The Israeli Prime Minister is building a war cabinet.

NEW POLL: “A vast majority (66%) of Israelis said they would support military action if diplomatic and economic efforts failed to get Iran to stop uranium enrichment, and of that number, 75% would support this action even if the Obama administration were opposed.”

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the invitation of President Barack Obama to come to Washington for meetings on May 18. The main focus on these talks will be the Iran nuclear threat, and the future of the peace process.

In advance of such meetings, Netanyahu has just named renowned Middle East historian Dr. Michael Oren to be the new Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. The Israeli press is focusing on Oren’s view that Israel should unilaterally withdraw from the West Bank to make peace with the Palestinians.  But Oren would never have been selected by Netanyahu for that reason. Indeed, he was chosen in spite of those views, with the Prime Minister does not share. I suspect the real reason Netanyahu chose Oren is because he is the author of Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, a brilliant, must-read history of Israel’s decision to launch a pre-emptive strike against her enemies that turned out to be miraculously successful. Make no mistake: apart from divine intervention, a train wreck is coming between the U.S. and Israel over the Iran issue. Netanyahu understands the Iranian leadership is part of an apocalyptic, genocidal death cult. The White House and State Department don’t see it. Oren could, therefore, prove to be a shrewd choice by the Prime Minister. He’s smart, an excellent English speaker, good on television, good with the media generally, and an expert on the history of Israel taking pre-emptive military action to secure her survival against all odds and against world opinion. What’s more, he is strongly opposed to direct U.S. talks with Iran for a number of reasons, he argued last fall in the Wall Street Journal. Such skills and convictions may come in handy, indeed.

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HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Gingrich: “‘Obama endangering the Jewish state”
• Livni to AIPAC: Iran threat opens door to peace with Arabs
• Jack Kemp — conservative economic policy leader and long-time friend of Israel — dies
• To listen on-line to Joel’s talk and Q&A on May 1st in northern Virginia on Inside The Revolution and events in Israel and the Middle East, please click here
• With Iran threat rising, Netanyahu establishes new intelligence ministry, and new strategic affairs ministry
• Ex-IDF chief named to head Ministry of Strategic Affairs
• Report: ‘IDF staged drills over Gibraltar, in preparation for Iran strike’
• AIPAC conference begins in Washington