ANALYSIS / Netanyahu to make only modest requests on Iran

The agenda of Monday's Netanyahu-Obama meeting is much more political than military. Visits to the White House by Benjamin Netanyahu's predecessors were often characterized by the defense establishment's "shopping lists." In this meeting, however, these subjects will play a less dominant role in the discussions.

Netanyahu and Barack Obama will focus on two issues: Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the danger of a nuclear Iran, and the connection between the two. The U.S. will try to emphasize this factor, while Israel will try to downplay it as much as possible.

Netanyahu prepared for the meeting with intensive preparatory sessions that included Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the chief of staff, and the heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet and Military Intelligence.

The dialogue between Obama's and Netanyahu's predecessors, George W. Bush and Ehud Olmert, was entirely different regarding Iran. The Bush Administration took a much harsher position toward Tehran. Nonetheless, during his last visit to Israel in the spring of 2008, Bush informed his hosts that the U.S. was not giving Israel a green light (or even a yellow light) to strike Iran's nuclear installations. The Americans also rejected several Israeli requests that would enable a future strike, such as an "aerial corridor" over U.S. forces in Iraq, modern air tankers and bunker-busting bombs.

This time, Israel's ambitions are more realistic and modest. The U.S. already has decided to embark on diplomatic talks with Iran. Israel is busy containing the damage: trying to have the negotiations limited to a reasonable time frame, and having Iran cease its uranium enrichment at the start of talks. On the Palestinian track, the defense establishment will support the prime minister on expanding the "Jenin Project," broadening Palestinian Authority control to other parts of the West Bank. Netanyahu and Barak will finalize the decision on whether to evacuate outposts, but the army will try to play as small a role as possible: The Israel Defense Forces took a PR hit during the disengagement, and would prefer the police do the next round of evacuating.

Still, it is impossible not to have a military shopping list. The F-35s that Israel wants are pending an agreement with Washington. Obama and Netanyahu will not discuss the disagreement over the procurement cost for the advanced fighter, but it is very important for Israel that the U.S. agree to lift restrictions on access to its technology, and if it fails at this, that it be among the countries participating in the development costs - a precondition for a purchase discount. The Israeli Air Force wants access to the technology so that it can fix computer problems for operational aircraft in Israel, as opposed to at a foreign technical center, most likely in Italy. To resolve this issue, Netanyahu needs a positive and supportive atmosphere, in both the Pentagon and Congress, but this too depends on the two leaders' differences over Iran and the Palestinians.