Monday night, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said simply and clearly, “When it comes to Israel’s survival, we must always remain the masters of our fate.”

But not according to President Obama. His timetable for acting against Iran would precisely undermine Israel’s ability to determine her fate. President Obama wants to wait to act until Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons. And by that point Iran will have entered what Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak calls a “zone of immunity”—when Israel, with lesser capabilities than the U.S., might well no longer be able to act to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. If Israel is to act, it must be before Iran enters that zone. Otherwise, Israel will be in the position of depending on the U.S. to act later to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. This dependence on another nation is what an Israeli prime minister cannot accept.