Israeli PM to press Obama on nuclear Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will stress the need for urgency in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions when he meets U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday, a senior Netanyahu adviser said.

The hawkish premier, who wants a "fresh" approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will unveil in the White House meeting on Monday his long-awaited policy for regional peace focused on countering Iran, aides have previously said.

By putting Iran at the top of his agenda, Netanyahu will be sending a strong signal to Obama that Palestinian statehood, backed by the United States but not endorsed by the new Israeli leader, is not an issue requiring immediate attention.

"As things are planned, Mr. Netanyahu will focus on the subject of a nuclear Iran," his national security adviser, Uzi Arad, told reporters on the eve of the White House meeting.

"There is a sense of urgency on our side," Arad said, calling a nuclear-armed Iran a threat to Israel's existence. "The prime minister will emphatically emphasize the element of urgency."

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said this month that world powers should take action against Iran if it does not curb its nuclear activities by August.

If diplomacy fails, Israeli leaders have not ruled out military strikes against Iran, which maintains it is enriching uranium for power generation.

Any call by Netanyahu to put a time limit on diplomatic overtures towards Iran could pose a challenge to Obama's intention to engage Tehran on issues ranging from its nuclear program to Afghanistan.

In a Newsweek magazine interview, Obama said he hoped to persuade Netanyahu, on his first visit to Washington since taking office on March 31 that the U.S. diplomatic approach toward Iran was best.

As things are planned, Mr. Netanyahu will focus on the subject of a nuclear Iran

Uzi Arad

Rocky road ahead

Discord over Iran and Netanyahu's plan to shift the focus of stalled peace talks with the Palestinians away from tough issues such as borders and the future of Jewish settlements could mean a rocky road ahead in traditionally strong U.S.-Israeli relations.

Netanyahu is expected to irk his hosts and the Palestinians by telling Obama that Israel will keep building in existing settlements in the occupied West Bank, a key obstacle in the stuttering peace process

Commenting on differences with Obama over a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Arad said Israel was confident that a "sense of pragmatism and the desire for progress will drive the discussion."

Playing down prospects for a confrontational meeting, an Obama aide said about the statehood issue: "The president does not believe it's going in a bad direction."

In a message he is likely to repeat at the White House, Netanyahu has said Arab concern over a nuclear Iran presented an unprecedented opportunity to pursue regional peace between Israel and Muslim states.

Obama wants progress on the Israeli-Palestinian track as a means of convincing moderate Arab states to join a united front against Iran.

Asked at a news briefing on Sunday whether Netanyahu would utter the phrase "two states for two peoples" at the White House, Arad did not answer and walked away.

With Hamas Islamists in charge of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu has said peace efforts with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas should concentrate on economic, security and political issues, which he did not define.

Palestinians reject that approach.

The president does not believe it's going in a bad direction

Obama aide