Obama and Netanyahu Discuss Iran at the White House

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, are scheduled to meet in the U.S. in two months after months of relations affected by negotiations and agreements with Iran. The Israeli Prime Minister, one of the staunchest opponents of the agreement made with Iran, has recently exerted all efforts to reject this agreement by the U.S. Congress. The nuclear agreement itself is one of the main reasons that has rarely put Washington and Tel Aviv's relations under tension. While all Republicans and a small group of Democrats have joined the ranks of opponents of the agreement, it seems that Congress is ultimately unable to create a barrier against it. The meeting between Obama and Netanyahu is scheduled for November 9, a month and three weeks from now. Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, told reporters on September 16 that the leaders of the two countries would also discuss combating the group known as the 'Islamic State' in the Middle East. Relations between Israel and the Palestinians are also among the other topics to be discussed. Mr. Earnest described the upcoming meeting as a reflection of the 'deep and enduring' relations between the two countries and at the same time 'unprecedented cooperation to further enhance Israel's security.' The New York Times reports that Mr. Obama invited Mr. Netanyahu to the White House after the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers passed through Congress. The U.S. President has suggested that both sides find ways to increase Israel's security. However, the Israeli Prime Minister has refrained from discussing potential future security cooperation to demonstrate his opposition to Obama's policy regarding Iran. The British newspaper The Guardian states that the United States has committed to providing more than $7 billion in additional security assistance to Israel in the coming year. At the same time, there is talk of the possibility of signing a new ten-year security agreement between the two countries. Netanyahu's opposition to the nuclear agreement, which has the support of some politicians and lobbying groups in the U.S., has also faced criticism within Israel. One of the criticisms that has recently gained relatively wide attention is the sharp criticism from Meir Dagan, former head of the Mossad, of the Israeli Prime Minister, who stated that Netanyahu has jeopardized Israel's interests by clashing with the President and the U.S. government and instead of focusing on resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, he has 'butted heads' with Obama. The Israeli Prime Minister has always emphasized that from his perspective, the nuclear agreement with Iran is a 'historic mistake' and jeopardizes Israel's security.