Although he lost his voice before the meeting with US President Barack Obama,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to express in his hoarse voice all the words White House officials wanted to hear - gratitude to the American president for his friendship and for his contribution to Israel's security.
Nonetheless, the picture of Obama and Netanyahu together conveyed bitterness. The American president gave the Israeli prime minister a penetrating gaze and looked like a nervous passenger on a flight to nowhere, counting down the seconds left till it ends. After welcoming Netanyahu, he got down to business and described the meeting's goals.
The prime minister made such an effort to repair his image as an ingrate, that he didn't mention the nuclear agreement with Iran even once in front of the cameras in Obama's presence. He learned his lesson, it seems.
Israel-US Ties
Eytan Gilboa
Op-ed: In light of their loyalty to the Democrats, America's Jews are the only ones who can mediate and rebuild the bridges between Israel and the Democratic Party and help renew bipartisan support.
The two leaders had a role in this play, and their participation in it was imposed on each one of them in the name of different interests. They filled the role as expected, according to staging directions finalized between advisors on both sides long before the cameras began to roll. After all, Obama doesn't believe that the two-state solution which Netanyahu says he is committed to will be fulfilled during his term as president, but it was important for him to hear a public declaration on the issue from the prime minister.
During the meeting there were neither promises of turning over a new leaf nor sparks of restarting the relations. Obama made sure to clarify that he had not forgotten the past rocky year in this relationship with Netanyahu, stating: "It's no secret that the prime minister and I had a strong disagreement" on the nuclear deal with Iran.
But at the end of the day, both the Israelis and the Americans described the meeting as a good and practical one, and Netanyahu even said that it was one of his "best" meetings with Obama so far. A source in the White House, on the other hand, said that "the meeting was productive and courteous, but that doesn’t mean that everything Netanyahu has done has been forgotten."
The closest peek into real feelings arrived when the meeting in front of the cameras ended, and Netanyahu said to Obama: "I want to thank you for sustaining and strengthening the friendship and the bond" between Israel and the United States. The president's response was short and dry: "Good," he said, while trying to let go of the prime minister's handshake, as Netanyahu tried to prolong the moment.
Two and a half hours later, Obama said "goodbye" to Netanyahu, probably for the last time at the White House. He will continue his dialogue with Israel next month, when he hosts Netanyahu's big rival and the Americans' darling, President Reuven Rivlin.