Obama willing to speak with US Jews, but not Netanyahu

[Israel Insider]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes off on Sunday morning for Washington, where he is to address the 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America the next day.

US President Barack Hussein Obama is also scheduled to address the GA, which is the largest gathering of Jewish communal professionals and activists each year, but it seems the two can't find time to get together. It will be Obama's first public address to a Jewish audience since his election.

Netanyahu has pointedly left his departure date open-ended to afford his American counterpart maximal flexibility to make the time, and more difficulty to find an excuse not to meet.

Netanyahu and Obama last met in New York in September on the sidelines of the opening of the United Nation's General Assembly session. By all reports, it was not a lovefest.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told The Jerusalem Post that nothing had been planned in terms of a Netanyahu-Obama sit-down while the prime minister is in town. "There is no scheduled meeting," he said.

Several American Jewish leaders told the Post that they suspected that the White House wanted something in return for a meeting with Netanyahu. They said the US administration may have been miffed by the way in which expectations of a meeting had materialized. Pushy Jews!

An Israeli government source played down the significance of a meeting with Obama and said that Netanyahu's attendance at the GA was the sole reason for his visit.

The date of the visit was coordinated solely with the organizers of the GA, although it was possible that other meetings could be added onto the trip, the source hinted broadly.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak will accompany the prime minister to Washington.

The trip comes in the aftermath of a flurry of visits by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the administration's special envoy George Mitchell. Clinton in particular highlighted Netanyahu's "unprecedented" concessions of settlement construction.

[Robert Bernier]

Better see it berore it's pulled.

Without comments…

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[Robert Bernier]

Protecting its people and borders is Israel's moral duty.
if America demands that Israel relinquish biblical territory, refrain from responding to the murder of its citizens, or cease building in the West Bank, Israel's reply should be "No." And if aid is thereby cut off (unlikely but possible), so be it. Protecting its people and borders is Israel's moral obligation. Maintaining close relations with America is not. Israel will not collapse without America as an ally. It can survive on its own or form alliances with other countries. More at : http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2009/06/time-for-new-ally.html

[RonaldH]

Even though the show of indifference to Netanyahu that Obama is showing indicates a level of hostility to Israel's national interests that did not exist with previous presidents, this 'not-happening' meeting is fine with me. In general, the less interference by Obama in Israel policy, the better. The only message from world leaders that helps Israel is: we unconditionally support a militarily and economically strong Israel and reject the notion that Palestinian violence against Israel is in any way justified.

[Michael Shoemaker]

If there were any doubts about Obama's commitment to Israel, this ought to resolve them. At least Bush allowed the Jews to come in the back door at Annapolis. All B.O. is offering is a cold shoulder. Maybe Israel could get his attention by shooting a rocket or two at the Iranians and their proxies.