Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu called on the American Jewish community to oppose the deal with Iran, which Congress must vote on by September.

The appeal, in a conference call, came as US President Barack Obama met Jewish leaders at the White House.

Netanyahu accused the Obama administration and other supporters of the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday of squashing debate, especially as the public’s knowledge of the agreement has expanded.

He said the Jewish people were in a historic position to loudly oppose an existential threat such as the one posed by Iran, whose military and proxies “on three borders” target every major Israeli city.

Netanyahu struck back at U.S. officials who said opponents of the deal had provided no alternatives to the current plan and simply wanted war.

He said he offered dismantling Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for dismantling the sanctions regime, and then he had suggested during his controversial speech to Congress earlier this year significantly rolling back Iran’s program and conditioning the lifting of sanctions on Iran’s reversing its expansionist policy in the Middle East, after the U.S. “backed off” the first option.

He said “Israel wants peace,” questioning why many U.S. officials believed that Israel and others opposed to the deal thought war was the only other option.

He said the nuclear deal with Iran paved the way for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, either by following its provisions or violating them, and he warned that the deal would likely set off an arms race in the world’s “most volatile” region.

Recent polls have indicated that the more people feel they know about the Iran deal, the higher the rate of disapproval. Senior Obama administration officials have testified twice before Congress and headed a significant media campaign to garner public support.

President Obama personally lobbied Jewish American groups to support the Iran deal during a White House meeting. The meeting, described by attendees as "serious" and "cordial" but at times "contentious", lasted more than two hours. Vice President Joe Biden, who the White House has dispatched to sell the deal to lawmakers, also attended.

"It's my birthday and I'm going to be blunt," Obama told the group of 22 Jewish leaders who gathered in the Cabinet Room on his 54th birthday, according to one attendee. The President "meticulously" made his case for loosening sanctions on Tehran in exchange for stricter inspections of potential nuclear sites, the person said.

The most intense moment during the early evening session came when several of the Jewish leaders confronted Obama on his recent comments that opposing the Iran deal is tantamount to supporting war with Iran.

The leaders said Obama's language could be damaging to the American Jewish community -- and made a direct appeal that the debate over the Iran nuclear accord not be framed that way.

Obama responded that he was mindful and sensitive to those concerns but underlined that he truly believes if the deal is struck down, war could be in short order.

Jewish leaders who attended said the President repeatedly rejected the notion that a better deal could be had, and he warned that if the agreement fails, Iran could obtain a nuclear bomb in months.

"He really stuck to his guns and challenged people on that" notion of a better deal, a source at the meeting said.

In view of the Congress’s vote on the deal in mid-September, several key Democratic sSnators announced their support for the deal ahead of the White House event, but other senior House Democrats indicated their opposition.

by Maureen Shamee Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu called on the American Jewish community to oppose the deal with Iran, which Congress must vote on by September.

The appeal, in a conference call, came as US President Barack Obama met Jewish leaders at the White House.

Netanyahu accused the Obama administration and other supporters of the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday of squashing debate, especially as the public’s knowledge of the agreement has expanded.

He said the Jewish people were in a historic position to loudly oppose an existential threat such as the one posed by Iran, whose military and proxies “on three borders” target every major Israeli city.

Netanyahu struck back at U.S. officials who said opponents of the deal had provided no alternatives to the current plan and simply wanted war.

He said he offered dismantling Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for dismantling the sanctions regime, and then he had suggested during his controversial speech to Congress earlier this year significantly rolling back Iran’s program and conditioning the lifting of sanctions on Iran’s reversing its expansionist policy in the Middle East, after the U.S. “backed off” the first option.

He said “Israel wants peace,” questioning why many U.S. officials believed that Israel and others opposed to the deal thought war was the only other option.

He said the nuclear deal with Iran paved the way for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, either by following its provisions or violating them, and he warned that the deal would likely set off an arms race in the world’s “most volatile” region.

Recent polls have indicated that the more people feel they know about the Iran deal, the higher the rate of disapproval. Senior Obama administration officials have testified twice before Congress and headed a significant media campaign to garner public support.

President Obama personally lobbied Jewish American groups to support the Iran deal during a White House meeting. The meeting, described by attendees as "serious" and "cordial" but at times "contentious", lasted more than two hours. Vice President Joe Biden, who the White House has dispatched to sell the deal to lawmakers, also attended.

"It's my birthday and I'm going to be blunt," Obama told the group of 22 Jewish leaders who gathered in the Cabinet Room on his 54th birthday, according to one attendee. The President "meticulously" made his case for loosening sanctions on Tehran in exchange for stricter inspections of potential nuclear sites, the person said.

The most intense moment during the early evening session came when several of the Jewish leaders confronted Obama on his recent comments that opposing the Iran deal is tantamount to supporting war with Iran.

The leaders said Obama's language could be damaging to the American Jewish community -- and made a direct appeal that the debate over the Iran nuclear accord not be framed that way.

Obama responded that he was mindful and sensitive to those concerns but underlined that he truly believes if the deal is struck down, war could be in short order.

Jewish leaders who attended said the President repeatedly rejected the notion that a better deal could be had, and he warned that if the agreement fails, Iran could obtain a nuclear bomb in months.

"He really stuck to his guns and challenged people on that" notion of a better deal, a source at the meeting said.

In view of the Congress’s vote on the deal in mid-September, several key Democratic sSnators announced their support for the deal ahead of the White House event, but other senior House Democrats indicated their opposition.

by Maureen Shamee