NY Times accuses Netanyahu of ‘playing politics on Iran’
Paper calls PM’s imminent speech to Congress ‘a breach of sense,’ wonders how he believes disrespecting Obama will help IsraelPM ruining US ties for election speech, Lapid and Livni say
In separate interviews, Netanyahu’s former allies accuse him of hurting Israel’s security to gain favor with right-wing voters
White House officials angrily denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for responding favorably to House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to speak before Congress in March, telling the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the prime minister had “spat” in President Barack Obama’s face.
“There are things you simply don’t do. He spat in our face publicly and that’s no way to behave. Netanyahu ought to remember that President Obama has a year and a half left to his presidency, and that there will be a price,” an unnamed senior U.S. official said.
U.S. officials said that the “chickens***” epithet that an anonymous administration official used to describe the Israeli leader several months ago was mild compared to the language used in the White House when officials learned of Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress.
When he speaks before Congress in March, Netanyahu is expected to urge lawmakers to impose tougher sanctions on Iran in order to force it to stop its suspect nuclear program, The Times of Israel reported.
Haaretz reported that last week Obama personally demanded in a telephone conversation with Netanyahu that the Israeli leader tone down his support for new sanctions legislation — a measure Obama has promised to veto.
The Washington Post reported that Netanyahu’s apparent “disrespect” for the U.S. leadership was particularly offensive to Secretary of State John Kerry, who over the past month had made many efforts on Israel’s behalf on the world stage. This included dozens of calls to world leaders to convince them to oppose a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have set a time frame for establishment of a Palestinian state.
“The secretary’s patience is not infinite,” a source close to Kerry told the Post. “The bilateral relationship is unshakable. But playing politics with that relationship could blunt Secretary Kerry’s enthusiasm for being Israel’s primary defender.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s intelligence chief has denied Kerry’s claim that he contradicted Netanyahu, his boss, by criticizing new sanctions during a January meeting, saying that they would be akin to “throwing a grenade into the process.”
Mossad chief Tamir Pardo denied saying any such thing during a Jan. 19 meeting with U.S. officials. Instead, the Mossad director said he reiterated that “firm pressure” was needed “to bring about meaningful compromises from the Iranian side.”
@ robin@longhornproject.org: I believe too much land has been given up by Israel, they have given up some of their birthright given to Abraham in Genesis 13:14. Giving up more land puts those rockets Hamas fires closer to Israel’s cities, and endangers all citizens, especially going back to 1967 borders, it also affects the Holy biblical sites.
We can see the same circumstances forming that were prevalent before World War 2 and the holocaust, its called blame the Jews for the World’s problems, but more people are informed of whats happening, there is much more information out there and people are not going to believe propaganda or lies from the Left. Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by the Speaker of the House to speak by invitation. The world should be paying attention to a Nuclear armed Iran, it threatens the peace of the whole world, not just Israel.
Obama would rather work with his Muslim Brotherhood staff in the White House then then with Bibi
@ bernard ross:
Jews in Israel are still stiff necked and will support even an unpopular BB if they believe an outside influence is at work to bring BB down. I know Israelis and if they get their backs up they will react in kind not all but enough to make a difference.
The last time BB had favorable #’s above 50% is when he gave a public tongue lashing to Obama in public for a month he was running over 60%.
If Obama does act it will be subtle and not obviously tied to himself or the Obama Admin.
NYT chief editor is openly and adamantly anti-Israel.
This is rumoring about rumors. No real news. No reportage of any event.
Just some more antisemitism by NYT and ha’aretz on how their anonymous uncle has proven the Jews are Nasties..
yamit82 Said:
I wish you were right but in international matters Obama is hardly restrained by congress. In fact his lame duck status allows him in foreign affairs to do what he wants as he has no future to protect and the dems will simply disassociate from him at election time. The effect of the FAA one day affair showed me that he can do a lot to upset the daily life of Israelis. if he applies similar small effective tactics to Israel before the elections I fear that many will vote left due to the inconvenience and vulnerability experienced.
Oh! The cesspool from “ha’aretz” talking on behalf of one of their controllers.
Lets all remember that renegade traitors from that “ha’aretz” begged the US State Department then to “rape” Israel. Nothing changes.
Now regarding prices to be paid.
One has to give some thought to that… It can cost both sides a pretty penny
bernard ross Said:
Your astute description is in MO much too kind. Do I detect a smidgeon of PC in your description of them?
Obama has become the best election asset for BB. The more they dump on BB the more popular he and the Likud become here. That places Obama in a catch 22 situation wrt to BB.
It almost neutralizes his options for deposing BB.
unsurprising that the anonymous incompetent gay adolescents and fag hags that obama appointed from his chicago bathhouse days are having a hissy fit about the dissing of their master. They, and he, are mirror images who have made BB a personal vendetta because their masters butt wasnt properly kissed according to the protocols touted by Lapdog, livni and Herzog.
toddlers run the white house.
the 3 US mole stooges of Lapdog, Livni and Herzog have no platform other than the “relationship” with Obama. the professors of the tough love for Israel concept always follow the Obama edicts like dogs in heat. BB did nothing wrong and projecting Israels needs directly to congress, to thwart the damage caused by a pres who breaks US laws, is a acting for Israels best interests. The 3 treasonous moles are in cahoots with the white house, hoping for an Obama betrayal of Israel just before the election so they can get votes based on their only platform. they want Israels future to be based on their fomenting of conflict with Obama. Obama is definitely NOT the USA.