Obama's Forcing Israel to Attack Iran

Jerusalem gets what Obama doesn't, writes ex-UN ambassador

(NEWSER) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in Jerusalem recently to dissuade Israel from attacking Iran, but according to John Bolton, "relations between the US and Israel are more strained now than at any time since the 1956 Suez Canal crisis." Israel understands what the Obama administration does not—the Iranians are churning ahead with their weapons program, and no diplomacy can stop them. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Bolton writes with approval that Israel will probably strike "by year's end." More»

(NEWSER) - Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu comes out swinging against a nuclear Iran in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, warning that if the US doesn’t stop the country, Israel will. “You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs,” he said. “When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying.” More»

Iran has Israel, US in strained relationship

(NEWSER) - The US and Israel still don't quite see eye to eye on Iran, but Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House yesterday managed to reassure both sides. American officials emerged saying President Obama's tougher rhetoric had eased pressure on Israel to attack, the Wall Street Journal reports. In their closed-door meeting, Netanyahu told Obama that there are no plans for an attack yet, though he reserves the right to attack, sources tell Reuters . More»

Iran tensions dominate talks

(NEWSER) - President Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu tried to project an image of unity today as the president welcomed his Israeli counterpart to the Oval Office. Speaking to reporters before their closed-door meeting, Obama said, "The United States will always have Israel's back," echoing his AIPAC speech. Netanyahu, meanwhile, thanked the president for recognizing that "Israel has the sovereign right to make its own decisions." According to the New York Times , Israeli officials interpreted Obama's remarks to mean that the US won't block an Israeli preemptive strike . More»

With Iran, GOP pressuring, Obama needs to shore up Israel position

(NEWSER) - With Republicans hammering President Obama on Israel, his shaky relationship with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the looming threat of Iran's nuclear program, Obama's AIPAC speech this morning could be a "a pivotal moment" for keeping the Jewish vote heading into this fall's election, says the Hill . “The feeling is that there’s just no empathy there,” says a former adviser to presidents Reagan and George W. Bush. “And he hasn’t done anything to really change that." More»