Netanyahu-Obama "summitus interruptus" shrouded in grim silence
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama met in the White House in an unusual pair of sessions Tuesday afternoon and evening. No press was allowed in, and there was no press conference by either party afterward. Israeli officials said the talks were held "in a good atmosphere" but, unusually, no formal press summary was issued by either side immediately after the talks, and the White House made no statement at all.
Apparently after their first ninety minute meeting, Obama "retired to his private residence" while Netanyahu and staff continued to confer. Then Netanyahu requested another meeting with Obama, and the President consented to return and stayed for an additional 35 minutes, according to an Israeli official quoted anonymously by the Jerusalem Post.
The interrupted meeting with the "early retirement" and then return of Obama suggests drama, but so far there is no word on what caused the unusual interruption and resumption of the meeting.
In a brief statement Wednesday morning, the Prime Minister's Office said that after the meetings, the two leaders' teams of advisers “continued to discuss the ideas that were raised,” and that the joint discussions would continue on Wednesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Netanyahu warned US congressional leaders that acceding to Palestinian demands on the capital could set back peace talks by another year.
The Washington Post also comment on the unusual "unheralded" nature of the meetings. "Generally, a leader of an ally would expect to have a joint news conference with the president or at least a joint appearance before photographers. But the White House did not even immediately release a statement providing a summary of the meeting's topics. "
The Washington Post also confirmed to the minute the two separate meetings: "A U.S. official said that Obama and Netanyahu initially met in the Oval Office from 5:34 to 7:03 p.m. Obama then went to the residence while Netanyahu conferred with his aides in the Roosevelt room. Netanyahu then requested another meeting, and the two leaders returned to the Oval Office for a discussion that lasted from 8:20 to 8:55 p.m., the official said. He did not provide an explanation for the two meetings."
DebkaFile cites source that claim to shed more light on what transpired: "At their first 90-minute encounter, the president made clear what he expected the Israeli prime minister to do on Jerusalem, West Bank settlements and Iran, and where he drew the line. Every effort by Netanyahu and, behind the scenes, Barak and their advisers, to ease the pressure fell on deaf ears.
As the tension climbed in the Oval Office, Netanyahu asked to consult privately with his staff and after an hour, asked to see Obama again. A second 35-minute conversation followed, after which the Israeli leader left without achieving any breakthrough on their differences.
It is not clear whether the news about an approval of another Jerusalem building approval, the announcement timed to break just as Netanyahu was beginning his meeting with Obama, came up at any point. Evidence suggests that Peace Now, whose leader was quoted in the Ynet article which broke the story, was behind the ambush.<br><br>Still, the fact that the announcement appeared on the website of the Jerusalem municipality, and that Netanyahu was apparently unaware of it, suggests another "own-goal" caused by negligence. In the case of the Sheikh Jarrah development, with 20 units planned in the building of what was the Shepherd Hotel, the owner is Irving Moskowitz, a heavy Netanyahu funder. The Sheikh Jarrah development was heavily criticized by the Obama Administration last July.
Officials aligned with the Obama Administration have been peeved by Netanyahu's attempts to equate building inside Israel's internationally recognized borders and in east Jerusalem. "I think at one point the prime minister added that he did not see a distinction necessarily between building in Jerusalem and building in Tel Aviv. We disagree with that," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said ahead of the meeting.
Read updates in the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, DebkaFile, and YnetNews.
Apparently after their first ninety minute meeting, Obama "retired to his private residence" while Netanyahu and staff continued to confer. Then Netanyahu requested another meeting with Obama, and the President consented to return and stayed for an additional 35 minutes, according to an Israeli official quoted anonymously by the Jerusalem Post.
The interrupted meeting with the "early retirement" and then return of Obama suggests drama, but so far there is no word on what caused the unusual interruption and resumption of the meeting.
In a brief statement Wednesday morning, the Prime Minister's Office said that after the meetings, the two leaders' teams of advisers “continued to discuss the ideas that were raised,” and that the joint discussions would continue on Wednesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Netanyahu warned US congressional leaders that acceding to Palestinian demands on the capital could set back peace talks by another year.
The Washington Post also comment on the unusual "unheralded" nature of the meetings. "Generally, a leader of an ally would expect to have a joint news conference with the president or at least a joint appearance before photographers. But the White House did not even immediately release a statement providing a summary of the meeting's topics. "
The Washington Post also confirmed to the minute the two separate meetings: "A U.S. official said that Obama and Netanyahu initially met in the Oval Office from 5:34 to 7:03 p.m. Obama then went to the residence while Netanyahu conferred with his aides in the Roosevelt room. Netanyahu then requested another meeting, and the two leaders returned to the Oval Office for a discussion that lasted from 8:20 to 8:55 p.m., the official said. He did not provide an explanation for the two meetings."
DebkaFile cites source that claim to shed more light on what transpired: "At their first 90-minute encounter, the president made clear what he expected the Israeli prime minister to do on Jerusalem, West Bank settlements and Iran, and where he drew the line. Every effort by Netanyahu and, behind the scenes, Barak and their advisers, to ease the pressure fell on deaf ears.
As the tension climbed in the Oval Office, Netanyahu asked to consult privately with his staff and after an hour, asked to see Obama again. A second 35-minute conversation followed, after which the Israeli leader left without achieving any breakthrough on their differences.
It is not clear whether the news about an approval of another Jerusalem building approval, the announcement timed to break just as Netanyahu was beginning his meeting with Obama, came up at any point. Evidence suggests that Peace Now, whose leader was quoted in the Ynet article which broke the story, was behind the ambush.<br><br>Still, the fact that the announcement appeared on the website of the Jerusalem municipality, and that Netanyahu was apparently unaware of it, suggests another "own-goal" caused by negligence. In the case of the Sheikh Jarrah development, with 20 units planned in the building of what was the Shepherd Hotel, the owner is Irving Moskowitz, a heavy Netanyahu funder. The Sheikh Jarrah development was heavily criticized by the Obama Administration last July.
Officials aligned with the Obama Administration have been peeved by Netanyahu's attempts to equate building inside Israel's internationally recognized borders and in east Jerusalem. "I think at one point the prime minister added that he did not see a distinction necessarily between building in Jerusalem and building in Tel Aviv. We disagree with that," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said ahead of the meeting.
Read updates in the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, DebkaFile, and YnetNews.
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Tags: Moskowitz, Netanyahu, Obama, Sheikh Jarrah
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