Defense Minister Ehud Barak met on Friday with U.S. President Barack Obama, shortly before the latter addressed the Union for Reform Judaism biennial. In his speech, Obama assured the audience that the U.S.' commitment to Israel is "unshakeable" and that "no U.S. administration has done more in support of Israels security than ours." Barak, who is frequently dispatched by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks with U.S. officials, later briefed the premier, telling him that, "Obama vowed not to let Iran become nuclear." Barak also told Netanyahu that the "atmosphere in the meeting was great." Barak told journalists in Washington that he and the U.S. president "reviewed various issues at hand, as well as the challenges and opportunities that have resulted from developments in the region." "I thanked the president for strengthening and deepening the security ties between U.S. and Israel in his role as president, and stressed the security considerations that govern Israel's approach to the challenges and opportunities that arise from the complex situation in the Middle East," Barak said. However, he refused to answer whether Israel and the U.S. have been coordinating their policy on Iran's nuclear program. Yet when asked about how the U.S. and Israel view the Iranian threat, Barak said, "Israel and the U.S. see eye-to-eye intelligence-wise," and added that both countries strive to use the same "rhetoric and statements when it comes to Iran." "We are both saying loud and clear that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable," Barak said. "We are determined to stop Iran from becoming nuclear, and the leaders of the world, including the president of the U.S., and we are once again saying that we must not take any option off the table." During his speech to the URJ in National Harbor, Md., Obama echoed Barak's positive view of their exchange, praising the minister's "lifelong commitment to Israel's security and the quest for a just and lasting peace." Obama appeared before more than 5,000 people, who were at the conference as the representatives of the roughly 900 Reform congregations throughout the U.S., considered one of the largest gatherings of North American Jews. Obama quoted Jewish scriptures and said his support for Israel is not limited to policy but is also reflected in what he called "a personal commitment." His speech, which elicited repeated standing ovations, echoed some of his remarks at the U.N. General Assembly in September that was highly praised by Israel and the Jewish community. "Americas commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israels security is unshakable. It is unshakable," Obama said. "I said it in September at the United Nations. I said it when I stood amid the homes in Sderot that had been struck by missiles: No nation can tolerate terror. And no nation can accept rockets targeting innocent men, women and children. No nation can yield to suicide bombers." Obama sought to assure Jewish voters on Friday that he remains committed to Israel's security and a two-state solution with the Palestinians while defending himself against attacks on his policy from Republican presidential challengers. Obama has been criticized by Republicans and some in the American Jewish community for being too tough on a close ally. He did not name names, but left little doubt he was responding to Republican candidates who have recently tried to outdo each other in criticizing his policy toward Israel as they seek to cut into his support among Jewish voters. In a pointed reference to his Republican opponents, Obama said the bonds between Israel and the U.S. "transcend partisan politics -- or at least they should." The White House wants to shore up support among Jewish voters for Obama's 2012 re-election bid. He won nearly eight of every 10 Jewish voters in 2008 but a slip would jeopardize his re-election drive in battleground states like Florida and Pennsylvania, where Jewish voters are an important swing bloc. Obama faced criticism from some Jewish leaders earlier this year when he insisted that any negotiations on borders of a future Palestinian state begin on the basis of lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. He also has had a strained relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his Middle East peace efforts have mostly stalled. Obama also vowed he would continue efforts to pressure Iran over its nuclear program. "Rest assured, we will not take no option off the table. We are going to keep standing with our Israeli friends and allies," he said. Obama's speech comes just days after current Republican frontrunner Newt Gingrich described the Palestinians as an "invented" people and later said during a debate that all Palestinian factions are "terrorists." Gingrich and the rest of the Republican field have tried over the year to capitalize on Jewish voters' disenchantment from Obama over his policy toward Israel, with former governor Mitt Romney, Gingrich's main rival, accusing Obama of "throwing Israel under the bus."
Obama vowed Iran will not become nuclear, Barak says
Defense Minister Ehud Barak meets U.S. president on the sidelines of Union for Reform Judaism biennial • Barak tells reporters that Israel, the U.S. see eye-to-eye on Iranian threat • Obama says commitment to Israel is "unshakable."
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