Oh, Obama; But Bibi

Words of wisdom:

The man [Netanyahu] who would rather not rock the boat, no matter what, whatever the issue on the agenda, has inadvertently found himself caught in the eye of the storm. The tense, overwrought relations are not his making. The assailant and his victim should not be confused. In fact, it’s none other than Obama who favored Cairo over Jerusalem. It is Obama himself who let the media into the White House to take his photo with his legs on his desk, talking with the prime minister of Israel.

And it was Obama who forced the right-wing prime minister to freeze all settlements in the territories, for no good reason and without any real hope for progress, just to show who was in control here, who had the upper hand and could thus bend the other to his will. Obama has been a problematic president not only for Netanyahu personally, but for the State of Israel. And while officially, the American support for Israel carried on as before, the affinity for Israel was no longer there. The pattern of relations forged in the early days of Obama in office has not changed throughout his tenure. There has been no betting and no gambling — merely the routine management of affairs.

Yoav Hendel

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