By Amie Parnes and Jeremy Herb - 03/05/12 12:54 PM ET
President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
accentuated their unity Monday ahead of a high-stakes meeting at the
White House focused on the rising threat posed by Iran.
Obama sought to assure Netanyahu that all options remain on the table
to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while the Israeli
leader reserved the right for a unilateral strike by his country.
"I reserve all options and my policy is not going to be one of
containment," Obama told Netanyahu in the Oval Office, before a gaggle
of reporters. "My policy is prevention of Iran obtaining nuclear
weapons."
For the second day in a row, Obama said there's "still a window that
allows for a diplomatic resolution" to the Iranian nuclear threat and
that the United States, together with other countries, would continue
to "tighten pressure" and put forth the "most crippling sanctions" to
date.
But Obama, who in a Sunday address to the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee emphasized that he "had Israel's back," said that if
the Iranian regime didn't move in the right direction, he would
consider other options.
"As I indicated yesterday in my speech, when I say all options are on
the table I mean it," Obama said.
Netanyahu, who sat beside Obama in the Oval Office, took a more
hawkish approach, saying Israel "must reserve the right" to act
unilaterally.
"Israel must have the ability to defend itself, by itself, against any
threat," Netanyahu said. "When it comes to Israel's security, Israel
has the right, the sovereign right, to make its own decisions. I
believe that's why you appreciate, Mr. President, that Israel must
reserve the right to defend itself.
"My supreme responsibility as prime minister of Israel is to ensure
that Israel remains the master of its fate," Netanyahu added.
The prime minister, who thanked Obama for his "strong" speech on
Sunday, also touted his country's relationship with the United States.
"We face common enemies," Netanyahu said. "Iran's leaders know that,
too. For them, you're the great Satan. We're the little Satan. For
them, we are you and you are us. And you know something, Mr.
President? At least on that last point, I think they're right."
As the two leaders wrestled with arguably their weightiest issue to
date, the meeting on Monday appeared far less tense than their meeting
last year, when Netanyahu appeared to lecture Obama on the history of
Israel.
On Monday, before a one-on-one meeting followed by a working lunch,
the two leaders both highlighted their common bond, sending a strong
message to Iran and other nations about their unity.
"As I've said repeatedly the bond between our two countries is
unbreakable," Obama said. "My personal commitment, a commitment that
us consistent with the history of other occupants of this Oval Office,
is rock solid, and as I've said to the prime minister in every single
one of our meetings, the United States will always have Israel's back
when it comes to Israel's security."
Natan Sachs, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center,
said Monday's meeting will help Obama and Netanyahu coordinate their
private strategies as well as their public messages.
"Confusion and mixed messages create uncertainty, which can be very
dangerous in a situation that's ripe for war," Sachs said.
Speaking to Netanyahu on Monday, Obama said it's "unacceptable from
Israel's perspective to have a country with a nuclear weapon that has
called for the destruction of Israel."
"But as I emphasized yesterday, it is profoundly in the United
States's interest as well, to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear
weapon," he added. "We do not want to see a nuclear arms race in one
of the most volatile regions of the world. We do not want the
possibility of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorists
and we do not want a regime that has been a state sponsor of terrorism
being able to feel that it can act even more aggressively or with
impunity as a consequence of its nuclear power."
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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