Israel's envoy courts liberal Democrats on Iran
Israel’s new ambassador to Washington is courting some of the most liberal Democrats in Congress in an effort to push the Obama administration to toughen its negotiating stance with Iran.
Israel's US envoy, Ron Dermer, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, met with black and Jewish House members last week for a breakfast dedicated to highlighting the two groups’ joint history of discrimination.
Dermer used the meeting to press the case for demanding that Iran be prohibited from enriching uranium even as he hailed President Barack Obama's leadership on the issue.
"On the issue of Iran, we share a goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and we have no doubt that the president is committed to that goal," Dermer told the lawmakers. "Israel's goal is slightly broader than that: We want to prevent them not only from having a weapon but also to prevent them from having the capability."
He went on to state his "hope" that in Israel's discussions with Obama administration officials, "we can convince them to not put forward a proposal that would leave them with enrichment capability."
