WarSclerotic

Romney slams Obama for not meeting with Netanyahu | The Times of Israel.

Republican candidate calls president’s decision ‘confusing and troubling’

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, in July (photo credit: AP/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticized US President Barack Obama Friday for not planning to meet in person with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this month, calling the decision “confusing and troubling.”

Romney said at a New York fundraiser that Israel is America’s “closest ally” and “best friend in the Middle East.” He urged Obama to meet with Netanyahu when the prime minister comes to the US for the United Nations General Assembly meetings.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, told The Times of Israel on Thursday that no meeting could be arranged because of scheduling problems. ”I know it sounds mundane but the fact is these are two busy individuals and the prime minister was coming to New York between Jewish holidays (in between Yom Kippur and Succot) and the president couldn’t be in New York at that time.”

The White House this week denied claims by aides to the prime minister that Obama rejected Netanyahu’s request for a meeting with the president, saying no such request was made or rejected. An Israeli government official on Wednesday said that was not true. “We requested a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and also suggested that the prime minister could come to Washington,” for a meeting, a senior government official in Jerusalem told the German DPA news agency.

The White House said Obama and Netanyahu spoke for an hour Tuesday night and reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

At a Rosh Hashanah reception at his residence, on Wednesday, US Vice President Joe Biden said “there is no daylight” between the United States and Israel when it comes to Iran.

Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York on September 27 to speak before the UN General Assembly. He is expected to use his UN speech to focus on the Iranian nuclear threat. “I am going to the UN General Assembly, to tell the nations of the world in a loud and clear voice the truth about the Iranian regime of terror, which constitutes the greatest threat to world peace,” he said in a statement two weeks ago.

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