By now, President Obama recognizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bullish, self-centered, and two-faced approach to politics; however, as they meet next week in Washington, can the U.S. really afford to turn a blind eye to his latest attempts to win support among right-wing voters? Even at the expense of his only cordial relation in the Middle East with neighboring Jordan?
The answer is a resounding no. Excluding the significance of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and its associated human losses, Netanyahu's recent adventures concerning Haram al-Sharif threaten to undermine the stability of Jordan – the U.S.' last reliable oasis of stability in the region. Losing Jordan risks wasting billions of dollars of stabilization investments, and could eventually endanger the lives of American civilian and military personnel. No option exists, except to rely on Jordan as the base from which to secure U.S. interests across the region.
The full article originally appears in The Huffington Post.