Netanyahu: Obama
White House Meeting Was ‘One of the Best We Have Had’
by Jordan Schachtel 10 Nov 2015Washington, DC
In what may have been the most cordial meeting between
U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since
Obama’s ascendancy to the White House, the two leaders discussed how to
protect Israel’s interests during the ongoing civil war in neighboring Syria.
Netanyahu told
the Israeli press concerning his meeting with Obama, “I told the president
we will not accept any political solution that will leave Syria as a
battleground for Iranian proxies to launch attacks against Israel. Any solution in Syria
must include the halting of attacks from Syrian territory to Israel.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s remarks come as Iran has
increased its presence in Syria dramatically, deploying thousands of ground
troops and even high-ranking commanders to assist Syrian dictator Bashar
al-Assad’s forces in contested areas throughout the state. Iran has also
utilized its proxy, Hezbollah, to help turn the tide in Assad’s favor.
Netanyahu also told the President that Israel would be
forced to act if his “red
lines” were crossed, adding that he would not allow weapons to be
smuggled from Syria to Lebanon and into the hands of Hezbollah terrorists.
The sit-down with Obama was “one of the best meetings we
have had. Of course we have our disagreements, but there were no tensions
whatsoever,” Netanyahu remarked. “We are very practical and moving forward, we
have a mutual interest to make sure Iran abides by the agreement, and we have a
mutual interest in stabilizing the Middle East.”
Another big topic discussed was U.S. defense aid to Israel.
Reports have stated that Israel is hoping to increase U.S. aid from $3 billion
a year to $5 billion. The boost in cash flow would allow for Israel to more
easily afford its upcoming purchase of F-35 Fighter Jets and other advanced
pieces of military hardware.
“We did not talk about numbers,” the Israeli leader said,
but “the President accepts our positions on the regional dangers and strategic
changes” that Israel faces.
Netanyahu said he reiterated that Israel is working to
prevent “escalation” in dealing with the recent Palestinian terror campaign
against Israelis.
Netanyahu concluded:
It is Israel’s interest to prevent an eruption of violence.
We can decrease the frictions, and we can prevent tensions, we are trying to
distinguish between the general population and the inciters and terrorists, and
prevent violence from spreading more – and that is the spirit of the steps we
will be suggesting.
The Israeli Prime Minister is set to meet with U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry on Wednesday. The two will discuss the ongoing
violence in Israel and the West Bank, according to reports.
Benjamin
Netanyahu
Benjamin
Netanyahu is the prime minister for Israel.
Note: Sidley Austin
LLP is the lobby firm for Israel.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP.
R.
Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Newton
N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank).
Cameron F. Kerry
is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and is U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s
brother.
Teresa Heinz
Kerry is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank),
and is married to U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry.
Saban
Center for Middle East Policy is a policy center at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Haim
Saban is a benefactor for the Saban
Center for Middle East Policy, a trustee at the Brookings Institution
(think tank), and a friend of Shimon
Peres.
Shimon
Peres is a friend of Haim Saban,
and the president of Israel.
Benjamin
Netanyahu is the prime minister for Israel,
was an adviser at the Boston Consulting
Group, and a friend of Merv Adelson.
Michele A. Flournoy
is a senior adviser for the Boston
Consulting Group, and was the undersecretary of defense for the Barack Obama administration.
Merv
Adelson was a friend of Benjamin
Netanyahu, and a trustee at the American
Film Institute.
Ari
Emanuel was a trustee at the American
Film Institute, and is Rahm I.
Emanuel’s brother.
Rahm
I. Emanuel is Ari Emanuel’s
brother, a member of the Commercial Club
of Chicago, the Chicago (IL) mayor,
and was the White House chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.
Commercial Club of
Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Newton
N. Minow is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Sidley Austin
LLP is the lobby firm for Israel.
Benjamin
Netanyahu is the prime minister for Israel.
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