No decision on Iran attack, Netanyahu tells Obama

After meeting with US President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli journalists that America “accepts and understands” Israel’s position on Iran. The prime minister also told the president that Israel has not made a decision regarding an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Most of the nearly three-hour meeting dealt with the Iranian nuclear program, although other regional developments such as Syria, Egypt and the Palestinians were also discussed.

Netanyahu told reporters that Israel’s position was understood, and that Obama agreed that Israel has a sovereign right to defend itself.

At one point during their lengthy three-hour White House meeting, Netanyahu presented Obama with a copy of the Book of Esther, which details the story of Purim that Jews are celebrating this week. It may be no coincidence that the events described in that Biblical book – notably the arch villain Haman’s decree to murder all the kingdom’s Jews and the subsequent thwarting of his plans – took place in what is believed to be modern-day Iran.

Netanyahu also raised the issue of Jonathan Pollard’s imprisonment, though it is unclear what he heard from Obama on that topic.

It is unclear if the Israelis received the assurances they were looking for on the “red lines” that would trigger military action against Iran. Reports from the White House suggested the meetings were held in a serious, business-like atmosphere.

Israel and America are likely working with different timelines regarding a strike on Iran. It is believed the US, with its superior firepower and resources, is willing to allow more time for economic sanctions to kick in before taking preventive military action. During the meeting with journalists, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel is a small country that is threatened by Iran like no other.

The whole purpose of a Jewish state, he said, is to ensure the ability of the Jewish people to make existential decisions on their own.

During a press conference at the White House before their closed-door discussions, Netanyahu said Israel must retain the ability to defend itself alone and stressed that the Jewish state is responsible for its own fate. Netanyahu said he said the same thing to Obama in their private discussions and noted that the American president said much the same thing in his address to the powerful pro-Israel lobby AIPAC last night.

Netanyahu said Iranians consider Israel the “Little Satan” and America the “Great Satan,” reiterating the need of the two countries to work together to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Obama confirmed his commitment to Israel’s security and told Netanyahu that “the bond between the two countries is unbreakable,” as the two leaders sat down for a high-stakes meeting Monday. He added that Israel must remain the master of its own fate, but said the US would “have Israel’s back.” “We do not want to see a nuclear arms race in one of the most volatile regions in the world,” he said. “We do not want a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorists. That’s why we have worked so diligently to set up the most crippling sanctions ever.”

Netanyahu used the camera time ahead of his much-touted meeting with Obama to vaunt the countries’ similar interests against Tehran. “We’re together. If there’s one clear thing in the Middle East is that the US and Israel are together,” he said.

Netanyahu also said Israel would act to defend itself from any entity that threatened it. “Israel must have the ability always to defend itself, by itself, from any threat. Israel has the sovereign right to make its decision. Thank you for acknowledging that right yesterday,” he told Obama. “The purpose of the Jewish state is to restore control over our destiny. As prime minister I must make sure Israel maintains that control.”

Obama said Iran would be at the top of the agenda for the meeting and expressed hope that the world would be able to deal with Tehran’s nuclear program diplomatically. “When I say all options are on the table, I mean it,” Obama said. “Having said that, I know that both the prime minister and I prefer to resolve this diplomatically. We understand the cost of any military action.”

The two will eat lunch together, along with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren, and several members of Netanyahu’s staff, including National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror, military secretary Yohanan Locker and bureau chief Gil Sheffer, are also on hand.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz told Channel 2 news that Obama’s remarks did not mark anything new in the American president. “Obama’s speech was pro-Israel, but it sounded very similar to his 2008 pre-election speech at that years AIPAC conference,” he said.

Reports ahead of the meeting indicated that Netanyahu would attempt to come to an agreement with Obama over a timetable for how to deal with Tehran, including military action against its nuclear program.

Netanyahu is widely seen as being for a military strike against Iran, while Obama has urged the Israeli leader to let sanctions work.

At an address to the AIPAC conference Sunday night, Obama seemed to preview his message to Netanyahu, telling the crowd that “loose talk of war” has caused tensions to rise, and emphasizing that “now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in.”

However, Obama also tried to soothe Israeli concerns by saying he would not hesitate to use force against Iran if necessary. While stressing that he hoped to resolve the issue diplomatically, Obama said, “Iran’s leaders should have no doubt about the resolve of the United States.”

“Iran’s leaders should know that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And as I’ve made clear time and again during the course of my presidency, I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests,” Obama said.

Obama’s tough language Sunday night won praise in Israel, where some saw it as an unprecedented show of support for the Jewish state.

“We’ve never heard such a supportive speech in Israel,” Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told Israel Radio on Monday, adding that US-Israel coordination was now “almost perfect.” Shalom, a hawkish member of Netanyahu’s government, has in the past expressed doubt that Iran would abandon its nuclear program on its own.

President Shimon Peres, who had a meeting with Obama Sunday, said he “came out with the feeling that the man is determined to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.” It remained unclear, however, whether Netanyahu would be persuaded.

Just ahead of Obama’s speech on Sunday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would determine how to cope with the Iranian threat based on its own interests, not US pressure. Reacting to Obama’s speech, Netanyahu gave few indications of its effect on him, saying that “more than everything, I value his statement that Israel must be able to protect itself from all threats.”

Amos Yadlin, former head of Israel’s military intelligence, sharply criticized Obama’s speech to AIPAC, saying he put forth “misleading messages.” “You can’t say all the options are on the table, and broadcast the opposite message that we are concerned about a military option,” Yadlin told Israel Radio on Monday.

The US insists that Iran has not yet made the final decision to actually make a bomb. Israel believes the signs are clear, and that a “red line” will be crossed once Iran completes the task of moving its enrichment facilities out of the range of attack.

Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv, said Obama’s speech “absolutely” would make it more difficult for Israel to act alone. But, he said, the speech would not be enough to satisfy Netanyahu. “Netanyahu is concerned about… whether the US is really committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” he said. “Is this sufficient to assure Netanyahu? No, I don’t think so.”