Wednesday
Nov112009
Israel Update: Who's Busted Now? White House Takes on Netanyahu
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 17:52
Israel Video: Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel at the Jewish Federation of North America
Israel: Netanyahu Arrives in Paris to Criticism from French Foreign Minister
Israel: White House Gets Busted on “Private” Meeting with Netanyahu
Transcript & Analysis: Netanyahu in US – Waiting for Obama, Talking about “Small” Israel
After the private meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night, Tel Aviv tried to cover up a disappointing mission by focusng on the White House's rhetoric that "the Obama Administration was strongly committed to Israel's security".
Small problem. Israeli officials didn't clear the strategy with Washington, so now they face a White House counter-attack focusing on Netanyahu's "failure".
Let's start from the beginning. Until Netanyahu was on his plane heading for Washington, the Obama Administration had tried to fend off a meeting, fearing that Israel's inflexible position on settlements in the West Bank precluded any progress. When Netanyahu left the airport, he was transported in a simple van, unlike the special Government vehicles used to welcome world leaders.
The Israeli Prime Minister did not ease the situation in his speech to the Jewish Federations of North America. Instead, he displayed his "no preconditions" motto and called on unsettled Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to start negotiations immediately with no assurances on the issues of refugees and pre-1967 borders.
The US Government could not turn away the Israeli leader without a meeting; however, it could set the rules: no video, no pictures, no press reports. Israeli officials countered, however, by leaking the "spin" that Obama had reconfirmed the US commitment to Israel's security.
So the Administration's counter-attack was an "exclusive", fed to The Wall Street Journal, that Washington was disappointed that Netanyahu did not present any concrete steps: "We had an idea that he might bring something out to push the process forward. But he's kept it in his pocket." The same official added that senior officials inside the Obama Administration were unsettled over Netanyahu's alleged statement that he had the power to pressure Obama, using various lobbies in the US political arena.
Israel: Netanyahu Arrives in Paris to Criticism from French Foreign Minister
Israel: White House Gets Busted on “Private” Meeting with Netanyahu
Transcript & Analysis: Netanyahu in US – Waiting for Obama, Talking about “Small” Israel
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After the private meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night, Tel Aviv tried to cover up a disappointing mission by focusng on the White House's rhetoric that "the Obama Administration was strongly committed to Israel's security".Small problem. Israeli officials didn't clear the strategy with Washington, so now they face a White House counter-attack focusing on Netanyahu's "failure".
Let's start from the beginning. Until Netanyahu was on his plane heading for Washington, the Obama Administration had tried to fend off a meeting, fearing that Israel's inflexible position on settlements in the West Bank precluded any progress. When Netanyahu left the airport, he was transported in a simple van, unlike the special Government vehicles used to welcome world leaders.
The Israeli Prime Minister did not ease the situation in his speech to the Jewish Federations of North America. Instead, he displayed his "no preconditions" motto and called on unsettled Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to start negotiations immediately with no assurances on the issues of refugees and pre-1967 borders.
The US Government could not turn away the Israeli leader without a meeting; however, it could set the rules: no video, no pictures, no press reports. Israeli officials countered, however, by leaking the "spin" that Obama had reconfirmed the US commitment to Israel's security.
So the Administration's counter-attack was an "exclusive", fed to The Wall Street Journal, that Washington was disappointed that Netanyahu did not present any concrete steps: "We had an idea that he might bring something out to push the process forward. But he's kept it in his pocket." The same official added that senior officials inside the Obama Administration were unsettled over Netanyahu's alleged statement that he had the power to pressure Obama, using various lobbies in the US political arena.