WASHINGTON — Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday pressed President Obama not to let Iran become a nuclear power — as the administration slammed Israel for proposing new settlements in East Jerusalem.
Sitting side-by-side with Obama in the Oval Office, Netanyahu said Iran was seeking to maintain a nuclear “threshold” in multinational talks even as it tries to get international sanctions lifted.
“I fervently hope that under your leadership that would not happen,” the Israeli leader added.
He agreed with Obama that “everybody” should support efforts against the ISIS terrorists.
But then Netanyahu said: “Even more critical is our shared goal of preventing Iran from becoming a military nuclear power.”
It was a mild public reminder of a policy rift between the US and Israel — though far short of the Oval Office lecture Netanyahu delivered early in Obama’s administration when relations between the two leaders hit a low point.
But Wednesday, just hours after Obama and Netanyahu engaged in polite public exchanges, the administration blasted proposed new Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.
“This development will only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from even its closest allies, poison the atmosphere not only with the Palestinians but also with the very Arab governments with which Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to build relations,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
It also would “call into question Israel’s ultimate commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement,” she added.
Obama spokesman Josh Earnest said the president had privately raised his concerns with Netanyahu, although the two leaders made no mention of the matter in their public comments to reporters.
The tough language was reminiscent of some of the clashes between Secretary of State John Kerry and Netanyahu’s government over settlements and Israeli military tactics during the war in Gaza.
With the United States leading an international coalition against ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria, the two leaders were still able to find common ground on Israel’s dealings with Palestinians.
Netanyahu repeated his call for a two-state solution — something he didn’t mention in his fiery talk at the UN Monday.
He called for a “vision of peace of two states for two peoples based on mutual recognition and rock-solid security arrangements,” saying there were new opportunities to “think outside the box.”