Obama, Bibi Not to Meet on Iran, Tension Escalates
Local Editor
At height of diplomatic crisis between Washington and Tel Aviv over a military attack on Iran, the White House announced Wednesday that US president Barak Obama and "Israel's" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue by phone.
This comes after denied media reports that Netanyahu asked to meet Obama in New York.
Meanwhile, Obama spoke with Netanyahu for an hour Tuesday night and reaffirmed that "they are united in their determination to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."
According to the White House, the two men discussed the cooperation on Iran and other security issues, also agreed to continue their close consultations going forward.
The conversation between the two comes amid heightened tensions between Tel Aviv and Washington over Netanyahu's demand that the US set "red lines" for Tehran's nuclear program.
The White House also denied reports that Obama had refused to meet Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the UN's General Assembly later this month.
"Contrary to reports in the press, there was never a request for Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet with President Obama in Washington, nor was a request for a meeting ever denied," the statement said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the White House said the meeting would not be possible over the two leader's conflicting schedules.
It appears that Obama's campaign realized that this response would not go over well with the Jewish voters and could create a problem ahead of the November elections.
In parallel, tensions are also running high within "Israel's" cabinet. On Tuesday, War Minister Ehud Barak issued an remarkably harsh statement against Netanyahu's conduct vis-à-vis Washington.
"The United States is "Israel's" principal ally and despite the differences on and the importance of keeping "Israel's" ability to operation independently, we must also keep in mind the strategic importance of the partnership with the United States, and refrain from hurting it," he said.
Sources at the Likud are accusing Barak of treason and being "motivated by narrow political interests."
This followed a harsh statement on Netanyahu's part, who stated Tuesday that the US has no moral right to stop "Israel" from striking Iran after refusing to set a "red line" for Iran's nuclear program.
"Barak realizes there is a political vacuum," a Likud source said. "He realizes there is no centrist candidate for prime minister or even for "defense" minister and is exploring the possibility of alternatives to Netanyahu." Likud officials close to Netanyahu said that the two men do not fully trust each other. "There is cooperation between them, but reports of complete harmony are untrue.
"The White House treats Bibi as a bitter and hated Republican rival," an "Israeli" source said. "If Obama is reelected, Netanyahu will pay a heavy price. Obama's advisers have been using the word 'revenge' when talking about Netanyahu in the post-election period."
US administration officials talking to AP expressed outrage over the fact that "Israel" is openly sharing its disagreements with the US.
Source: Ynet, Edited by moqawama.org
At height of diplomatic crisis between Washington and Tel Aviv over a military attack on Iran, the White House announced Wednesday that US president Barak Obama and "Israel's" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue by phone.
This comes after denied media reports that Netanyahu asked to meet Obama in New York.
Meanwhile, Obama spoke with Netanyahu for an hour Tuesday night and reaffirmed that "they are united in their determination to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."
According to the White House, the two men discussed the cooperation on Iran and other security issues, also agreed to continue their close consultations going forward.The conversation between the two comes amid heightened tensions between Tel Aviv and Washington over Netanyahu's demand that the US set "red lines" for Tehran's nuclear program.
The White House also denied reports that Obama had refused to meet Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the UN's General Assembly later this month.
"Contrary to reports in the press, there was never a request for Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet with President Obama in Washington, nor was a request for a meeting ever denied," the statement said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the White House said the meeting would not be possible over the two leader's conflicting schedules.
It appears that Obama's campaign realized that this response would not go over well with the Jewish voters and could create a problem ahead of the November elections.
In parallel, tensions are also running high within "Israel's" cabinet. On Tuesday, War Minister Ehud Barak issued an remarkably harsh statement against Netanyahu's conduct vis-à-vis Washington.
"The United States is "Israel's" principal ally and despite the differences on and the importance of keeping "Israel's" ability to operation independently, we must also keep in mind the strategic importance of the partnership with the United States, and refrain from hurting it," he said.
Sources at the Likud are accusing Barak of treason and being "motivated by narrow political interests."
This followed a harsh statement on Netanyahu's part, who stated Tuesday that the US has no moral right to stop "Israel" from striking Iran after refusing to set a "red line" for Iran's nuclear program.
"Barak realizes there is a political vacuum," a Likud source said. "He realizes there is no centrist candidate for prime minister or even for "defense" minister and is exploring the possibility of alternatives to Netanyahu." Likud officials close to Netanyahu said that the two men do not fully trust each other. "There is cooperation between them, but reports of complete harmony are untrue.
"The White House treats Bibi as a bitter and hated Republican rival," an "Israeli" source said. "If Obama is reelected, Netanyahu will pay a heavy price. Obama's advisers have been using the word 'revenge' when talking about Netanyahu in the post-election period."
US administration officials talking to AP expressed outrage over the fact that "Israel" is openly sharing its disagreements with the US.
Source: Ynet, Edited by moqawama.org
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