White House denies inviting Netanyahu to Washington

The White House and Israeli government today denied reports that an official invitation was extended to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the US.

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published a story about Netanyahu receiving an official invitation from US President Barack Obama to visit Washington.

However, Haaretz quoted a senior official in the American administration saying an official invitation to visit Washington has not yet been extended to Netanyahu. The source also noted that he expects the two leaders to meet in Washington in the near future.

A source in the Israeli government also confirmed that Netanyahu had not yet received an official initiation.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that such an invitation would imply the US is close to a deal regarding the Iranian nuclear programme, Israeli and American political sources said.

If this visit occurs, it will take place before Congress approves the agreement. This will allow for the issuance of a joint statement regarding the Iranian issue, especially since Obama is seeking to avoid a negative statement from Netanyahu.

The visit would also serve the purpose of Netanyahu’s government, as it will give it the first chance to improve its relations with the Obama administration, which have declined in the past two years. According to the newspaper, the relations worsened when the US began to believe that Tel Aviv no longer coordinates its political actions with it.

The visit is also an opportunity to coordinate Israeli positions with the US in terms of political actions in the region, thus protecting Tel Aviv from surprise initiatives. This is especially true in light of the possibility of French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, presenting an initiative to the UN in order to determine a timeline for the negotiations between Israelis and the Palestinians and the recognition of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders.

Haaretz also revealed that the Israeli National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel, Yossi Cohen, who is currently visiting Washington, met with his American counterpart, Susan Rice, and discussed a number of regional security issues. The newspaper reported that a large part of the meeting focused on discussing the upcoming agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries.