"Unprecedented": Netanyahu Cancels Invite to U.S.—A Year After President Obama Refused to Meet With Him

News Staff : Mar 8, 2016
United With Israel

Some think it's because US pressure is on for a last-minute peace resolution before the November elections that would be detrimental to Israel. Regardless, the rift between the two nations is widening. Will the next president bridge the gap?

(Israel)—[United with Israel] US officials reacted with surprise upon hearing—allegedly through media reports—that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be traveling to the US this month to meet with US President Barack Obama. (Photo via United with Israel)

Obama will be leaving for Cuba on March 21, and Netanyahu reportedly requested a meeting before the president's departure.

"We were looking forward to hosting the bilateral meeting, and we were surprised to first learn via media reports that the prime minister, rather than accept our invitation, opted to cancel his visit," said Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, according to Reuters.

"Reports that we were not able to accommodate the prime minister's schedule are false," Price added.

A senior Israeli official cited Tuesday's upcoming visit to Israel by US Vice President Joe Biden as well as fears that Netanyahu could inadvertently become entangled in the American presidential campaign as likely reasons for the decision, Times of Israel reported.

"At the moment, it looks like we're not going to Washington," the official, who requested anonymity, told Times of Israel ahead of the official announcement Monday evening. "The thinking is that we're seeing Biden this week and the assumption is that in the discussion with Biden all the issues will come up," he said.

Netanyahu will also forego his appearance at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, which takes place March 20-22, and will instead address the event by satellite.

"Also, at AIPAC, many of the presidential candidates are giving speeches and might ask for meetings with the PM. We don't want to get involved in the US election process," Times of Israel quoted the Israeli official as saying.

Perhaps one reason the Prime Minister has passed on the US invite is because of President Obama's reported intent to force a diplomatic resolution on Israel, as reported in United With Israel.

The White House, according to that report, is working on plans to force Israel, against its national interests, to accept a diplomatic resolution with the Palestinians before President Barack Obama leaves office, including a possible United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that would outline a deal between the Israelis and Palestinians and which includes the partition of Jerusalem, Israel's capital.

According to senior US officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal in a Monday report, the White House's plans are aimed at offering a blueprint for future Israeli-Palestinian talks in a bid to advance a critical foreign-policy initiative that has made little progress during Obama's two terms in the White House.

The strongest element on the list of options under consideration is US support for a UNSC resolution calling on both sides to compromise on key issues, something Israel had opposed and Washington has repeatedly vetoed in the past, because it would force Israel to accept terms which would damage its national security and other interests.
Other initiatives could include pressure on Israel by and through other international entities and venues.