Obama, Netanyahu affirm security ties in final meeting
NEW YORK — Setting aside years of tensions, U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bid each other farewell Wednesday with an affirmation of security ties between their nations and little public talk of their differences over Iran, Israeli settlements and the Palestinians.
The two leaders were all smiles as they met in what the White House said was likely their last meeting before Obama’s presidency ends in January. Obama made only a passing reference to his opposition to the uptick in Israeli settlement construction in occupied lands as reporters were allowed in briefly.
“We do have concerns around settlement activity,” Obama said, adding that the U.S. wanted to help Israel pursue peace.
In private, Obama was more pointed, officials said, and raised “profound U.S. concerns” that settlement-building was eroding prospects for peace. Netanyahu challenged that notion, said one official.
Netanyahu’s opposition to Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran — perhaps the biggest irritant in the relationship — did not come up during the half-hour meeting, the officials said.
The move by both leaders not to air their differences in public reflected their understanding that if a breakthrough on Mideast peace is to occur, it won’t be while Obama is president. Following previous failed attempts to broker peace, the Obama administration has opted against a new major diplomatic push.
That means the focus shifts in the U.S. to Obama’s potential successor: Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Russia and France have signalled an interest in taking on a larger role in mediating between Israelis and Palestinians.
In public, Obama and Netanyahu spent most of their time touting a 10-year military assistance deal their countries struck this month worth $38 billion US, the largest tranche of military aid the U.S. has given another country. The White House is hoping the unprecedented aid will curb the perception among Israel’s supporters that Obama has been insufficiently supportive of Israel’s security
“It is a very dangerous and difficult time in the Middle East and we want to make sure that Israel has the full capabilities it needs in order to keep the Israeli people safe,” Obama said.
Added Netanyahu: “Your influential voice will be heard for many decades, and I know you’ll continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself and its right to thrive as a Jewish state.”
Ties between the two leaders never fully recovered after Netanyahu showed up on Capitol Hill to lobby Congress against Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. The Obama administration, meanwhile, has been dismayed by periodic comments by the Israeli leader suggesting he’s lessthan-serious about the two-state solution that has been the basis of all serious peace efforts for decades.