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Biden Tells Pro-Israel Group That President ‘Is Not Bluffing’ on Iran Biden and Netanyahu Stress Points of Unity in Speeches to Pro-Israel Group
(about 7 hours later)
WASHINGTON — Three weeks before President Obama makes his first trip to Israel, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. sought on Monday to smooth over any friction between the two allies, telling an influential pro-Israel lobbying group that “no president has done as much to physically secure the state of Israel as President Barack Obama.” WASHINGTON — The thundering ovations, slickly produced videos and legions of lawmakers were the same as ever. But something was missing as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee convened here this week for its annual conference: tension.
Mr. Biden, speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also underscored Mr. Obama’s threat to use military force — if all else failed — to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in back-to-back speeches on Monday, sought to smooth over any friction between the United States and Israel, three weeks before President Obama makes his first trip as president to Jerusalem.
“Presidents of the United States cannot and do not bluff, and President Barack Obama is not bluffing,” he said to a standing ovation from about 13,000 Aipac supporters. “No president has done as much to physically secure the state of Israel as President Barack Obama,” Mr. Biden said to 13,000 cheering supporters of Aipac, the nation’s most influential pro-Israel lobbying group. Mr. Netanyahu, speaking via satellite from Israel, said he looked forward to thanking Mr. Obama when he travels there later in March.
Moments later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel appeared by satellite from Jerusalem to say that he looked forward to thanking Mr. Obama for his support. Mr. Netanyahu said he planned to discuss with him the threats from Syria and Iran, which he said was defying diplomacy and moving closer to the “red line” with its nuclear program. The elaborate display of harmony was a departure from recent years, when the Aipac conference has often showcased tensions between the Obama administration and Mr. Netanyahu over Jewish settlements in the West Bank or how best to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The elaborate display of harmony was a departure from some recent years, when the Aipac conference showcased tensions between the Obama administration and Mr. Netanyahu’s government over issues like Jewish settlements in the West Bank or how best to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. With the White House eager for a good-will visit, Mr. Netanyahu still struggling to form a new coalition government, and the world’s major powers immersed in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, many of the usual ingredients for conflict are missing.
There was some quiet grumbling among participants about the president’s choice of former Senator Chuck Hagel as defense secretary. Mr. Hagel had been fiercely criticized by some Jewish groups for comments he made about the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups. But Aipac did not take a public position on Mr. Hagel’s candidacy. Mr. Biden, for his part, took pains to emphasize Mr. Obama’s threat to use military force — if all else failed — to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “Presidents of the United States cannot and do not bluff, and President Barack Obama is not bluffing,” the vice president said, drawing one of several standing ovations for his remarks.
And after Mr. Biden’s speech, it issued a glowing statement, saying it welcomed “the vice president’s strong statement that the president is not bluffing in his commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” Mr. Netanyahu took a darker view, saying that “diplomacy has not worked” and that Iran was “running out the clock” in negotiations with major powers. He claimed that sanctions have not stopped Iran from continuing to enrich uranium as nuclear fuel. But he lavished praise on Mr. Obama for his pledge not to allow Iran to acquire a bomb.
In his last appearance before the group, soon after he took office in 2009, Mr. Biden warned that “you’re not going to like this,” before declaring that the Obama administration wanted Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank, as a way to jump-start peace talks with the Palestinians. During the president’s visit, Mr. Netanyahu said, he planned to raise threats from both Iran, which he said was moving closer to the “red line” with its nuclear program, and Syria. They will also discuss efforts to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, even if Mr. Netanyahu made clear that any deal could not compromise Israel’s security.
This time, Mr. Biden did not mention settlements, and he said little about the peace process, which has been paralyzed for most of Mr. Obama’s presidency despite his early efforts to play peacemaker. Administration officials have played down expectations that Mr. Obama will bring bold new proposals to revive the talks when he visits Jerusalem later this month. Among the participants, there was some quiet grumbling about why it had taken Mr. Obama so long to visit Israel, with some saying it undercut an otherwise strong record of support for an ally.
Instead, Mr. Biden focused his remarks on the threats to Israel, mainly from Iran. Mr. Biden cited what he said was the president’s unshakeable commitment to Israel’s military superiority in the region: $3.1 billion in American military aid, including $400 million to help finance the construction of the antimissile system known as Iron Dome. “Obama did not visit Israel his first term,” said Michael Weintraub, a retailer from Calabasas, Calif. “I think that was a mistake. I know how much the president is doing for Israel.”
In addition to reiterating Mr. Obama’s pledge, made before last year’s Aipac conference, not to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, he said the United States would work with Israel to isolate terrorist groups like Hezbollah that are supported by Iran. Others expressed residual qualms about Mr. Obama’s choice of Chuck Hagel, the former senator, as defense secretary. Mr. Hagel had been fiercely criticized for comments he made about the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington. Aipac, however, did not take a public position on Mr. Hagel’s candidacy.
“Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, period,” Mr. Biden said. After Mr. Biden’s speech, it issued a glowing statement, saying it welcomed “the vice president’s strong statement that the president is not bluffing in his commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
The vice president said that there was still a window for diplomacy with Iran, but that it was closing rapidly. He also stressed that the United States had built an unprecedented international coalition to pressure Iran, helping to halt its ascendency in the region in recent years. In last appearance before this group, soon after he took office in 2009, Mr. Biden warned “you’re not going to like this,” before declaring that the Obama administration wanted Israel to stop constructing settlements, as a way to jump-start peace talks with the Palestinians.
Mr. Netanyahu took a darker view, saying that “diplomacy has not worked” and that Iran was “running out the clock” in nuclear negotiations with major powers. He added that sanctions had also not stopped Iran from continuing its uranium enrichment activities. This time, Mr. Biden did not mention settlements, and said little about the peace process, which has been paralyzed for most of Mr. Obama’s presidency despite his early efforts to play peacemaker. Administration officials have played down expectations that Mr. Obama will bring bold new proposals to revive the talks when he visits Jerusalem later this month.
“Sanctions must be coupled with the clear and credible threat of military action,” Mr. Netanyahu said. Instead, Mr. Biden focused his remarks on the threats to Israel, mainly from Iran. Mr. Biden cited what he said was the president’s unshakable commitment to Israel’s military superiority in the region: $3.1 billion in American military aid, some of which helped finance the construction of the successful antimissile system known as Iron Dome.
Both Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu spoke about the need to prevent the chaos in Syria from putting its stockpile of chemical weapons at risk. Mr. Netanyahu said the weapons could fall into the hands of terrorist groups like Hezbollah. On Tuesday, Aipac’s supporters will fan out across Capitol Hill to lobby for continued American support. Although the across-the-board spending cuts forced by the so-called sequester will hit military spending hard, officials close to Aipac said that now was not the time to cut aid to Israel, given the multiplying threats in the Middle East.
“They’re like a pack of hyenas feeding on the carcass,” he said, “and the carcass isn’t even dead yet.” Mr. Biden, in addition to reiterating Mr. Obama’s pledge not to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, said the United States would work with Israel to isolate Iranian-supported terrorist groups, like Hezbollah. “Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, period,” he said.
The prime minister did not appear in person at the conference, as is his custom, because he is still enmeshed in difficult negotiations to form a new government, after his Likud Party’s surprisingly weak showing in elections in January. Both Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu spoke about the need to prevent the chaos in Syria from putting that nation’s stockpile of chemical weapons at risk. Mr. Netanyahu said the weapons could fall into the hands of terrorist groups like Hezbollah.
But Mr. Netanyahu predicted that he would have a solid government in place by the time that Mr. Obama arrived, and he said that he looked forward to showing the president “a different Israel” — the high-technology powerhouse in the Middle East with a thriving economy. “They’re like a pack of hyenas feeding off a carcass,” he said, “and the carcass isn’t even dead yet.”
The prime minister did not appear in person this year, as is his custom, because of the coalition negotiations. But he predicted he would have a solid government in place by the time that Mr. Obama arrived, and he said looked forward to showing him a “different Israel.”

Nathan Frandino contributed reporting.