Obama will not meet US-bound Netanyahu, but Bibi will address US congress

© AFP Photo/Saul Loeb

US President Barack Obama speaks at Boise State University in Idaho on January 21, 2015

US President Barack Obama has refused to meet Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who will make a controversial visit to the United States in early March as he fights for re-election.

It is a "matter of long-standing practice and principle" that the president does not meet foreign leaders engaged in an electoral campaign, a White House spokeswoman, Bernadette Meehan, said Thursday.

Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress in early March -- just a few weeks before Israelis go to the polls on March 17.

But the focus of Netanyahu's address -- Iran -- as much as his timing is giving the White House heartburn.

Obama's allies fear the trip could be used by Israel and by the US Republicans, who control Congress and issued the invitation, to undercut nuclear talks with Tehran just as they appear poised to bear fruit.

The West and Israel accuse the Islamic republic of trying to build a nuclear bomb, a charge it denies.

The complex agreement with the so-called P5+1 group of global powers would subject Iran to safeguards designed to ensure its nuclear program can only be used for power generation or non-military research.

In a statement, Netanyahu said he wanted the "opportunity to share Israel's vision" on how to deal with the threat from Iran and Islamic extremists.

© AFP Photo/Abir Sultan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks during the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office, January 18, 2015

View gallery Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks during the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem o ...

The White House initially gave an icy response to news of Netanyahu's trip, saying it had not been informed -- a break with protocol.

Twenty-four hours later, the Obama administration announced that neither the president nor his Secretary of State John Kerry would meet Netanyahu.

- Battle over new Iran sanctions -

The Israeli prime minister -- and his Republican Congressional hosts -- have expressed deep skepticism about a brokered deal, believing Iran cannot be trusted to keep its side of the bargain.

US lawmakers have even sketched plans to impose fresh sanctions on Iran, legislation Obama has said would wreck talks and which he has pledged to veto.

"The president has been clear about his opposition to Congress passing new legislation on Iran that could undermine our negotiations and divide the international community," said Meehan.

Four European foreign policy chiefs issued a joint call in support of Obama's position Thursday.

"Introducing new hurdles at this critical stage of the negotiations," they wrote in the Washington Post, "would jeopardize our efforts at a critical juncture."

Negotiators hope to have a framework deal in place by March 31, leaving the last technical details to be worked out by June 30.

While Israel and the United States remain close allies, Obama and Netanyahu have publicly clashed over Iran and issues linked to the Middle East peace process.

In a statement, Netanyahu tried to diminish the diplomatic damage caused by the controversy.

He said the speech would be an opportunity for him to "thank President Barack Obama, the Congress and the American people for their support of Israel."

The White House said Obama had talked to Netanyahu more than any other leader and the pair had had many conversations on the issue of Iran.

"I am sure they will continue to be in contact on this and other important matters," said Meehan

Comment: While Obama may not want to deal with 'chickenshit' Netanyahu, House Speaker John Boehner invited Bibi -- and the Israeli leader accepted - without any involvement from the White House.

In public, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest politely describes this as a "departure" from protocol. He also says the president will not meet with Netanyahu when he visits in early March, but has attributed that decision only to a desire not to influence Israel's upcoming elections.

But in private, Obama's team is livid with the Israeli leader, according to .

"We thought we've seen everything," a source identified as a senior American official was quoted as saying. "But Bibi managed to surprise even us. There are things you simply don't do.

"He spat in our face publicly and that's no way to behave. Netanyahu ought to remember that President Obama has a year and a half left to his presidency, and that there will be a price."

This time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might have gone too far.

It's bad enough that John Boehner invited him to address a joint session of Congress and lobby for more sanctions on Iran - and directly seek to undercut the president's top diplomatic initiative. Far worse is that Netanyahu accepted the invitation; it was a demonstration of ingratitude and hubris rarely seen before in the annals of the US-Israel bilateral relationship.

It's politics as usual.

Bibi, Boehner Team Up Against Obama

But it is fair to say that, these days, there is a particularly close connection between the Republicans and the Likud. After all, Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson is one of Netanyahu's most avid supporters. And if the ties weren't obvious already, House Speaker John Boehner's announcement Tuesday that he's invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress on February 11 makes the link perfectly clear (PDF). He's giving Netanyahu the chance to bask in the full glow of the Washington spotlight just weeks before the Israeli elections on March 17.

There are three takeaways from this ploy that are almost as stunning as they are obvious:

First, Boehner's invitation is motivated as much by hostility to Obama and to his Iran policy as by a desire to reelect Netanyahu as prime minister.

...

That takes us to the second point: Boehner is using Netanyahu as much as Netanyahu is using the invitation. It's not at all clear, of course, where the idea of the invite originated. It doesn't strain the bounds of credulity to imagine it arose from a quiet suggestion by Israel or its prominent supporters here at home. But, in any case, Netanyahu can rally support for the Republican mantra that Iran is the region's dangerous bad boy, and he's virtually guaranteed a rousing reception among both parties.

...

Third, it will help Netanyahu in the March elections. But how much? As my grandmother used to say about her chicken soup, "It probably couldn't hurt." The Israeli pundits hammered Netanyahu's visit to France in the wake of the massacre for what they believed to be a political exploitation of the Paris terrorist attacks. But that visit wasn't well orchestrated. This one will be very carefully stage managed, complete with media interviews.

...

The Washington excursion is just an extra flourish. Any time an incumbent has an opportunity to use the powers and prestige of office to burnish his prime ministerial image, particularly that close to an election, so much the better. It won't be determinative. Israelis didn't ride in on a bale of hay yesterday; they're all too familiar with their politicians' politicking. But in a close election, being feted and supported by your country's key ally with a focus on critical security issues in an age of jihadi terror, well.....that's not a bad photo op.

And if Bibi wins? We probably can expect to see more of him as both Democratic and Republican candidates for president of the United States fight for the title of Israel's best friend.

This attitude towards other independent nations is not new to Israeli politicians or celebrities. The world's 'mightiest' and 'wealthiest' nation is no exception. See:

Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.

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