Israel's Netanyahu declines offer to meet with Obama: White House

[Eugene]

Last edited Tue Mar 8, 2016, 02:48 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters

Politics | Mon Mar 7, 2016 8:02pm EST

Israel's Netanyahu declines offer to meet with Obama: White House

WASHINGTON | BY MATT SPETALNICK AND ROBERTA RAMPTON

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined an offer to meet U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House later this month and canceled his trip to Washington, the White House said on Monday.

Netanyahu's decision to nix his U.S. visit marked the latest episode in a fraught relationship with Obama that has yet to recover from their deep differences over last year's U.S.-led international nuclear deal with Iran, Israel's arch foe.

The White House said the Israeli government had requested a Netanyahu meeting with Obama on either March 18 or 19 and that two weeks ago he was offered a March 18 encounter.

"We were looking forward to hosting the bilateral meeting, and we were surprised to first learn via media reports that the prime minister, rather than accept our invitation, opted to cancel his visit," White House spokesman Ned Price said in an emailed statement. "Reports that we were not able to accommodate the prime minister's schedule are false," he said.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-israel-idUSKCN0W92BR

EDIT: Netanyahu says declined to meet Obama due to U.S. election campaign (Reuters)

[brush]

1. Not easy to like, that one.

[yourpaljoey]

2. cut all aid to isrial - immediately

[leftynyc]

6. Congress has the power of the purse

And they don't give a shit if bibi doesn't like the President - neither do they. Also the American people strongly support Israel so they would be going against their constituents. Why can't people here on DU ever realize they represent a teeny minority of Americans on this issue?

[haikugal]

3. But he'll meet with he GOP and neocons....

[Little Tich]

4. Why would Obama want to meet with that racist POS anyway? n/t

[enough]

5. k&r (nt)

[Eugene]

7. Netanyahu says declined to meet Obama due to U.S. election campaign

Source: Reuters

Politics | Tue Mar 8, 2016 10:57am EST

Netanyahu says declined to meet Obama due to U.S. election campaign

JERUSALEM | BY JEFFREY HELLER

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Within hours, however, a flap erupted with the White House, which said that contrary to media reports, Netanyahu had been offered a March 18 meeting with Obama, ahead of the president's landmark Cuba visit on March 21 and 22.

Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday he would not attend the AIPAC event and voiced appreciation for Obama's willingness to host him.

It said Netanyahu was reluctant to be drawn into the U.S. presidential campaign, where candidates have been vying to assert their bona fides as friends of Israel.

In 2012, Netanyahu hosted then-Republican contender Mitt Romney in Israel in what many Democrats saw as a bid to undercut Obama's second-term run. Israel denied meddling.



(Additional reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Dominic Evans)

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-israel-idUSKCN0WA0UK