Obama and Bibi; Hezbollah and Syria; Jihadists and Lebanon
The backstories on the meeting between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Hezbollah’s debate over Syria; and the role of jihadists in Lebanon.
This week, Al-Monitor broke three stories, among many, displaying unusual access and analysis that has become the trademark of our regional coverage.
The Real Story on the Obama-Netanyahu Meetings
Ben Caspit reported that despite the choreographed chumminess between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama in their meetings in Israel last month, the differences between the two over Iran and the Palestinians remain more or less the same.
Although Obama reassured Netanyahu on the US commitment to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon, the Israeli prime minister does not trust that the US president is as seized as he is of the urgency of the Iranian threat. On the Palestinian issue, it is the reverse. Netanyahu feels none of the urgency or priority of Obama and has no interest in the type of give-and-get required for a sustainable diplomatic effort.
