Israeli PM to ask for weapons from U.S. during Washington meeting

Tel Aviv - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with United States President Barack Obama this week to improve the relations between the two states. The Prime Minister will also take the opportunity to ask for weapons for a possible strike on Iran.

The relationship between the United States and Israel has been tense over the last several weeks but on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Washington to meet President Barack Obama after Middle East Special Envoy George Mitchell gave the Israeli leader an official invitation to the White House, which Netanyahu accepted. On Sunday, spokesperson of the Israeli Prime Minister, Mark Regev, told reporters, according to Xinhua, that Netanyahu was leaving for Washington that day with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Throughout his visit, the Prime Minister will also meet with top level Obama administration officials such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Before leaving for Washington on Sunday, Haaretz reports that Netanyahu met with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. According to Haaretz, the Israeli leader will use his visit to Washington to ask the U.S. to release advanced weapons to Israel in order for a possible strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Prime Minister will also ask for sophisticated bunker-buster bombs that are needed to break through Iran’s nuclear enrichment installations, which are buried underground. Both U.S. and Israeli leaders have accused Iran of attempting to create a nuclear weapon, which Tehran emphatically denies on a consistent basis. This comes as Netanyahu agreed to U.S. demands and promised gestures of goodwill to the Palestinian people. Prior to his meeting with the U.S. President, Netanyahu will meet with high-level Congressmen and on Wednesday he will sit down with the U.S. media for interviews before heading back to Israel on Wednesday afternoon.