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Tue, July 06, 2010 | Jpost | By Hilary Leila Krieger

US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu exchanged affirmations of the strength of the US-Israel relationship during an Oval Office meeting Tuesday in which they stressed the shared goal of quickly moving forward with the peace process.

President Obama Meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

In a joint press conference, Obama and Netanyahu avoided any signs of disagreement over settlements, Iran or other controversial issues, while the US president sought to allay Israeli concerns about America’s stance on Israel joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The two men warmly shook hands during their side-by-side press conference, and Netanyahu invited Obama to come to Israel, to which Obama replied, “I’m ready.”

Asked whether Obama had pressed Netanyahu to extend a US-sought moratorium on settlement construction, set to expire in September, the former instead praised Israel for having

“shown restraint over the last several months that I think has been conducive to the prospects of us getting into direct talks.”

He echoed Netanyahu’s own call to move soon from the current proximity talks to face-to-face negotiations.

“I believe that the government of Israel is prepared to engage in such direct talks, and I commend the prime minister for that,” Obama said. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants peace. I think he’s willing to take risks for peace.”

He added that the Israeli people deserved a secure peace -- not Iran’s proxies next door or rockets falling on them and repeated his call for Palestinian sovereignty and two states living side by side in peace. Confidence-building steps on both sides were important, said Obama. He had discussed Mahmoud Abbas the need to stop “engaging in provocative language, incitement and looking for opportunities to embarrass Israel.” [debkafile, July 06, 2010]

Obama expressed appreciation for moves Israel had made to lift the embargo on goods into Gaza, a major topic of discussion between the two leaders Tuesday.

Obama also stressed that “there is no change in US policy” when it comes to the NPT, even though the US signed on to a document at the recent treaty review conference that singled out Israel, a non-signatory to the NPT widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal. The decision was viewed with alarm in Israel, with many worried that the move cleared the way for the US to pressure Israel to sign the treaty.

“We strongly believe that, given its size, its history, the region that it’s in, and the threats that are leveled against us – against it, that Israel has unique security requirements.”

“It’s got to be able to respond to threats or any combination of threats in the region,” Obama told reporters. “The United States will never ask Israel to take any steps that would undermine their security interests.”

The words from Obama were seen by Israel as important in tamping down any international expectations that might have developed for changes in Israel’s nuclear policy. The NPT issue has also been a subject of intense discussions between the countries since the May conference, with Israel receiving assurances on the matter.

Obama also spoke of the US’s own sanctions on Iran, as well as the sanctions of other countries around the world,

“so we are continuing to put pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations, to cease the kind of provocative behavior that has made it a threat to its neighbors and the international community.”

While the US president denied any rift with Israel, Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the US in fields which they both listed as the economy, international relations, military, maintaining Israel’s military edge and intelligence-sharing -in ways not always made public Netanyahu added that the special US-Israel bond -- which both termed “unbreakable” -- was beneficial to the region. [debkafile, July 06, 2010]

Obama and Netanyahu shake hands after a joint statement at the White House (Tue, July 06, 2010)

Tuesday’s White House meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama was the fifth time the two leaders have met in some 14 months, but only the second time they have issued joint statements and answered questions together. The positive appearance between the two leaders contrasted significantly with their last meeting, in March, when Netanyahu came to the White House in the evening under a total media blackout. Tuesday’s interaction seemed largely aimed at putting a better face on the relationship.