Ukrainian Crisis Overshadows Iran, Palestinian Talks As Netanyahu Heads To DC
Neither Netanyahu nor the Foreign Ministry has issued any statement concerning the dramatic developments in Ukraine, although the situation facing Ukraine’s Jews has been raised in high-level meetings.
One government official said that the Netanyahu-Obama meeting on Monday is still set to focus on Iran and the Palestinians, despite the mounting US tension with Russia. The main impact of the Ukrainian crisis on Netanyahu’s five-day visit will likely be less media attention, the official said.
The prime minister is also scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry and with congressional leaders.
He is slated to address the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference on Tuesday, a day after Kerry is to speak at the gathering.
Netanyahu’s meetings with Obama and Kerry will come some four weeks before Israel is scheduled to release the last tranche of 26 Palestinian security prisoners as part of the framework agreed upon last July to get the PLO to return to the negotiating table. It is expected that Kerry will try to present his much-anticipated document that is to serve as a basis for continued talks between the two sides before the prisoner release.
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http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Ukrainian-crisis-overshadows-Iran-Palestinian-talks-as-Netanyahu-heads-to-DC-343955