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US President Barack Obama (AP/Susan Walsh)
President Obama will not meet in person with Prime Minister Netanyahu to hear his ‘complaining’ until a final nuclear agreement with Iran is reached.
President Barack Obama told American Jewish leaders that he will not meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until after the June 30 deadline for a final nuclear agreement with Iran.
Obama told the delegation visiting the White House that he continues to be in contact with Netanyahu by telephone, according to a report by the New York Times. However, he will not meet with him face-to-face until the Iranian nuclear negotiations are concluded. Anonymous sources familiar with the meeting indicated said that Obama believes that such a meeting would result in Netanyahu complaining publicly about US policy in the region.
The purpose of the White House meeting was to reassure the American-Jewish community regarding the US commitment to Israel. Relations between the two heads of state have been soured by Netanyahu’s publicly-expressed concerns regarding the nuclear negotiations with Iran, namely that the framework agreement leaves much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure intact, and that the breakout time to a nuclear weapon will be practically zero by the time the deal expires.
Obama opposed Congress’s invitation to Netanyahu to speak about the nuclear issue and condemned statements made by the Prime Minister during the Israeli election season. The White House and State Department have confirmed that they are no longer openly sharing information on the negotiations with Israel. Following Netanyahu’s reelection, Obama said that he would reassess US relations with Israel, which Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power confirmed could mean supporting UN action against Israel.
Jimmy Carter (Photo: AP)
The Obama administration has attempted to smooth things over recently. Vice President Joe Biden attended a reception hosted by the Israeli ambassador in honor of Israel’s Independence Day, where he said, “No president has ever done more to protect Israel’s security than President Barack Obama.”
“Sometimes, we drive each other crazy, but we love each other and we protect each other,” he added.
However, the Obama administration will need far more than cute slogans to prove that it is serious about reversing its recent policies and reestablishing strong support for Israel. Even in traditional pro-Israel Democratic circles, Obama is regarded as being the worst president for Israel since Jimmy Carter.
By Sara Abramowicz, United with Israel
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