Why Congress invite turned controversial

Qods News Agency reports:

When the US House majority leader, John Boehner invited the Zionist regime's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu for making a speech in the joint session of the congress, he thought he was serving Netanyahu and other Israeli rightists and could use the Israel lobby's influence to win the next presidential election in 2016.

Netanyahu for his part expected to use the congressional occasion to torpedo the current negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 on the one hand and cement his position in the upcoming March 17 election on the other.

Developments on the ground however show that none has fulfilled the dreams. Netanyahu was originally expected to deliver his speech on February 11 however he was pushed to delay it amid wide opposition inside and outside Israel. In the US, the Administration and Democrat lawmakers threatened to boycott the session and in Israel, Netanyahu's rivals blasted him for politicizing the bid. The congressional opportunity then turned into a threat for both US Republicans and the Israeli rightists.

Netanyahu now faces a loss-loss game as he would face empty seats in a boycotted congressional opportunity if he goes ahead with the bid whereas he would suffer a political setback that would threaten his position in the upcoming election if he makes a climb-down.

The threat would looms even larger as we consider Netanyahu's high stakes in the March election as he seeks to form a strong rightist cabinet that could counter the nuclear talks. Note that the seven-month extension of the nuclear talks would span the time an Israeli cabinet takes the reins following election.

Netanyahu also seeks to use the strong cabinet to undermine the ongoing efforts for the formation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 territory, a bid already supported by over 130 states in the world.

A strong cabinet would also help him to finally approve and implement a "Jewish State" blueprint that would bar the return and resettlement of over 1.7 million Palestinian refugees who currently live abroad.

The western interests however are at odds with those sought by Netanyahu and for the same reason they including the US administration do not wish to advance them. The issue indicates that the opposition to the Congressional speech is rather more strategic than a simple political decision.