Obama to host Netanyahu for Iran talks

President Obama will host Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next month to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and Palestinian peace talks, according to the Israeli embassy.

“PM Netanyahu to meet Pres Obama in March,” the embassy tweeted, “will discuss ways to prevent Iran from producing nukes & ways to advance peace w/Palestinians.”

PM Netanyahu to meet Pres Obama in March; will discuss ways to prevent Iran from producing nukes & ways to advance peace w/Palestinians

— Embassy of Israel (@IsraelinUSA) February 10, 2014

Netanyahu will be in Washington for the annual policy conference of America’s largest pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The AIPAC conference runs from March 2 through March 4.

The visit comes as relations between the two leaders have further frayed over the Obama administration’s interim deal with Iran, which Netanyahu called a “historic mistake” after it was signed last November. Netanyahu has long called for a tougher stance against the Iran, and argued that the Iranians are using the talks to gain breathing room from sanctions while still pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Obama’s other diplomatic push in the region, the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, have also been a source of tension. Conservative members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition have personally attacked Secretary of State John Kerry, accusing him of endangering Israel with his proposals to remove the Israeli military from the Jordan Valley.

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