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Netanyahu to stress Iranian threat in Obama meeting

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Barack Obama today at the White House.

Sources close to Netanyahu’s office have briefed Israeli media that he intends to focus on the Iranian issue at the meeting. According to Yediot Ahronot, “Mr Netanyahu will say: ISIS has to be defeated, but Iran also has to be prevented from achieving the capability to produce nuclear weapons.” Israeli leaders are concerned that Iran will use its role in the fight against ISIS to secure concessions on its nuclear programme and an easing of sanctions.

Yediot Ahronot also claims that Netanyahu will once again ask President Obama to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, whose health is reportedly failing. Obama is likely to raise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and prospects for restarting negotiations.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama are not known for having a good personal rapport, and early meetings between the two men were reportedly difficult. More recently, though, their encounters have been more positive, and Netanyahu repeatedly praised Obama’s leadership during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

The Obama-Netanyahu meeting comes at the end of Netanyahu’s annual trip to the USA for the General Assembly. Yesterday, he met with Jewish leaders from around the country. At the meeting, Netanyahu produced a photo of Hamas executing an alleged “collaborator” during the recent conflict, and stressed the similarities between ISIS and Hamas. He also met with newspaper editors earlier in the day.