, strong and resolute.  May we neither fear nor dread the challenges ahead. May we face the future with confidence, strength and hope.”

###