US President Barack Obama did not give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the cold shoulder when they met in the White House last week, a top Obama aide said on Sunday.
"This was a working meeting among friends. And so there was no snub intended," White House senior adviser David Axelrod told CNN's State of the Union news program.
Axelrod noted that the two leaders had met in private for two hours and had better things to do with their time than worry about protocol.
Axelrod told CNN: "This was not about formalities. This was not about a ceremonial meeting. This was a working meeting. We have a deep, abiding interest in Israel's security. And we believe the peace process is essential to that. And we are doing everything we can to move that process forward."
Valerie Jarrett, to Jake Tapper on ABC's "This Week": "The United States is a strong and ardent ally of Israel. The fact of the matter is that friends can disagree. And I think what’s important is that world leaders are able to sit down with one another, have frank conversations and move forward. I don’t think there’s any doubt in the mind of Bibi Netanyahu about the president’s commitment to Israel and its safety, and how important that is to the United States and to the region.”
"This was a working meeting among friends. And so there was no snub intended," White House senior adviser David Axelrod told CNN's State of the Union news program.
Axelrod noted that the two leaders had met in private for two hours and had better things to do with their time than worry about protocol.
Axelrod told CNN: "This was not about formalities. This was not about a ceremonial meeting. This was a working meeting. We have a deep, abiding interest in Israel's security. And we believe the peace process is essential to that. And we are doing everything we can to move that process forward."
Valerie Jarrett, to Jake Tapper on ABC's "This Week": "The United States is a strong and ardent ally of Israel. The fact of the matter is that friends can disagree. And I think what’s important is that world leaders are able to sit down with one another, have frank conversations and move forward. I don’t think there’s any doubt in the mind of Bibi Netanyahu about the president’s commitment to Israel and its safety, and how important that is to the United States and to the region.”
