The hard-line stances of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have caused a rift between the Obama Administration and Israel that is now being exploited by Republicans in Congress. House Speaker John Boehner circumvented Obama by inviting Netanyahu to address Congress recently. Central to the disagreement are executive-level negotiations to reach a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran and the creation of a Palestinian state, both of which the Israeli Prime Minister is fiercely opposed to. My sense is that the Israelis are increasingly defensive in the face of growing instability in the Middle East (not that it ever was stable).