Obama Meets With Jewish American Leaders To Defuse Iran Fears

By Steven Mufson April 13 at 10:40 PM

President Obama met with Jewish American leaders at the White House on Monday in a bid to defuse antagonism toward him and to convince them that he shares their concerns about the safety of Israel and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

The meetings in the Roosevelt Room were designed to improve prospects for a deal being negotiated to limit Iran’s nuclear program — and hang on to the support of a key Democratic constituency.

At the first meeting, the president spent an hour with the leaders of major Jewish organizations. Then the discussion continued with Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice; Vice President Biden’s national security adviser, Colin Kahl; and three other senior officials.

At the second session, Obama met with “community leaders,” many of them major political contributors. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said they were “outspoken advocates who may not hold official positions or leadership positions in those organizations but are, in their own right, effective advocates.”

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-meets-with-jewish-american-leaders-to-defuse-iran-fears/2015/04/13/fc264526-e1f9-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop_b