The hostility of Pres. Barack Obama and his staff toward Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be escalating dangerously. RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:
"Last week, the Obama administration went out of its way to 'humiliate' a top Israeli official in retaliation for private remarks for which that official had publicly apologized. Yesterday, the State Department accused the Netanyahu government of lacking a commitment to peace because it had the temerity to authorize housing construction in the capital of Israel. And today, top aides to the president attacked Israel's Prime Minister incoarse, insulting language from behind the veil of anonymity.
[That last example is how we learned that a senior White House official called the Israeli prime minister a "chicken***".]
"Americans expect their commander-in-chief to keep faith with critical allies in perilous times. This administration is dangerously off-course and its apparent determination to provoke a crisis in US-Israel relations is the latest disastrous evidence.
The response from the pro-Israel community was swift. The Republican National Committee, House SpeakerJohn Boehner (OH), Gov. Rick Perry (TX), Senators John McCain (AZ) and Lindsey Graham (SC), SenatorTed Cruz (TX), Senator Mark Kirk (IL), Rep. Tom Cotton (AR) , and Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO) condemned the White House insults to our ally Israel and its leaders. Even the National Jewish Democratic Council felt compelled to rebuke the White House for it "profane and inappropriate" language.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that the comments against Israel and Netanyahu do not reflect the administration's views. According to reports, Earnest also said he was unaware of which senior official made the comment and added that he did not "know of any effort" underway at the White House to determine the source of the remarks.
Ari Fleischer, who served as White House press secretary for Pres. George W. Bush, tweeted, "As ex WH staffer, I can safely say staff wouldn't publicly call someone 'chickensh*t' if POTUS hadn't privately said something similar 1st."
