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“Obama Lays Trap for Netanyahu in Newsweek Interview”
by Jerusalem Newswire - Stan Goodenough   
May 18th, 2009

When he meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House Monday, US President Barack Obama will have "proof" of his readiness to take seriously the Iranian nuclear program that threatens the Jewish state.

The American will be able to point to a just published online Newsweek interview in which he reiterates that the US will keep "all options on the table" when it comes to dealing with Tehran.

All the Israeli news media Sunday gave prominence to the interview, which without exception they saw as favorable towards Israel.

"I understand very clearly that Israel considers Iran an existential threat, and given some of the statements that have been made by President Ahmadinejad, you can understand why," Obama told the magazine.

Israel's "calculation of costs and benefits are going to be more acute. They're right there in range and I don't think it's my place to determine for the Israelis what their security needs are."

A Netanyahu aide said Sunday night the US knows that there is no subject more important to Israel than Iran .

But Obama is expected to try and use his paper pledge of a more robust American approach to Iran to lever more pressure on Netanyahu to play ball on two-states.

Last week, CIA chief Leon Panetta informed Netanyahu that Obama demanded Israel not launch a surprise attack on Iran.

Administration officials - including Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel - have in recent weeks linked America's willingness to wield a bigger stick in the mullahs' direction to Israel's readiness to support the two-state-solution the world insists is the "only solution" to the conflict.

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