White House seeking Obama-Netanyahu meet in November

Announcement comes after president said he hoped to talk with PM next month at UN, indicated security talks have resumed

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday that it’s trying to arrange a November meeting between US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Spokesman Josh Earnest says he anticipates a White House meeting in early November. It would be the first formal meeting between the two leaders in months.

Obama pointedly refused to see Netanyahu in March when the Israeli leader addressed a joint meeting of Congress and harshly criticized the US-negotiated nuclear deal with Iran. Republican lawmakers had arranged Netanyahu’s appearance without White House input.

Congressional Republicans failed this week to block the Iran deal from going forward. Earnest says the two leaders have not spoken since a Senate procedural vote on the deal on Thursday.

Obama told rabbis in a pre-Rosh Hashanah phone call Thursday that security talks with Israel had resumed, and that he hoped to meet with Netanyahu by early next month.

In his annual pre-High Holidays call to the rabbis, Obama said that he was ready to meet with Netanyahu during the United Nations’ General Assembly opening session, which starts next week and runs through Oct. 6. Netanyahu until now has rebuffed such overtures because of his disagreement with the US leader over the Iran nuclear deal.

“Our consultations have already begun with Israeli military and intelligence officials,” Obama said.

“My hope is to have a long discussion with Mr. Netanyahu about these issues when he comes to the United Nations during the General Assembly of the United Nations, or immediately after that,” he said.

The Iran deal was the main focus of the call, which rabbis use to help plan their High Holidays sermons.

Netanyahu, who adamantly opposes the deal reached in July between Iran and six major powers, which offers sanctions relief for nuclear restrictions on Tehran, had suspended US-Israel discussions on security cooperation until he was certain that opponents of the deal in the US Congress could not defeat it.