(Ynet). - US President Barack Obama will not rush to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their upcoming meeting, a close associate of Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell said Sunday.
"No winning strategy begins with a punch in the nose," the source said, adding that Netanyahu can expect a "business-like meeting, highlighting the common" between the two countries.
Meanwhile, former Bush Administration official Elliott Abrams estimated that the first minute or two of Monday's meeting may determine the chemistry between both leaders.
"This isn't the first meeting between the two, but it is Netanyahu's first meeting as Israel's prime minister with Obama as president of the United States," he told journalists, adding that there are many issues on the agenda and that Netanyahu will aim to understand Obama's real attitude on the Israeli-Palestinian issue and to Iran.
