Obama’s Goals For First Israel Visit

President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tour the Iron Dome Battery defense system, at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

President Obama has arrived in Israel, just as new government is taking office there.

It’s the first foreign trip of his second term, but more importantly, it’s his first visit to Israel as president.

The White House has already said Obama will not be bringing with him any sort of new Middle East peace initiative.

So what is the purpose of his visit, given his rocky relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

Washington Post: One trip won’t fix things between Obama and Netanyahu. Here’s what might.

What would you like to hear President Obama say during his Israel trip? Tell us on Facebook.

Guest:

Aaron David Miller, vice president and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He served as a Middle East analyst, adviser and negotiator for Republican and Democratic secretaries of state from 1980 to 2003.

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

BHA_in_Vermont

We should consider supporting Israel when it complies with the UN resolutions.
Until that happens, support should be minimal.

GWB invaded Iraq because Saddam Hussein did not comply with UN resolutions to hand over the WMDs (that he didn’t have and could not hand over). Yet Israel can do whatever it wants with nothing more than a “tsk, tsk” from the USA.
Clara

Cut off all foreign aid to this rogue, terrorist and pariah state created by the British and let them die.

Is Israel Our Friend?“Every time anyone says that Israel is our only friend in the Middle East, I can’t help but think that before Israel, we had no enemies in the Middle East.” — John Sheehan, S.J. (a Jesuit priest)
C. Robertson MA

Obama should strongly state apartheid is wrong ; there will be no $$$ from USA until settlement building stops; Israel admits faults are on both sides, Israel stays at table and acts for fairness and peace.
Otherwise no more $$$ or weapons from USA.