Obama, Netanyahu seek to move past ‘disagreement’ on Iran deal
Leaders eyeing ‘common ground’ to rebuild ties
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday said it was time for him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to move beyond their “strong disagreement” over the Iran nuclear deal and work together on confronting Iranian misbehavior and bolstering Israel’s security, as the two leaders had their first encounter since their feud over the agreement brought their relationship to a bitter low.
“It’s no secret that the prime minister and I have had a strong disagreement on this narrow issue,” said Obama, seated beside Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the start of the meeting, their first in more than a year. “But we don’t have a disagreement on the need to making sure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon, and we don’t have a disagreement about us blunting destabilizing activities in Iran that may be taking place. And so, we’re going to be looking to make sure we find common ground there.”
Netanyahu, who has choreographed his visit to Washington in part to mend fences with Obama and Democrats who were alienated by his aggressive lobbying against the nuclear deal, did not mention the accord during a short appearance, in which the two leaders did not take any questions from reporters. But he had warm words for the president and said he shared Obama’s goal of resolving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians with a two-state solution.
“We’re with each other in more ways than one, and I want to thank you for this opportunity to strengthen our friendship, which is strong, strengthen our alliance, which is strong,” Netanyahu said.
“I want to make it clear that we have not given up our hope for peace — we’ll never give up our hope for peace,” Netanyahu added. “And I remain committed to a vision of peace of two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state.”
Both leaders said they would spend a substantial amount of time during their private meeting discussing the renewal of a 10-year package of U.S. military assistance to Israel. The agreement expires in 2017, but Obama said he wanted to get a “head start” on renegotiating it.
“Israel has shouldered a tremendous defense burden over the years, and we’ve done it with the generous assistance of the United States of America,” Netanyahu said.