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Netanyahu at War (full film) | FRONTLINE

Feb 27, 2020
In the first-class lounge, Netanyahu stopped to speak to the press. I understand that the Iranians are very satisfied, as they should be, because they got everything and paid nothing. This is a very bad agreement and Israel rejects it outright. NARRATOR: Then Netanyahu turned to Kerry. He didn't hold back. It was just Kerry and Netanyahu, but I was outside the room and I could hear it. I could hear it, that's for sure. He had a really strong feeling of betrayal. He was furious. When Bibi gets angry, she starts screaming and hitting the table. And so it was one of those moments.
netanyahu at war full film frontline
NARRATOR: But it wasn't over. Before leaving, Netanyahu appeared before the cameras once again. This is a bad deal, a very, very bad deal. It is the deal of the century for Iran; It is a very dangerous agreement and bad for peace in the international community. NARRATOR: Later that day, Netanyahu summoned former Obama adviser Dennis Ross. Bibi asked me to come see him on Friday night at the prime minister's residence. So it was Shabbat night. And I get there and I have to wait about an hour because he's on the phone with the president. NARRATOR: In an emergency phone call from Air Force One, Obama tried to calm Netanyahu and persuade him that a deal with Iran would make Israel safer.
netanyahu at war full film frontline

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But it does not work. No matter how many times I've dealt with Bibi, I've never seen him like this. He wasn't angry, but he was... The only way I can tell is that he felt alarmed. Not angry, but alarmed. And the first thing he tells me is: "The president has decided that he has no choice but to make a deal with the Iranians and get us off the table." And I said, "He didn't tell you that." He said, "He did it." I said, "No, he didn't tell you that." He said, "He did it." NARRATOR: Netanyahu believed that the Iranians would only respond to the threat of force.
netanyahu at war full film frontline
For him, if that was not an option, Obama was surrendering to the Iranians. I don't remember the president ever telling Prime Minister Netanyahu that the military option is off the table. The president was saying, "Look, we have an opportunity here to accomplish more through diplomacy than we could even accomplish through military action." And that is a discussion he has had with the prime minister several times over the course of the last two years. Bibi was convinced of what she had heard. He wasn't saying he had said those exact words, but he interpreted what he heard as the president saying, "You know, there's too much war weariness in America, I don't have the option to use force.
netanyahu at war full film frontline
This is the only option I have." " NARRATOR: Ross contacted Secretary of State John Kerry. I actually contacted Kerry and said, "Look, you've got a problem here. It's got to be fixed." He said, "I'll call him." I said, "No, it shouldn't be you. The problem is not you. The problem is what Bibi thinks and where the president is. This needs to be solved by the White House." And it was not so. He didn't receive a call. President Obama began selling the Iran nuclear deal... NARRATOR: Instead, Obama went to the American people to sell a deal that would impose limits on Iran's nuclear program and allow international inspections in exchange for lifting of the sanctions. .
From the perspective of American interests, it is much better if we can achieve a diplomatic solution. For the first time in a decade, we have halted progress on Iran's nuclear program. Key parts of the program will be rolled back. A comprehensive deal that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran, protects the United States and our allies, including Israel, while avoiding another Middle East conflict. Tough talk, as the president of the United States is trying to land a major sales job... For Obama, this is his chance to leave a legacy in the Middle East, which has been very, very frustrating for him.
Iran is central to his legacy and his perception of American national interests. Iran agreed to temporarily freeze key parts... NARRATOR: In March 2015, when the president and the Iranians were about to sign an agreement... Green light a historic agreement... NARRATOR: Benjamin Netanyahu, running out of time, arrived in Washington to deliver that controversial speech urging Congress to block the deal. You can see him walking with Dana, maybe he'll stop. Look, Netanyahu has already given up on Obama, looks at Washington and says, "Who can I find as an ally? Well, the Republicans now control both houses of Congress and, in fact, he decides to make common cause with them.
It's a big day on Capitol Hill. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address Congress. Mr. President! Israel's Prime Minister. NARRATOR: You could count on the Republican Party to be against the president and recruited AIPAC, the powerful Israeli-American Public Affairs Committee, to attack. For him to tear himself apart like that and denounce it and line up AIPAC to spend $20 million to try to defeat him is a big mistake. If he loses, the president will have shown that he can stand up to Israel and the much-vaunted Israel lobby, and that will be a lesson for a long time.
I want to thank you all for being here today. I know that my speech has been the subject of a lot of controversy. NARRATOR: A large number of Democrats boycotted the speech and chose to support the president. You have this great drama of American politics. We have the drama of a Republican Congress that almost seems to want Bibi Netanyahu as leader instead of Barack Obama. Today, the Jewish people face another attempt by another Persian potentate to destroy us. I think this is the fight of his life for him. He is no longer rational about it. A rational prime minister of Israel, understanding the importance of the US-Israel relationship, would not confront the president about the most important deal he has managed to negotiate during his presidency.
We must all unite to stop Iran's march of conquest, subjugation and terror. NARRATOR: It was rhetoric he had perfected for decades, delivered to a receptive crowd. 26 standing ovations. But in the end it wouldn't be enough. May God bless the State of Israel and may God bless the United States of America. NARRATOR: Without Democrats, Republicans alone couldn't stop the deal. On the issue that mattered most to him, Netanyahu would fail. If, God forbid, things go wrong in ten or twenty years, I think we will all go back to those years, from 2009 to 2015, and we will be deeply saddened by the fact that there was not the ability to keep up. rise to the challenge, to work together, to overcome bad blood, to overcome distrust.
Yet another attack on the violence between Israelis and Palestinians... ...seen an increase in violence in the occupied territory and in Israel itself... NARRATOR: In the following months, the violence returned to Israel and the Palestinian territories. It brought tensions between Israelis and Palestinians to a boiling point... We do not have an Israeli or Palestinian leader right now, or an American president, frankly, who is willing to pay the price for what it would take to lay the groundwork. basis for an agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Every bus station, every corner is the scene of a possible attack...
NARRATOR: The president who had tried to bridge the differences can now do little more than watch how the conflict continues. And they are just the latest victims of a wave of violence... The big dream that he has when he takes office to be the president who finally solves this, he basically puts it aside. And he admits it. He thought that if he just sat people down at a table, they would be reasonable and could figure this out. And obviously that wasn't going to be the case. Israeli officials are stepping up security measures... NARRATOR: Netanyahu had promised Israelis security through force, but he still presides over a country fearful and uncertain about his future.
It was so necessary for the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel to work together intimately. The peace process has been dead for more than a year. The fact that this never happened, that it was all bitterness, suspicion and political boxing, is a very sad chapter in history. Frontline is made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you. And by the Public Broadcasting Corporation. Frontline's primary support is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, committed to building a fairer, greener, and more peaceful world. More information is available at macfound.org.
Additional support is provided by the Park Foundation, dedicated to raising public awareness on critical issues. The John and Helen Glessner Family Trust, which supports trusted journalism that informs and inspires. The Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change around the world, at fordfoundation.org. The Wyncote Foundation. And by the Frontline Journalism Fund, with significant support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler. Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org For more information about this and other Frontline programs, visit our website at pbs.org/

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