Obama snubbed Netanyahu for dinner with Michelle and the girls, Israelis claim

[FarCenter]

Benjamin Netanyahu was left to stew in a White House meeting room for over an hour after President Barack Obama abruptly walked out of tense talks to have supper with his family, it emerged on Thursday.

By Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem
Published: 2:52PM GMT 25 Mar 2010

The snub marked a fresh low in US-Israeli relations and appeared designed to show Mr Netanyahu how low his stock had fallen in Washington after he refused to back down in a row over Jewish construction in east Jerusalem.

The Israeli prime minister arrived at the White House on Tuesday evening brimming with confidence that the worst of the crisis in his country's relationship with the United States was over.

Over the previous two days, he had been feted by senior Republicans and greeted warmly by members of Congress. He had also received a standing ovation from the American Israel Public Affairs Affairs Committee, one of the most influential lobby groups in the United States.

But Mr Obama was less inclined to be so conciliatory. He immediately presented Mr Netanyahu with a list of 13 demands designed both to the end the feud with his administration and to build Palestinian confidence ahead of the resumption of peace talks. Key among those demands was a previously-made call to halt all new settlement construction in east Jerusalem.

When the Israeli prime minister stalled, Mr Obama rose from his seat declaring: "I'm going to the residential wing to have dinner with Michelle and the girls."

As he left, Mr Netanyahu was told to consider the error of his ways. "I'm still around," Mr Obama is quoted by Israel's Yediot Ahronot newspaper as having said. "Let me know if there is anything new."

<SNIP>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/7521391/Obama-snubbed-Netanyahu-for-dinner-with-Michelle-and-the-girls-Israelis-claim.html

[Jennicut]

1. Netanyahu had members of Congress kiss his ass so he thought all was well.

Really, nothing will change unless we cut aid to them but at least Obama is not putting him on a pedestal. I think Bibi can handle it.

[Kalyke]

2. I'd rather hang out with my spouse and kids over that madman.

After all, one man's hero is another man's terrorist...

:shrug:

[AngryAmish]

3. yikes

[UndertheOcean]

4. Go Obama !!!

[xultar]

61. IT ws reported that an Israeli diplomat sad that Natty wanted to spit in Obama's eye

up close.

I'd have snubbed his ass too.

[nomaco-10]

5. GOOD. Finally somebody standing up to that bully and...

not giving Israel a pass on every damn thing they do. I'm so fucking sick of right wing bullies making all the rules here and abroad. It's about time somebody called their bluff.

[no limit]

6. Wow, Obama won't have dinner with him. That sure hurts. What are we? In 5th grade?

How about we start cutting off the support instead of doing stupid useless gestures like these?

[Sherman A1]

26. It's a start.

I too would love to see Israel's aid package seriously reconsidered and significantly trimmed (times are tough here ya, know) but this is I believe a huge step forward.

[no limit]

46. No, it's not a start. The reason they are doing dumb shit like this

is because they arent willing to do anything more. Wanna bet me on it?

[Sherman A1]

58. It is indeed a start, as to your acceptance or rejection of that is up to you.

Getting the cold shoulder or stiff arm from the White House goes a very long way in sending a message to our Esteemed Israeli allies. (I personally would have cut them off after the attack on the USS Liberty, but that's just me).

There are at least a few in the Israeli Government that understand that US - Israeli relations are at their worst in some 30+ years and I am sure that they understand that the current climate makes aid packages just a bit more in question. I would also suspect that there are some very serious behind the scenes talks going on.

[WeekendWarrior]

34. You know, with thinking like that

you would destroy the world in about ten days if you were president. This is the give and take of diplomacy at work.

[no limit]

45. Really? This is the diplomacy? Snubbing someone at dinner instead of talking what you will really do

in terms of their aide package?

I don't think they give a shit if their prime minister eats dinner with our president, I think they care about the money and assitance that they are getting. And they are too scared to even suggest doing anything about it so they have to resort to these idiotic gestures that mean absolutely nothing.

[crikkett]

51. you're the only one who thinks it's an idiotic gesture

and it's a really good thing that we're not counting on your wisdom.

If you want to talk to people who think like you do I recommend this site. Have a nice day.

[no limit]

52. Brushe me off as a freeper. Classy move

I am asking you why they wouldn't threaten to remove any aide? You and I both know the answer. So without that threat yes, this is an idiotic gesture.

[crikkett]

64. YOU don't know if there was a threat to remove aid.

You are doing nothing more than generating noise by the light of your computer screen.

Netanyahu was left alone with his aides for an hour to deliberate on a response. I imagine that it was a kind gesture on the part of our President to give the man and his entourage a little time to regroup.

But I don't know, because I wasn't there, and I'm more than happy to let my President do his job.

Have a nice evening.

[habitual]

71. so basically your argument is that since they did

not take the diplomatic measure that you would have like to have seen taken, than any other measures are not diplomatic in nature.

So there was only ONE move that the administration had available to them at that moment, the one you would have like to see.

Oh well, sucks for you, but I am quite pleased that Obama sent a very clear message to them through his actions.

[Lance_Boyle]

7. The Nutty Yahoo is lucky he was even invited in to Our House.

Fuck him - he can whine about the "snubbing" all he wants to. I sincerely hope it thoroughly emasculates him before the Israeli people, who do not deserve such a shitheel for a leader, despite allowing him that position.

[lunatica]

8. The link goes to a page that has the headline and one sentence only

Obama snubbed Netanyahu for dinner with Michelle and the girls, Israelis claim

Benjamin Netanyahu was left to stew in a White House meeting room for over an hour after President Barack Obama abruptly walked out of tense talks to have supper with his family, it emerged on Thursday.

******

The page has all advertisements and related stories but a totally blank column where the article should be.

It looks like President Obama is growing short on patience. That or he's changing his strategy after giving others a chance to work towards something better. When plan A doesn't work go to plan B.

[ensho]

9. good. thank you Mr. President

nt

[tridim]

10. Perfect reaction to his RW BS. Keep it up Mr. President. nt

[Whisp]

32. I hope this is true.

nuttinyahoo thinks he's the big dog boss, well fuck you.

just watch,now Obama will be called an anti-semite. you just wait and see.

[lamp_shade]

11. Another GOOD!

[RT Atlanta]

12. How is that a "low?"

Fuck "yahoo" and any of his puke compatriots that have their underwear/panties in a wad over this.

The president is a family man and I applaud him for doing so!

[bridgit]

13. So what! All of a sudden Netanyahu has one little feather left to ruffle?

No don't tell me...here comes the ADL - Israel, Netanyahu, ADL & AIPAC - the only known perpetual motion machine

[TwilightGardener]

14. If the PM was going to "stall", why shouldn't Obama eat dinner?

[Doremus]

15. Good. Keep it up, Mr. President. nt

[kestrel91316]

16. Good for him. The family is more important than that egomaniacal

RW nutball.

[Richard Steele]

17. Good. K&R

[harun]

18. With RW'rs calling the shots Obama shouldn't waste his time on them.

[ecstatic]

19. I think the US should stop engaging all countries in the middle east

including Israel.

[Cetacea]

20. Next time he might want to think twice about embarrassing Joe Biden

our amazing Vice-president!

[MadBadger]

21. Has an American source reported this yet?

I have found that when writing about American politics, sometimes the telegraph and the other british paper are not always truthful.

[LibertyLover]

27. Last night on BBC News America

they reported that Bibi was in the Theodore Roosevelt Room right across from the Oval Office conferring with a number of his cabinet ministers while President Obama returned to the Residence. They didn't mention dinner with his family per se, but given that it was about 6:15 pm when he went, you could infer that it was to eat. BBC reported that he returned about an hour later and the talks continued. It sounds to me like Bibi and Obama conferred, Bibi wanted to talk to his people so President Obama left them alone and went "home" to eat - a sound negotiating tactic. Talks continued, IIRC, until about 8:30 pm or so when Bibi left, with nothing accomplished. If I were a betting person, I'd bet that Bibi is complaining to score points at home and with the conservative religious groups in the US who support Israel and don't care for President Obama.

[MadBadger]

35. Thats what Andrea Mitchell reported as well. I can see what you're saying

But I could also see the telegraph just putting snubbed in there for shits and giggles

[LibertyLover]

44. So true. If what I have been told

by British friends is correct, it wouldn't be the Telegraph if it didn't put in some sort of snide comment.

[Gwoppi]

22. I do believe

Our President might be a Taoist :)

[elleng]

50. EXCELLENT!

Him, me, and . . . .

Rugged individualism, the frontier mentality, the Protestant work ethic and competitiveness have combined to turn inaction into a North American sin. "The first basic principle of Taoism is wu-wei: the art of standing aside, of knowing when not to do something," says Ray Grigg, ...

http://www.google.com/search?q=taoism+in+american+history&hl=en&sa=G&ie=UTF-8&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=K8CrS5y8JIX7lwfFgI3MDg&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CCcQ5wIwCg

[Cha]

60. +1

[Gwoppi]

72. And so am I...

Hebrew by ancestral DNA, but Taoist by choice and proud design :D

Obstruction is about to give way to Breakthrough, and Preponderance of The Small will now yield to create Supreme Success. The Sage is in The White House.

Light em if you got em, folks, this Presidency is gonna be a good one. :smoke:

[FarCenter]

23. Israeli media slams PM's bid to end US row

http://www.france24.com/en/20100325-israeli-media-slams-pms-bid-end-us-row

<SNIP>

But Israeli army radio said the visit had done little to repair relations and was at best a "disappointment" and at worst a "resounding failure."

Israel's Haaretz newspaper said Netanyahu had left Washington "disgraced and isolated" after a flurry of meetings that unusually included no public statement or joint photo opportunity.

"Instead of a reception as a guest of honour, Netanyahu was treated as a problem child, an army private ordered to do laps around the base for slipping up at roll call," it said.

Israel's Maariv newspaper said: "There is no humiliation exercise that the Americans did not try on the prime minister and his entourage.

"Bibi received in the White House the treatment reserved for the president of Equatorial Guinea," it added, using Netanyahu's nickname.

<SNIP>

[ohheckyeah]

40. "Netanyahu was treated as a problem child"

Maybe it was because he acted like a problem child?

[kenny blankenship]

24. I wouldn't want that asshole around my family either

[Stables2010]

25. Ha, this is all theater the spoiled brats will get what they want

[RaleighNCDUer]

28. Can you blame him? I'd certainly rather have dinner with Michelle and

the girls than meet with that old fascist.

[HopeHoops]

29. Well GOOD FOR HIM! At least Obama knows he can get somewhere with Michelle.

:evilgrin:

No, seriously. That's the sign of a real man - putting his family ahead of fanfare. Netanyahu had no intention of yielding any ground in the discussion anyway.

[madokie]

30. Makes me like the President even more

[Mira]

31. That's change we can believe in. And Chutzpah, too. GOBAMA. N/T

[backscatter712]

33. Can't say I'd blame Obama. Netanyahoo is a douche... n/t

[DefenseLawyer]

36. Will this do anything to hasten the Rapture?

I mean that's the most important thing about supporting Israel, right?

[Warren DeMontague]

49. Only if you're Sarah Palin.

People with fucking brains in their heads realize it's in everyone's interest to foster a realistic 2 state solution to the problems over there.

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. Good...Netanyahu is a dishonest land-grabbing asshat

He deserves to be snubbed until he can get with the program over there.

[librechik]

38. nice opening--now withhold the $3B

Netanwaryahu has to know their are consequences to actions.

[gratuitous]

39. Oh dearie me!

At least Obama didn't run over Netanyahu with a bulldozer.

[ChicagoSuz219]

41. I can understand that...

I can work with anybody, but I'm very particular about who I eat with... ;-)

[Poll_Blind]

42. Raw video of Netanyahu's ego after Obama left to have dinner with his family:

Here

PB

[Fleshdancer]

43. $10 says Biden is laughing his ass off

Obama and Biden really do seem like a team to me and they both seem to remember when the other has been snubbed.

[Cleita]

47. Good for him. I consider Netanyahu on the same level of

criminality as I do Dick Cheney.

[Warren DeMontague]

48. Bibi is a bit of an ass, to put it mildly.

It would be helpful if there was leadership over there that was serious about solving the I/P situation, again.

[MindandSoul]

53. Since when what having dinner with one's family a crime???

I don't blame our President!. . .

And, really, the "save the family" Republicans should be happy about it!

Isn't "family value" their main message (that is. . .prior to "Kill all the Bills" rethoric!!!

[devilgrrl]

54. Boo hoo. Netanyahu is an asshole.

eom

[malaise]

55. Netanyahu fucking dissed the Vice President of the United States

That was a big fucking deal.
Same knife stick goat, stick sheep.

[mitchum]

56. Hell, I would prefer dinner with hyenas rather than dine with Netanyahu

[Owl]

57. Good.

[whatsthebuzz]

59. It's a start

Stand up to nutty Netanyahu, Obama. Be firm. We're not Israel's bitch.

[JNelson6563]

62. Oh snap!

Bitches.

[Catshrink]

63. I hope he saved room for pie.

[HughMoran]

65. Holy crap!

Whoever said Obama was a pushover? That is serious hardball.

[Odin2005]

66. BWAHAHAHA!!! Suck it, Nut-n-Yahoo!

[Pierre Trudeau]

67. They were having pork chops for dinner

So I doubt Netanyahu would have wanted to join them anyway.

[cali]

68. uh, why do you think that comment is appropriate on a liberal blog?

[Pierre Trudeau]

69. why would it be more appropriate elsewhere?

It's no longer liberal to make a silly joke?

[condoleeza]

70. I love this

Truly the classiest thing I've seen Obama do and SO well deserved. Netanyahu is a complete egomaniac, I'm sure this really pissed him off. I love it. Nobody deserved it more than Ben. I hope he had a nice dinner with his girls. Fuck Netanyahu - peace has to start somewhere and he just doesn't care about peace. Regardless of whose people lived where when, the reality is that people are more important than religion. Religion is just BS. I am so tired of religion being used as an excuse. The Jews have learned precious little from all they have had to endure as a people Truly sad for the entire world. When will we ever learn? Apparently it is human nature to chew off your own hand rather than consider any kind of justice.

[dionysus]

73. LOL. aww... poor bibi

:nopity: