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Report: Obama to Israel, West Bank in June (UPDATED)

Obama will travel to Israel and the West Bank in June, Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reports: Obama is planning to visit Israel and the West Bank in June, according to an announcement circulated among American diplomatic representations in the region. A senior diplomatic source confirmed to Haaretz that a decision was made in recent days to ...

Obama will travel to Israel and the West Bank in June, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reports:

Obama will travel to Israel and the West Bank in June, Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reports:

Obama is planning to visit Israel and the West Bank in June, according to an announcement circulated among American diplomatic representations in the region.

A senior diplomatic source confirmed to Haaretz that a decision was made in recent days to include a short visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority during a visit in June to France, where President Nicolas Sarkozy will host Obama. …

In Israel, Obama will also discuss Iran’s nuclear program with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Last July, during a visit to the region as a presidential candidate, Obama said a nuclear Iran would alter the "rules of the game," not only in the Middle East, but in the entire world. He promised that if elected he would work to prevent a nuclear Iran.

But in a speech in Turkey Monday, Obama emphasized the need to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, not a nuclear Iran.

The change in tone was interpreted in Jerusalem as an American willingness to compromise with Tehran so Iran would be able to acquire nuclear technology for civilian purposes.

UPDATE: An administration official says the Ha’aretz report is not correct. "A bad report," he said. There’s "nothing resembling a decision like that."

 

Laura Rozen writes The Cable daily at ForeignPolicy.com.
Tag: Israel

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