US-Israel relations have been especially tense over the past several days, with US President Barack Obama giving a particularly cold reception to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s re-election last week.
The many harsh statements that have been made over the past week are not in a vacuum, according to a senior diplomat – who claims that the multiple condemnations are indeed a form of “revenge” from the Obama Administration against Netanyahu.
“The White House has three main motives,” the source explained to Walla! News. “One, revenge (for Netanyahu’s speech in Congress). Two, frustration. It’s no secret that they were involved in an attempt to bring down the Netanyahu and we know that clearly, and they have failed. Three, the government’s attempt to shift the focus from them because the negotiations with Iran to the Palestinian issue.”
According to the expert, Obama is specifically attempting to use “deterioration in the Palestinian territories” as an excuse to draw attention away from the disastrous – and unpopular – Iran nuclear deal, despite the fact that “he knows that the only place preserving the stability of the Middle East at the moment is here.”
The senior official heavily criticizes the Obama administration’s handling of Israel and the issue of peace talks, asking why the issue of “settlements” in Jewish areas of Judea and Samaria are suddenly the most important policy issue on the agenda.
“Look what we have done so far with the construction in the settlements,” the official fired. “We took upon ourselves all of the restrictions from the [Ariel] Sharon – [George W.] Bush era, which allowed natural growth but not the establishment of new settlements.”
“But this administration does not understand the Sharon-Bush terms,” he continued. “Their policy is a “no brick” policy, and it doesn’t make any sense.”
The White House has levied toward Israel since Netanyahu’s victory, including a set of remarks later Monday night whereby it stated that Israel’s “occupation must end.”
