By the afternoon of July 13, Jerusalem had come to terms with the fact that Iran and the superpowers had apparently reached an agreement. As far as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Minister of Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz are concerned, this is the moment of truth. The public debate will heat up intensely over the next few days, culminating in Netanyahu’s anticipated visit to the United States in September to attend the UN General Assembly meeting. He is planning a bitter battle on Capitol Hill as he treks from senator to senator in an immense, unprecedented effort to prevent Congress from approving the agreement and to override the president’s veto with a 67-senator majority.
Netanyahu has already made it clear that he will not give up, no matter what it costs. Many in Israel believe that Netanyahu has chosen a kamikaze strategy, but they also concede that it seems unlikely that he will change his mind. The person closest to Netanyahu is Ya’alon, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. Some even go so far as to call him Netanyahu’s security mentor.