Washington – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador Dan Shapiro did engage in a sharp, undiplomatic exchange last Friday over the Israeli leader’s frustration with the Obama Administration’s Iran policy, the US congressman in that meeting said Thursday.
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Republican Congressman Mike Rogers from Michigan, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, told a Michigan radio station that the “sharp exchange” was “unusual to say the least.”
According to transcribed segments of the interview that appeared on Jeffrey Goldberg’s blog, Rogers – when asked whether it was inaccurate to say the exchange was a shouting match – replied that “there were elevated concerns on behalf of the Israelis.”
Pressed whether he had ever experienced anything like that before, he said, “We’ve had sharp exchanges with other heads of state and in intelligence services and other things, but nothing at that level that I’ve seen in all my time where people were clearly that agitated, clearly that worked up about a particular issue where there was a very sharp exchange.”
Yedioth Ahronoth published on its front page last Friday a report of the exchange, saying that “sparks flew” during the meeting. Two days later Shapiro went on Channel 2 and denied the story, characterizing it as a “silly” report that “did not reflect what actually occurred in the meeting.”
Rogers said that it was “very, very clear” from the meeting that the Israelis “had lost their patience with the administration. There was no doubt.”
“Right now the Israelis don’t believe that the US administration is serious when they say that all options are on the table, and more importantly neither do the Iranians. That’s why the [nuclear] program is progressing,” he said.
Rogers said that he walked out of the meeting feeling that Israel was a “wits’ end,” and feeling that the window for impacting the Iranian program was starting to close.
The Michigan Republican said that what was apparent was “a lot of frustration with the lack of clarity and the uncertainty” about the US administration’s position on the Iranian issue.
“And that’s what I think I saw across the Middle East,” he added. “The uncertainty about where the United States’ position is on those questions has created lots of problems and anxiety that I think doesn’t serve the world well and doesn’t serve peace well.”
Content provide as courtesy of The Jerusalem Post
well all the liberal jews will still live in denial and say obama is great on israel
Its frustrating and painful that the US has such a gloomy mind as president. No policy on anything, not on Syria, or China, wrong approach over Egypt, and no clear view on Russia.
The world around us is burning in issues, and flip flop, shaky, silly putty is all we see from the white house. Talks with the Iranians, and sanctions, but no results ! We all know why “no respect to America and Obama”. The world doesn’t admire a weak leader that wants to be on everyone’s good side.
Obama is an unbalanced character without real future view, that’s why he doesn’t understand what’s wrong with a 100 Trillion deficit, or with a nuclear Iran.
The Obama administration has behaved as irresponsibly as is humanly possible . They have left a huge gapping leadership void in the world that is being exploited by the Iranians, the Russsians and the Chinese to great effect. It’s Neville Chamberlin all over again
G-d help us all if we are stupid enough to elect him again
If you see the movie “Obama: 2016”, you’ll understand why he acts the way he does…
What is the big tsimmis of two yidden shouting at each other? I’ve seen such occurrences many times before!
Ok so what exactly would Romney do? Bomb Iran? Send oil prices flying to $200 a barrel. Iran will strike back attacking Iraq , Saudi Aarbia, Hizbollah will unleash missles. It would be a blood bath and would send us into a recession. Unfortunately there is no answer and that’s the truth. It’s not Obama fault.
PM Netanyahu is at “wits end” because he is privy to the real intelligence and truth. He is running scared of the “matzav” and its complications.
We too should take this to heart as we approach the RBS”O now and really daven hard. This is a real scenario, a very dangeous time, and we need huge Rachamei Shomayim.
It is hard to understand how we people are so complacent in face of such an existential threat to Eretz Yisrael.
And don’t think for a minute that it will only effect E”Y. It will bring out the worst (any scenario – in fact in all scenarios – Israel will be to blame) of anti-Semitism that will be felt throughout America and especially Europe.
Now is the time. We are capab;e of bringing a “yeshua” through our “tefillos” – but they must be with true sincerity.
Time to wake up. Time for Selichos.
Ksiva V’Chasima Tova to all