ISRAELI prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will head into his first visit with President Barack Obama worried by US overtures to Iran and Syria and under pressure to support a Palestinian state.
The two leaders, who will meet at the White House today, bring diverging policies on how to approach the Middle East conflict.
The Obama administration is trying to promote dialogue with Iran and Syria, Israel's arch enemy. Israel fears such efforts could lead to greater tolerance for Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Mr Netanyahu regards Tehran as the greatest threat to Israel - a fear magnified by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated references to Israel's annihilation.
Mr Netanyahu derided the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as a waste of time. He has made clear in the past he does not think the Palestinians are ready to rule themselves.
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