Obama to meet Monday with Netanyahu

The White House, ending days of uncertainty, announced Sunday that President Obama will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during Mr. Netanyahu’s trip to Washington to address Jewish groups.

Mr. Netanyahu is to arrive in the U.S. capital Sunday night for a speaking engagement at the three-day 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. He will meet with Mr. Obama on Monday evening.

U.S.-Israeli relations have been strained since Mr. Netanyahu rejected Mr. Obama’s demand that the Israeli government stop building or expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The Palestinians say Israel has encroached deeply into land the Palestinians claim for a future state.

Related TWT article: Israelis unsure of U.S. support

Not long after taking office, Mr. Obama announced his determination to facilitate peace between Israel and the Palestinians and said an end to settlements was a necessary condition for a resumption of negotiations.

Mr. Netanyahu has rejected that demand, but last week, visiting Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton floated an Israeli proposal that would restrain — but not stop — more West Bank housing. She played it as a major conciliatory move from the Israelis.

Palestinian and Arab diplomats reacted with outrage, and Mrs. Clinton was forced to backpedal. Arab officials questioned whether the United States had tilted toward Israel, abandoning the American position that continued Israel settlements were illegitimate and must end.

Mrs. Clinton’s comments may have reflected a realization within the Obama administration that the conservative Mr. Netanyahu would not accept a full-on settlement freeze and that a partial halt might be the more likely, if lesser, option. Her appeal seemed designed to make the Israeli position more palatable to the Palestinians and Arab states.

It had the opposite effect, forcing Mrs. Clinton to extend her overseas journey by a day as she rushed to Egypt in a bid to undo the damage with President Hosni Mubarak, who has played a major role in the peace process.