Obama: Security of Israel is the Main Priority of American Foreign Policy

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, emphasized at a joint press conference before his discussions with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, that the security of Israel is at the top of his government's foreign policy concerns. Netanyahu met with Obama at the White House on Monday, November 9, as part of an official invitation, and the leaders of the two countries began their discussions after brief remarks before reporters. This is the first meeting between the leaders of two countries who refer to each other as their 'most important ally' after more than a year, although particularly in the past year, negotiations between the U.S. and world powers with Iran, which led to the Vienna nuclear agreement, have significantly fueled disagreements between the two countries. While stating that his country is serious about implementing the final nuclear agreement with Iran, Obama reminded that the security of Israel is at the forefront of his administration's foreign policy priorities. Obama had previously declined to meet with Netanyahu during his two earlier visits to the U.S., stating that he does not meet with leaders of countries that have candidates in elections. After Netanyahu's retention of the prime ministership, Obama also stated that such a meeting would not occur until a final nuclear agreement was reached between Iran and world powers, as the Israeli Prime Minister would certainly turn any meeting into criticism of political efforts to reach a final agreement with Iran. Tensions between the Israeli and U.S. governments escalated during Netanyahu's visit to Congress in March and his speech before both houses of Congress, despite the White House's strong displeasure. Shortly after the signing of the nuclear agreement with Iran, Netanyahu called it a 'historic mistake' and continues to criticize it. However, it seems that the Israeli government has come to terms with the Iranian nuclear agreement as a 'reality,' as the Israeli Defense Minister stated two weeks ago in the U.S. that 'our focus is now on the future.' The Israeli Prime Minister, at the beginning of his meeting with Obama before reporters, expressed gratitude to the U.S. for its steadfast commitment to Israel's security and its readiness to increase military aid to Israel. He also stated that 'the alliance between Israel and America is based on shared values.' Recently, the U.S. has provided $3.1 billion in military aid to Israel each year, and Israel is interested in increasing this amount to $5 billion annually starting in 2017 under a new ten-year package. However, according to a Reuters report, some members of Congress and officials in the Obama administration have deemed Israel's request 'unjustifiable.' Meanwhile, it is assessed that the U.S. will approve military aid to Israel in the range of $4 to $4.5 billion per year. The meeting between Netanyahu and Obama took place under the shadow of a security crisis in Israel, as Palestinian attacks on Israelis, mostly knife attacks, have triggered a new round of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians for the past seven weeks. Obama condemned 'the violence of Palestinians against Israeli citizens' at the beginning of his meeting with Netanyahu, stating that 'this street violence, in any form, is condemned,' and 'Israel has the right to defend itself.' He also mentioned that Palestinians have legitimate aspirations but must pursue them through peaceful means. Netanyahu told Obama that despite the ongoing crisis, he has not 'deviated' from efforts for peace and is committed to a political solution for 'the independence of the Palestinian state alongside Israel.' The U.S. President also stated that he would discuss Hezbollah, ISIS, and 'regional issues in the Middle East' with the Israeli Prime Minister.