President Obama will meet today for what’s likely the last time with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and I have one question: Why?
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On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and following President Obama’s comments warning that Israel could not just keep occupying Palestinian territory forever, the president met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and by all accounts avoided all things Palestine.
But in NY on Wednesday for the final United Nations General Assembly of his eight-year double term, Obama will meet the Israeli leader, perhaps for the last time.
“I expect from the global community a uniform standard in the war on terrorism”, Netanyahu said shortly before heading to the U.S.
Obama began his address by wishing a speedy recovery to Shimon Peres, Israel’s former president who has been hospitalized since last week following a stroke.
Israeli leaders have expressed concern that the French initiative, which has so far involved global leaders but no Israeli or Palestinian representatives, will allow the Palestinians to avoid bilateral talks.
White House officials claimed Obama had raised other concerns behind closed doors, but didn’t want to make them publicly, while Israeli officials claimed Netanyahu had told Obama that the settlements were totally no big deal and that the Palestinians were the real problem.
Netanyahu said he planned to thank Obama for the military aid.
If Obama had left Israel-Palestine at the heart of what he has done or not done in office, the challengers in the race to replace him might have made it an election issue.
“It is important for America’s national security to ensure we have a safe and secure Israel, one that can defend itself”, Obama said of the 10-year security deal.
In private, Obama was more pointed, senior Obama administration officials said, and raised “profound USA concerns” that settlement-building was eroding prospects for peace. “That’s a goal that I and the people of Israel will never give up on”, he said.
It would not be the first time a US president took action on the Middle East at the end of a term. It will be the final meeting between the two leaders before Obama leaves the White House.
“Surely Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel”, he said on Tuesday. So I want you to know, Barack, that you’ll always be a welcome guest in Israel.
Since the signing last week of the US aid package to Israel, some leaders and pundits in Israel have already pointed to the aid package as proof of the withering relationship between the United States and Israel. “The prime minister will be there quite a bit longer, and our hope will be that in these conversations, we can get a sense of how Israel sees the next few years, what the opportunities are and what the challenges are”, Mr. Obama said.
“Surely, Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel, but Israel recognizes that it can not permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land”, Obama said in his lone direct reference to the conflict during the 48-minute speech.
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No, what I can’t imagine is what the president hopes to achieve.
