Obama: Negotiated with Netanyahu on Palestine

The US President Barack Obama is expected to discuss Iran’s attempts to gain nuclear weapons, the ongoing crisis in Syria, and the stalled peace process between Israelis and Palestinians during his upcoming visit to the region. The White House wants to keep expectations for broad accomplishments low, especially when it comes to the possibility of reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.  Spokesman Jay Carney has stated that the goal of this visit is not to restart discussions over specific proposals, which have been stalled for the past two years. The New York Times quoted the possibility of a “mini-summit” with Obama, Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during Obama’s visit. According to Palestinian official news source WAFA, Obama will suggest to Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu an intensifying of pressures on Iran in exchange for negotiations with Palestinians, said Israeli daily newspaper, Maarif, on Sunday, 10 February. The Israeli paper that reported from the British daily, The Sunday Times, said Obama will arrive with “a carrot and a stick” policy in an attempt to persuade Israelis to negotiate with Palestinians regarding borders and security issues. According to WAFA, The Sunday Times quoted Aaron David Miller, a U.S. State Department adviser on Middle East affairs, saying “Barack Obama does not want to be the American president on whose watch Iran acquires a nuclear weapon or be accused of presiding over the demise of what’s left of the two-state solution.” Israeli newspaper Ynet also reported that the main objective of President Obama’s visit is for the US to convey the message that Israel should not attack Iran militarily in the coming months.  Instead, the US will attempt to convince Israel to continue with diplomatic and peaceful attempts at stopping Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stated that Iran has likely resumed the process of converting uranium into nuclear fuel.  The IAEA will produce a full report on these developments at the end of the month.