Barack Obama Slams Israel's "Attitude", Benjamin Netanyahu Responds
Former US President Barack Obama criticized Israel's treatment of Palestinians, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The exchange highlights long-standing ideological differences regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Why it matters
The public disagreement between a former US leader and the current Israeli PM underscores the complex and often strained nature of US-Israel diplomatic relations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a notoriously tense relationship with former US president Barack Obama. A decade on, and days ahead of a tight Israeli election, the two again are taking each other to task.Netanyahu on Friday denounced remarks by Obama, without saying his name, after the former US president said Israel had "ceded moral high ground" in its treatment of the Palestinians."I said this directly to Netanyahu when I was president -- at some point, to break the cycle, the stronger party has a responsibility by virtue of its strength," Obama told an event Tuesday in Belfast, according to videos posted online."If the attitude of Israel is, now that we are the strongest army, most technologically advanced in the region, then our security is dependent on us simply doing whatever we please and taking whatever we want and not making any concessions to anyone -- that may work…
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