With Preconditions Met, Obama Hosts Netanyahu

Dan from New York:

WSJ, November 9, 2009

Seeking Conditions First, Obama Hosts Netanyahu

Showing New Discomfort, White House Wanted Quid Pro Quo to Meet

The White House waited several days to confirm that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could meet with President Barack Obama Monday, and sought conditions first -- underscoring the new depths of difficulty that Middle East peace efforts have reached in the last week.

U.S. officials said the delay, which stretched until late Sunday, stemmed from last-minute discussions aimed at gaining a more robust and public commitment to the peace track from Mr. Netanyahu. One official said the U.S. wanted Mr. Netanyahu to express stronger support for negotiations on an independent Palestinian state at his speech Monday before the Jewish Federations of North America in Washington. "We're in the part of the process where you can't expect something for nothing," the official said.

It wasn't immediately clear what Mr. Netanyahu would say on the issue. But ultimately the U.S. agreed to schedule the meeting.

The prime minister's visit comes as fears grow inside the Obama administration that its aggressive plans for promoting Mideast peace could be unraveling. Mr. Netanyahu hasn't agreed to a complete freeze of settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem as a precursor to talks, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced last week that he wouldn't seek re-election in protest over the U.S. failure to deliver such a commitment.

Now, President Obama has been clear for years that he is willing to meet Iran's president 'without preconditions'.

Diplomacy: Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling behavior.

Put simply:

Iran: the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism, can meet with President Obama without preconditions.

Israel: America's decades-long ally in the Middle East -- and liberty's 'canary in the coal mine' -- must satisfy certain preconditions in order to meet with President Obama.

Something is very, very wrong here. And somewhere, Jeremiah Wright is cheering.