Will Netanyahu-Obama Meeting Accomplish Anything?

Ahead of his visit to Washington this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that his meeting with President Obama will be centered on current events in the Middle East as well as ongoing violence from the Palestinians.

Netanyahu stated, “My conversation with the president will center on recent events in the Middle East, including in Syria, possible progress with the Palestinians, or at least stabilizing the situation with them, and, of course, strengthening the security of the State of Israel, which the US has always been committed to, while maintaining the State of Israel’s comparative advantage in the face of a changing Middle East and a cycle that changes less.”

He added that “I believe that this meeting is important in order to clarify the continuation of American aid to Israel in the coming decade. It will be another step toward realizing an understanding in this direction. I will also meet with US Jewish communities at their annual conference, and with many other American public figures.”

Last week, Israel requested that the United States increase its defense aid by an additional $2 billion. According to a report from Reuters, which quoted a US congressional source, Israel requested the increase begin in 2017 when the current aid package of $3 billion annually is set to expire, and that $5 billion be provided for a decade.

Photo credit: Photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO (Creative Commons)

Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.