Why Israel’s President Talks to Obama, but not to Netanyahu
Anyone who has ever dreamed of seeing the president of the United States smiling and laughing arm-in-arm with an Israeli head of state need look no further than Israeli President Reuven “Ruvi” Rivlin’s most recent visit to Washington last month. President Barack Obama couldn’t have looked more thrilled to have him at the White House, and President Rivlin made sure to show his excitement and to express his gratitude for “what you have done in the last six years: for the finance, for the diplomatic, and for the military help that you are giving us.”
Obama’s embrace of Rivlin was unlikely to have signaled his approval of all the Israeli president’s views. Rivlin is considered to be to the right of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when it comes to possible solutions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and he has always opposed the two-state solution. Nevertheless, he’s been an advocate for a strong partnership and strategic collaboration with the United States.
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