Obama, Romney Each Speak With Netanyahu by Phone
By FoxNews.com
President Obama and Mitt Romney both spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday by phone, a day after his dramatic speech on Iran's nuclear program before the U.N. General Assembly.
According to the White House, Obama spoke with the prime minister for about 20 minutes. They discussed a "range of security issues" including Iran.
"The two leaders underscored that they are in full agreement on the shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," the White House said in a statement.
Romney got on the phone with Netanyahu in
a separate conversation shortly afterward.
The two phone calls come amid criticism of Obama for not meeting face-to-face with Netanyahu this week while he was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, stirring speculation of a rocky relationship between the two. In his place, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the prime minister Thursday.
Romney has repeatedly criticized the president over his Middle East policy, saying he shows a lack of support for Israel. He has also said the administration must draw starker "red lines" with Iran to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons.
The White House has said the U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong.
Netanyahu warned the international community Thursday in New York that Iran could pass a threshold for uranium enrichment by next spring or early summer.
Romney and Netanyahu have a personal relationship going back nearly 35 years, from the time they both worked at the Boston Consulting Group. The prime minister hosted Romney as his house for dinner during the candidate's trip to Israel in August.
