

Gray and solemn pronouncements about Israel acting “by itself” were issued by the Israeli prime minister at his Cabinet meeting today and mark Israel’s sudden isolation from world opinion– and signal division inside the Israel lobby in the U.S.

(Turn on the captions to watch in English.)

Netanyahu doesn’t look to have slept well. A historic mistake, not a historic agreement, he says. “The most dangerous regime in the world has taken a significant step toward attaining the most dangerous weapon in the world.”

There is no effort to seize the moment. “Israel is not bound by this agreement. The Iranian regime is committed to the destruction of Israel.”

And Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself, “by itself,” against any threat.

So Netanyahu wants the existential Islamic terror pot to keep boiling forever, to keep the world’s eyes off the West Bank and Jerusalem.

He ends with this declaration: Israel will not allow Iran to attain nuclear capability.

The ardent supporters of the Jewish state in the U.S. have never been in a worse position. They are largely supportive of this deal. They will have to throw Netanyahu under the bus. Most of them, anyway.