Obama Draws the Line, Short of Israel's
With President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu both addressing AIPAC this week in Washington, it is already clear that US and Israeli policies on Iran will continue diverge in key respects. Al-Monitor Washington correspondent Barbara Slavin talks to veteran peace negotiators about what's next.
US President Barack Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington Sunday the he would use “all elements of American power” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon[1].
But his emphasis on diplomacy rather than war – and his refusal, at least in public, to define a red line short of an actual bomb -- suggests that U.S. and Israeli policies on Iran continue to diverge in important respects.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make his own speech to the annual conclave of the Israel lobby after he meets with Obama in the Oval Office. Republican candidates for the U.S. presidency will also address the conference this week and may seek to exploit perceived gaps between Netanyahu and Obama.
Netanyahu, speaking in Canada Sunday, said he welcomed Obama’s remarks. But the Israeli leader has been far more bellicose, warning that time is running out to stop Iran from developing the “capability” to make a weapon and expressing opposition to new talks with Iran unless it first stops enriching uranium.
