http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/white-house-declines-netanyahu-request-to-meet-with-obama.premium-1.464328
White House declines Netanyahu request to meet with Obama
The White House's response marks a new low in relations between Netanyahu and Obama, underscored by the fact that this is the first time Netanyahu will visit the U.S. as prime minister without meeting Obama.
By Barak Ravid <http://www.haaretz.com/misc/writers/barak-ravid-1.325> | Sep.11, 2012 | 8:10 PM | 7
The White House declined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request on Tuesday to meet U.S. President Barack Obama during a UN conference in New York at the end of the month.
An official in Jerusalem said that the prime minister's office sent the White House a message stating that although Netanyahu will spend only two and a half days on U.S. soil, he is interested in meeting Obama and is willing to travel to the U.S. capital specifically for that purpose. The official added that the White House rejected the request and said that at this time Obama's schedule does not allow for a meeting.
The White House's response marks a new low in relations between Netanyahu and Obama, underscored by the fact that this is the first time Netanyahu will visit the U.S. as prime minister without meeting the president.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak tried to ease the tension on Tuesday, saying that the differences between the U.S. and Israel should be ironed out "but behind closed doors."
"We must not forget that the U.S. is Israel's most important source of support in terms of security," he said in a statement.
Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu launched an unprecedented verbal attack on the U.S. government over its stance on the Iranian nuclear program.
"The world tells Israel 'wait, there's still time'. And I say, 'Wait for what? Wait until when?' Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel," Netanyahu told reporters on Tuesday.
"Now if Iran knows that there is no red line. If Iran knows that there is no deadline, what will it do? Exactly what it's doing. It's continuing, without any interference, towards obtaining nuclear weapons capability and from there, nuclear bombs," he said.
U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stressed again on Tuesday that the U.S. administration doesn't see public discussion of Iranian nuclear program and red lines as useful. "We don't think it's particularly useful to have those conversations in public. It doesn't help the process and it doesn't help the integrity of the diplomacy. To be standing here at the podium parsing the details of the Iranian nuclear program is not helpful to getting where we want to go," she said, briefing the media.
Also on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that if Iran decides to make a nuclear weapon, the United States would have a little more than a year to act to stop it."
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Iran's nuclear programme is just a diversion. The real threat is that Iran is making alarming inroads into Iraq and Syria with help from local Shia leaders such as Maliki, Assad and Nasrallah.
I was against an Iran-Israel war myself because it would result in increased Kurdish violence. Now that Iran and the PKK are cooperating to prevent or delay Turkish intervention in Syria, Turkey has nothing left to lose. In fact, an Israeli attack on Iran could help Turkey to dislodge Assad in Syria. Whether Israel will do any damage to Iran's nuclear programme is beside the point now. If Israel can help get rid of Iran's regional allies by giving Iran a hard time, then that is great.
I was against an Iran-Israel war myself because it would result in increased Kurdish violence. Now that Iran and the PKK are cooperating to prevent or delay Turkish intervention in Syria, Turkey has nothing left to lose. In fact, an Israeli attack on Iran could help Turkey to dislodge Assad in Syria. Whether Israel will do any damage to Iran's nuclear programme is beside the point now. If Israel can help get rid of Iran's regional allies by giving Iran a hard time, then that is great.
Britain and US 'have no moral right to prevent Israel acting against Iran'
Benjamin Netanyahu denounced American and British efforts to restrain Israel from striking Iran, saying that no-one had a "moral right" to prevent his country from acting against a mortal threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says US does not have 'moral right' over Iran Photo: AP
The Israeli prime minister's words followed a secret visit by an unnamed British official last month, who is understood to have delivered a warning from David Cameron against attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.
Mr Netanyahu wants America to lay down clear "red lines" beyond which Iran would risk war by pressing on with its nuclear ambitions. He fears that Iran is successfully playing for time while the nuclear programme advances. In response, Mr Netanyahu is pressing Washington to impose a deadline on diplomatic efforts to resolve the confrontation.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, appeared to turn him down on Monday, saying publicly that America was "not setting deadlines for Iran".
Mr Netanyahu delivered a caustic response yesterday, saying that under these circumstances, no one could expect Israel to remain patient. "The world tells Israel to wait because there is still time," said Mr Netanyahu. "And I ask: wait for what? Until when? Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel."
This approach would only embolden Iran, warned Mr Netanyahu. "If Iran knows that there is no red line or deadline, what will it do? Exactly what it is doing today – continuing to work unhindered towards obtaining nuclear weapons capability and, from there, nuclear bombs," he said.
The prime minister's language will increase fears that Israel is intent on launching a unilateral strike on Iran.
Some observers see Mr Netanyahu's threats to attack Iran as hollow, believing that Israel does not have a viable military option. They judge that Mr Netanyahu's real aim is to ensure that the US and European powers continue to maximise the pressure on Tehran, particularly by imposing tougher sanctions.
However, his threats were taken seriously enough for Mr Cameron to send a senior British envoy to Israel to convey his concern. Sources confirmed that this official, whose identity has not been disclosed, saw Mr Netanyahu about two weeks ago. A British diplomat in Jerusalem and the Israeli prime minister's office declined to comment.
Mr Netanyahu's tough approach has apparently earned Washington's displeasure, with reports in the Israeli press last night claiming that President Barack Obama has turned down a request from Mr Netanyahu for a meeting during the United Nations general assembly later this month. An unnamed Israeli official said the Israeli prime minister had been told by the White House that there was not room in the presidential schedule.
Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Mr Obama, dismissed the report, saying that the President and Mr Netanyahu were not meeting because they would not be in New York at the same time.
However, he did not address the claim that Mr Netanyahu was prepared to travel to Washington in order to meet at the White House.
The two leaders have had a testy relationship, with Mr Netanyahu once lecturing the president in the Oval Office on the importance of US support for Israel. Obama officials have also expressed frustration at how Mr Netanyahu has consistently pressurised them to adopt an aggressive posture towards Tehran.
The US believes diplomacy can still deliver a solution before Iran achieves the ability to build a nuclear weapon. Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, said this threshold would be reached in "a little more than a year". He said: "We think we will have the opportunity, once we know that they've made that decision, to take the action necessary to stop [Iran]."
Mr Panetta told CBS: "We have the forces in place to be able to not only defend ourselves, but to do what we have to do, to try to stop them from developing nuclear weapons."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/9536559/Britain-and-US-have-no-moral-right-to-prevent-Israel-acting-against-Iran.html
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