(Ben Caspit in Ma'ariv).There were those close to Netanyahu who promised him in recent weeks that Obama would not embarrass him in his first visit to Washington and would try to make light of their differences. Obama never heard that promise. He deluged Netanyahu with "two states" at least three times, he spoke about the road map, and even "Annapolis," thanks to Avigdor Lieberman, got mentioned twice. He spoke about freezing settlements, of past commitments of the sides and the need to treat them seriously, about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, about everything. There wasn't a single blister that Obama didn't step on, and it didn't seem to bother him. He left no stone unturned with Netanyahu sitting by his side and listening attentively.
On the other hand, it was apparent that they had made a good connection. Obama's main gesture was the fact that he began his statements with the Iranian issue, and not the other way around. True, he saw no point in creating an artificial deadline for future negotiations with the Iranians but, on the other hand, he indicated that by the end of the year it would be possible to know whether the Iranians were serious or not. In other words, America would not let Iran exhaust it with talk forever. In the end, action will also be necessary.
Netanyahu can leave this first meeting with mixed feelings. Just like us. True, he was given a shower, but survived to talk about it.
Moreover, even cold water eventually warms up, or else you get used to it.
