Leaders of the Orthodox Union met with top Obama advisers David Axelrod, Joshua DuBois, and Dennis Ross Tuesday morning at the White House.
Ross, special assistant to the president and senior director for the Central Region, told the group — according to someone in the room — that he was not surprised that Iran put forward a proposal for talks, but that the United States is engaging the Iranians to test and push them and take away excuses. He added that the United States doesn’t want to be part of a fake process, and that this was part of measuring whether Iran really was willing to change its behavior.
Ross also was asked about the dispute over settlements. He did not concede any error in the administration’s demands for an absolute settlement freeze, but said that the "logic was to create an environment to get into negotiations" and that "we will wrap up these discussions and not everyone will get what they want, but all will get something."
The group also talked domestic policy with senior adviser Axelrod and discussed the president’s faith-based agenda with DuBois, the head of the White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships — including reducing abortions and the importance of fatherhood.
Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett also was present to welcome the group to the White House.
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