White House national security adviser pays quiet visit to Israel
Tom Donilon meets with Netanyahu and Barak ahead of Clinton’s arrival
In the latest in a series of meetings between American and Israeli leaders, White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon visited Israel on Saturday and Sunday for consultations with his Israeli counterpart Yaakov Amidror as well as meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said that in the meetings, Donilon “reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.”
The United States has long been concerned about the possibility that Israel would unilaterally decide to strike Iran in order to cripple its nuclear program, and with the recent breakdown in talks between Iran and the international sextet known as the P5+1, the Obama administration wants to determine whether Israel is in fact planning such a move, and to thwart it if possible, according to Maariv.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was set to arrive in the country on Sunday for a brief visit after her trip to Egypt. Clinton was scheduled to meet with Netanyahu as well as Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and President Shimon Peres on Monday.
Several months ago, Maariv claimed that Netanyahu had agreed to give the Americans a window of time in which to settle the Iranian question through diplomatic measures. With the negotiations now at an impasse, the Israeli military option may once again be relevant, it said. Some in Washington believe that Israel will attack sometime in the late summer-early fall.
