Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fought back at the Obama administration Wednesday, a day after a senior U.S. official was quoted as calling Netanyahu a “chickens— prime minister.”
“Netanyahu will continue to uphold the security interests of Israel and the historical rights of the Jewish people in Jerusalem, and no amount of pressure will change that,” Netanyahu’s office said in response to the remark, which was cited in a report by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg.
The comments are the latest in a breakdown of U.S.-Israel relations.
“The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chickens—,” the senior Obama administration official was cited as saying, using Netanyahu’s nickname.
Goldberg wrote that Netanyahu has told several people in recent days that he has “written off” the Obama administration, and plans to speak directly to Congress and to the American people should an Iran nuclear deal be reached.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly told advisers that he has “written off” the Obama administration.
The Obama administration has criticized Netanyahu for pursuing settlement policies in the West Bank and apartment-building in East Jerusalem.
“The good thing about Netanyahu is that he’s scared to launch wars,” the U.S. official told Goldberg. “The bad thing about him is that he won’t do anything to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians or with the Sunni Arab states. The only thing he’s interested in is protecting himself from political defeat. He’s not [Yitzhak] Rabin, he’s not [Ariel] Sharon, he’s certainly no [Menachem] Begin. He’s got no guts.”
Today, House Speaker John Boehner released a statement regarding the slur used against Netanyahu. Boehner subtly hinted that he believes Obama should fire the official who made the comment.
Boehner said:
When the president discusses Israel and Iran, it is sometimes hard to tell who he thinks is America’s friend and who he thinks is America’s enemy. Over the last several months, I have watched the administration insult ally after ally. I am tired of the administration’s apology tour. The president sets the tone for his administration. He either condones the profanity and disrespect used by the most senior members of his administration, or he does not. It is time for him to get his house in order and tell the people that can’t muster professionalism that it is time to move on.
Arutz Sheva TV posted a video Wednesday of Netanyahu addressing the “chickens—” comment during a press conference.
Speaking in Hebrew, he said:
When Israel is pressured to make concessions on its security, it’s very easy to give in. As prime minister, I am responsible for Israel’s security. I have been on the battlefield many times. I have risked my life for the country. And I am not prepared to make concessions that will endanger our state. The attack on me comes only because I am defending the state of Israel.
Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said today the the “chickens—” comment was “counterproductive” and that the U.S.-Israel relationship is “as strong as ever.”
