Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday, in his first public comment about US President Barack Obama\’s upcoming visit, said the trip was very important to underline the strong US-Israeli ties at a time of a raging regional storm.
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said he and Obama, when they spoke last month about the visit, agreed that it would focus on three central issues: Iran\’s race toward nuclear weapons; the instability in Syria and how that impacts on regional security, and both Israeli and US interests; and efforts to move forward the diplomatic process with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu said that these "very serious" issues necessitated as much national unity as possible, which he said was the aim of the current coalition negotiations.
The prime minister also referred to Friday\’s arson at Betar offices in Jerusalem, sharply condemning it and saying this type of activity must be "uprooted."
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