For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Benji meets Barack!
US President Barack Obama will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting on Monday as discord over Mideast peace and Iran's nuclear bid clouds ties between the close allies. The meeting marks Obama's most testing diplomatic challenge yet after he vowed to vigorously engage in attaining an elusive regional peace as part of a comprehensive strategy to peacefully resolve the Iranian nuclear standoff. Israel's hawkish premier, who wants a "fresh" approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was set to unveil in the White House meeting his own long-awaited policy for regional peace focused on countering Iran. Yet Obama's hopes appear at odds with Netanyahu, who earned world criticism over his persistent refusal to endorse the creation of a Palestinian state, a bedrock principle of peace efforts in the Middle East for nearly two decades.
Will anything important come from this meeting -- other than media fawning over what a fabulous statesman Obama is?
