obama-netanyahu meeting

Last week, Israeli PM Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu met with President Barack (“The Jerk”) Obama.

This time, there were no hostile acts against Netanyahu.

But from reports of the meeting, it sounds as though not much has changed:

They really do not like each other very much.

Via BattleCreek Enquirer — Dana Milbank: Another awkward Obama-Netanyahu meeting

The old frenemies sat in the Oval Office on Wednesday, their chair legs 18 inches apart, attempting some reasonable facsimile of personal chemistry….

President Obama leaned back, elegantly cross-legged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his tie askew, planted both feet on the ground and leaned toward Obama, as if he might leap up at any moment.

Obama called his counterpart “Bibi.” Netanyahu called Obama “Mr. President.”

In their 12th meeting, and their first since this summer’s war in Gaza strained U.S.-Israeli relations, the two men exchanged the requisite pleasantries for all of six minutes. Obama renewed the “unbreakable bond” between the two countries. Netanyahu thanked Obama for his “unflinching support” of Israel.

Then came the handshake. Firm and grim, it lasted 2.2 seconds, and the two seated men looked into each other’s eyes and pumped their arms without smiling for the cameras….

The prime minister’s body language was that of a man suffering intestinal discomfort. Netanyahu uncrossed his legs and tugged at his lapels. He placed his left palm on his left leg and appeared to drum the fingers of his right hand on the chair….

In the Oval Office, Obama spoke delicately about making sure “Israeli citizens are safe in their own homes and schoolchildren in their schools from the possibility of rocket fire, but also that we don’t have the tragedy of Palestinian children being killed as well.”

After Obama’s three minutes, Netanyahu took his three, beginning with the de rigueur salute to “the continuous bond of friendship.” But then Netanyahu offered a politely worded warning to Obama not to go wobbly. “Iran seeks a deal that would lift the tough sanctions that you worked so hard to put in place and leave it as a threshold nuclear power, and I fervently hope that under your leadership that would not happen,” he said….

Related:

Katie Zezima: Washington Post — A short history of awkward encounters between Obama and Netanyahu

Times of Israel: PM: Obama’s positions on Iran did not encourage me

RealClearPolitics: Andrea Mitchell: Obama From Mars, Netanyahu From Venus; “Relationship Is So Fraught”

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7 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. Norm says:

    This so-called meeting between the Prime Minister and the President is another incident I see as a sickness. The dialogue or lack of dialogue over Israel, Israel’s right to exist, and the media and liberal politicians knee jerk reaction to blame Israel, for …well, just about everything..is simple hatred of Jews. Until that reaction ends, nothing will ever end over there. Obama does not like Jews…and he is no different than most of the liberal media types. And it has been that way for centuries. I wrote a bit about it during the Gaza fights this last summer.
    https://patriotpost.us/commentary/27743

  2. hbmuzik says:

    Boo Boo and the Beeb

  3. Alain41 says:

    As Obama collapses, he’ll take it out, in part, on Bibi, and Israel. He cares zero for foreign policy, but he wants to beat Israel down. For his father, dreams of.

  4. rosebud2186 says:

    What? No talk of flexibility?

    SMH

  5. Maynard says:

    Obama’s frustration with Netanyahu is completely justified. Everyone knows peace would prevail in the Middle East if only Israel would stop building houses in its capital. As always, Obama has set aside irrelevancies like the Iranian nukes and is focused like a laser beam on the vital issues of the day. Our president is a genius, I tell you.

  6. Dave says:

    Netanyahu: IDF Special Forces, Leader, Statesman, Scholar, Leader of the free world.

    Obama: Chum Gang member, Acorn activist, Student of Saul Alinsky and Jeremiah Wright, Prezy of the United Stezy, Great Pretender.

    You choose.

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