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Military aid, confidence measures likely to dominate Obama-Netanyahu meeting
The topics of military aid and possible confidence-building measures are likely to be the main issues discussed when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Barack Obama at the White House today.
After a period of tension between the sides following the Iran nuclear deal, today’s meeting is expected to mark both leaders’ wishes to strengthen and reinforce the US-Israel relationship.
According to Israel Hayom, Israel is reportedly interested in buying advanced F35 aircraft, as well as the older F-15s and the V-22 helicopter. Israel is reportedly also seeking highly-accurate bombs for strikes that minimise civilian casualties, and increased funding for its anti-missile programmes – Iron Dome for short-range rockets, Magic Carpet, which intercepts medium-range missiles, and the Arrow system which is designed to protect from faster long-range ballistic missiles.
Prior to the meeting, President Obama’s advisors had briefed the media that they would not press for an immediate return to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations but would instead seek confidence-building measures. Yediot Ahronot reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet President Obama with a list of several such measures he is willing to carry out, written with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai.
However, Netanyahu will face domestic opposition to any such steps. Education Minister Naftali Bennett has pre-emptively challenged any gestures towards the Palestinians, saying, “Israel is undergoing a wave of terrorism, and I’m hearing about a package of gestures to the Palestinians. Maybe for once the Palestinians will show gestures to Israel. A gesture where they stop murdering us, or inciting to terrorism, or paying terrorists. If the Palestinians see that terrorism pays, terrorism will increase.”
During his visit, Netanyahu will also address the Center for American Progress, a think-tank associated with the Democratic Party as well as the annual meeting of the Jewish Federations of North America.