Obama administration officials flatly rejected a claim that they were cutting Israel off from updates about nuclear talks with Iran.
Israel’s Channel 2 on Feb. 15 quoted unidentified sources as saying that Susan Rice, the national security adviser, and Wendy Sherman, the lead U.S. diplomat in the talks between Iran and the major world powers, had cut out Israel because of anger over Prime Minister Benjamin Net-anyahu’s acceptance of an invitation to address Congress.
“This report is patently false,” National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey wrote in an email. “National Security Advisor Rice maintains regular contact with her Israeli counterpart National Security Advisor [Yossi] Cohen on the full range of issues of mutual concern to our nations, and will in fact meet with him later this week at the White House. We also continue our frequent and routine contact at various professional levels within the intelligence, military, and diplomatic spheres.”
A senior State Department official delivered the same message in another email.
The Israeli ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, coordinated Netanyahu’s invitation to address Congress on March 3 with Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the speaker of the House of Representatives, without consulting with the White House. Boehner has said he wants Netanyahu to rebut claims by Obama that nuclear talks underway between Iran and the major powers may have a positive outcome. — jta