Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington at the beginning of March to attend the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, and is also expected to meet with US President Barack Obama, his office announced Sunday.
While the Israeli prime minister usually travels to Washington for the annual AIPAC event, there was some doubt this year because President Shimon Peres will also be attending the conference, and it was not clear who would get a meeting with Obama. It is unusual for the US president to meet two Israeli leaders back-to-back.
There is reason to believe a meeting will be set up with President Obama," a source in the PMO said. The AIPAC conference runs from March 4-6.
Netanyahu last met with Obama in September, at the UN General Assembly where Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas formally applied for membership in the world body. Obama came out strongly against that move in his speech to the UN, widely considered his most pro-Israel speech since taking office.
The President’s residence issued a statement two weeks ago saying Peres would be going to Washington for the AIPAC event, where he will be honored for his life’s work, and that he would also be holding a round of diplomatic meetings with senior US officials.
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