WASHINGTON (JTA) — U.S. officials downplayed the significance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision not to attend this week’s nuclear summit.
The two-day summit, aimed at addressing the threat of nuclear terrorism, began on Monday.
Netanyahu backed out at the last minute last week with no official explanation. Israeli officials anonymously told reporters that Netanyahu did not want to face questions from Muslim nations about Israel’s reported nuclear weapons program, which Israel has never confirmed exists.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Netanyahu’s no-show was unexceptional.
"You know, Gordon Brown is not coming from Great Britain, Kevin Rudd is not coming from Australia, King Abdullah’s not coming from Saudi Arabia," Clinton told David Gregory on NBC’s Sunday talk show, "Meet The Press." "There are many things. It’s like when President Obama had to cancel his trip to Indonesia and Australia."
She said recent tensions between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations over Jewish construction in eastern Jerusalem were not a factor, noting that Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor was heading the Israeli delegation.
"The Israeli government will be represented at a very high level," Clinton said. "They share our deep concern about nuclear terrorism, and they want to be at the table as we try to figure out how we’re going to make the world safer."
Ben Rhodes, a U.S. deputy national security adviser, said Israel’s nuclear program would not be an issue at the conference. "This summit is focused narrowly and specifically on nuclear security and nuclear terrorism because we believe that the threat is of such magnitude that it needs to be addressed on a focused basis," he said.
