Obama and Netanyahu to meet at White House to discuss Iran agreement

US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet at the White House on November 9 to discuss the Iran nuclear agreement, a top foreign policy achievement of the Obama administration that Netanyahu has unsuccessfully tried to sink in the US Congress.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday the two men would also talk about ways to counter the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group's activities in the Middle East.

Earnest termed the planned meeting a demonstration "of the deep and enduring bonds between the United States and Israel as well as our unprecedented cooperation to further enhance Israel's security."

The White House meeting will be the first between Obama and Netanyahu in months.

The Israeli prime minister has been a outspoken critic of the P5+1 group’s nuclear deal with Iran and has focused on derailing it, causing great resentment within the White House.

The US president has aggressively countered Netanyahu’s arguments against the pending agreement, characterizing opponents as warmongers.

Ties have been further strained with Obama over Netanyahu’s resistance to the creation of a Palestinian state, which has been a key element of US foreign policy.

On March 3, Netanyahu, on the Republican invitation, addressed a joint session of the US Congress, where he ranted for nearly 40 minutes against the Iran nuclear talks, warning Washington that it was negotiating a “bad deal” with the Islamic Republic.

The invitation to Netanyahu was extended by Republicans without consultation with the White House, drawing angry reaction from the Obama administration, which called it a breach of protocol.

But the White House said on Friday that the November meeting was a sign that ties between Washington and Tel Aviv were strong enough to survive the serious differences.

“It’s an indication that despite our well-known differences on even some key issues, the bond between the United States and Israel when it comes to our security relationship is unshakable,” Earnest said.

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