President Barack Obama welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington for their first meeting together. The two had some agreements and some disagreements. Here are some highlights of expected discussions.
-The two are expected to avoid topics of contention between the two governments. Obama supports a two state peace deal at almost any cost, while Bibi only wants to negotiate on terms that are fair to Israel and will prevent a terrorist country next to Israel.
-Obama clearly stated that it is up to Israel to determine its own security needs. The US cannot fully understand all Israeli needs and each country must work to defend itself. This is a small loss and a small gain for Israel. While it is important for Israel to maintain US backing, it seems that Obama is open for Israel to freely do what it needs.
-Iran is a major issue that will be addressed. Obama is quoted: “I don’t take any options off the table with respect to Iran. I don’t take options off the table when it comes to U.S. security, period. What I have said is that we want to offer Iran an opportunity to align itself with international norms and international rules. I think, ultimately, that will be better for the Iranian people. I think that there is the ability of an Islamic Republic of Iran to maintain its Islamic character while, at the same time, being a member in good standing of the international community and not a threat to its neighbors. And we are going to reach out to them and try to shift off of a pattern over the last 30 years that hasn’t produced results in the region.”
Ultimately, it seems that both Israel and the US share many common interests in the region and in the world. I hope the two leaders can come together and work on viable solutions for those differences.
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