ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Press Release) — White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, en route to Miami where President Obama was to meet with the Latino community, answered questions on Wednesday, Feb. 25, about U.S. policy differences with Israel over Iran, and the nature of the President’s dispute with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Here is a transcript from that flying press conference:
Q On Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit — the Prime Minister today said that world powers have “given up on stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.” What is the White House reaction to that comment?
MR. EARNEST: The whole point of the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States and our international partners is to resolve the international community’s concerns with the Iranian nuclear program and to secure an agreement that would ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. That is the goal of those negotiations. It is consistent with the President’s view about the best interests of American national security. It’s also consistent with the President’s view about the best interests of our closest ally in the region, Israel.
I believe that our international partners have reached a similar conclusion, that it’s in their interest that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. The Middle East is a rather volatile region of the world. If Iran were to obtain a nuclear weapon, it would, in all likelihood, set off a nuclear arms race that would add even further instability to that region.
So the United States has worked closely with the international community to try to strike a diplomatic agreement to resolve these concerns so that Iran can prove to the international community that they are not developing a nuclear weapon. And in return, Iran would allow to, step by step, rejoin the international community. Right now, the Iranian economy has suffered pretty significantly from a sanctions regime that the United States has put in place, in careful coordination with our international partners.
So that is the goal of these ongoing talks. And the Prime Minister has articulated his concern and, in some cases, even opposition to those negotiations. But the President continues to believe that those negotiations are the best way for us to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. If we can get Iran to not just state affirmatively that they are not developing a nuclear weapon, but also to agree to steps that would allow the international community to verify that they’re living up to the agreement, that is the best outcome. And that is the best way to ease the international community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.
And if the Prime Minister has an alternative about how those concerns can be more effectively resolved, then we’d certainly be interested in hearing his ideas for that. But thus far, what we have pursued is what the President and our international partners believe is the best way to resolve these concerns.
Q Is Netanyahu’s appearance before Congress destructive to Israeli-U.S. relations, as Susan Rice said?
MR. EARNEST: Well, I think, to be precise, I believe what Susan was referring to is how reducing the U.S.-Israeli relationship to just a relationship between two political parties is destructive to a relationship between our two countries that for generations had been strengthened through bipartisan cooperation, not just in this country but in Israel. The President himself has raised this concern. The President has said that the relationship between the U.S. and Israel can’t just be reduced to a relationship between the Republican Party and the Likud Party.
The fact of the matter is, while we’ve had a Democratic President in the White House for the last six years, we have, by the admission of the Prime Minister from the Likud Party in Israel, had unprecedented security cooperation between our two countries. That’s consistent with the generations-long precedent of bipartisan support for our closest ally in the Middle East.
So what we hope is that we’ll continue to see leadership in this country and in Israel that will not allow the relationship between our two countries to be dragged down by party politics. Party politics is fundamental to the political system in both of our countries, but for generations, both countries have succeeded in not allowing this critically important international relationship to get buffeted by those kinds of political arguments. And the President believes that U.S. national security has been enhanced by protecting this relationship, and he believes that the interests of Israel are best served if we can protect this relationship from being subject to partisan politics.
Q The President agrees with the National Security Advisor that by accepting the invitation Prime Minister Netanyahu has done something that has been destructive to the fabric of the U.S.-Israeli relationship?
MR. EARNEST: Again, I think it is entirely consistent with what the President has already said, that the U.S.-Israel relationship has been strengthened because you have seen leaders in both parties in both countries signal their strong support for that relationship. And allowing this relationship to be subjected to party politics does weaken the relationship. It’s not good for that relationship.
And again, this is the reason that the President has said that he’s not going to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he travels to Washington next week, is that it has the potential of leaving some voters in Israel even with the impression that the President might be interfering in that election. And the President believes that we need to be rock-solid in our commitment to Israel’s security — as we have been — and that means not allowing it to be injected with party politics.
Q If he does believe that, why not ask Prime Minister Netanyahu to call off his speech? I mean, if he believes that his presence, his very presence here to give a speech two weeks before his election is destructive to the relationship, why not ask him to postpone it?
MR. EARNEST: Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to make these decisions for himself. He’s the Prime Minister of Israel. He’s the person who should be setting his own schedule. And he’s the one that has to make the decisions about what will be in his country’s best interest — in the same way that the President of the United States has to make those kinds of decisions for his country.
So ultimately, the Prime Minister will set his own schedule. The President is also going to set his schedule. The President believes that setting his schedule and not including a meeting with the Prime Minister on this trip is consistent with the best interests of American national security.
Now, I’ll also point out that when setting the President’s schedule, he’s concluded that spending time with the Israeli Prime Minister to make sure that we are closely coordinating and cooperating our efforts is in our best interests. That’s why the President has actually spent more time with Prime Minister Netanyahu than any other world leader.
Again, but ultimately, this is a decision that Prime Minister Netanyahu will have to make for himself. But I think what the National Security Advisor said about that decision is consistent with what the President has said about that decision.
Q Do you know whether the President spoke with Ambassador Susan Rice before she made those comments in a broadcast interview and whether they talked — whether she was authorized to say that?
MR. EARNEST: Well, again, what she said was entirely consistent with what the President said publicly before. I don’t know whether or not the President had the opportunity to speak with her specifically about her Charlie Rose interview that she did yesterday. I do know that she participated in at least some portion of the Amir of Qatar’s visit to the White House yesterday, so I know that she did see the President yesterday. I don’t know whether or not they talked about her interview.
*
Preceding provided by the White House. Your signed comment may be posted in the space provided below.