These words were written prior to the planned meeting in Washington between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There was a great deal of nervousness among Israelis and supporters of Israel prior to the meeting. Ever since Netanyahu assumed office, pundits in both countries have suggested that the differences between the two leaders are significant. They share neither the same philosophical approach, nor the detailed steps on how to achieve Mideast peace, let alone, perhaps, the same ultimate agenda.

We suspect the differences between the two leaders are not as significant as many experts say. The meeting this week will likely confirm this. However, even if the two leaders do diverge in some matters – even important ones – we hope and trust that the subject of Iran will be at the top of the agenda.

The rulers in Iran are the pre-eminent threat to peace in the Middle East, and one can argue, even beyond the region.

The evidence is now incontrovertible that Tehran is fully engaged in undermining and destabilizing not only the efforts to achieve peace, but the key governments that are striving for that peace.

Last week the Financial Times reported that Hezbollah, Tehran’s Shia surrogate, has been deeply involved in assisting the Hamas rulers of Gaza. Sheik Naim Qassem, deputy secretary general of Hezbollah, told the paper that his organization has been providing Palestinians in Gaza with “every type of support” possible.

The report in the Financial Times came days after the Egyptian media disclosed the existence of a Hezbollah network on Egyptian soil. The Hezbollah operatives were discovered in late 2008, but the discovery was made public only last month.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak apparently, has had enough of the Iranian duplicity and deceit.

In a speech he gave in on April 23, he alluded quite plainly to the threat emanating from Iran. “We affirm our Arab identity and will not allow the interference of regional elements that are opposed to peace and are pushing the region to the edge of an abyss. [Our emphasis] Those elements seek to impose their influence and agenda on our Arab world, incite disagreements on the Arab and Palestinian scene and send their agents [namely, Hezbollah] to the region in order to threaten Egypt ‘s national security, harm its borders, and compromise its stability.”

There is no doubt that Mubarak and Netanyahu discussed those “elements” and their “agents” when they met last week at Sharm el-Sheikh. Mubarak called the atmosphere during the discussions “sincere and constructive.”

 Both men understand the nature and extent of the threat that Iran poses to their respective countries. The subject will have a high priority on the list of subjects they will, in turn, discuss with the American president when they meet with him this month.

There is, of course, the subject of the potential deadly fallout from Iran’s nuclear ambitions, too…