A day after senior Obama administration officials were quoted calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "coward" and a "chickenshit," the White House tried to calm tensions on Wednesday by distancing itself from the offensive statements. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the remarks did not reflect the Obama administration's views and were counterproductive. "That close relationship does not mean that we paper over our differences. The fact is, the United States has repeatedly made clear our view that settlement activity is illegitimate, and only serves to complicate efforts to achieve a two-state solution in the region." Yet, Earnest noted, the Israel-U.S. relationship was "as strong as ever." Earnest said no effort was being conducted to determine who made the controversial remarks to Atlantic columnist Jeffrey Goldberg. "I am not aware of who made those comments. ... I am not aware if the president knows who made those comments. I'd be surprised if he did," Earnest said. National Security Adviser Susan Rice was scheduled to meet on Thursday in Washington with her Israeli counterpart, Yossi Cohen, and a senior delegation of Israeli officials for the US-Israel Consultative Group Meeting -- a biannual event. "The relationship is not in crisis," Rice said on Wednesday. "The relationship is actually fundamentally stronger in many respects than it's ever been." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, "The U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong, our security bonds have never been greater, and the ties between our nations are unshakable. We remain fully and firmly committed to Israel's security. On the comments, we think such comments are inappropriate and counterproductive." When asked by reporters whether an effort would be made to find out who made the comments, Psaki replied, "There are anonymous sources in all of your stories every single day. If we spent all of our time focused on that effort, we wouldn't be working on diplomacy." The National Jewish Democratic Council issued a statement on Wednesday, expressing "surprise and disappointment at the profane and inappropriate language attributed to a senior administration official in describing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even in informal conversation, the use of the term was unprofessional and does not meet the standard of civility and deference that has typified the administration even in disagreement with its long-time ally." Ohio Republican John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, said, "When the president discusses Israel and Iran, it is sometimes hard to tell who he thinks is America's friend and who he thinks is America's enemy. Over the last several months, I have watched the administration insult ally after ally. I am tired of the administration's apology tour. The president sets the tone for his administration. He either condones the profanity and disrespect used by the most senior members of his administration, or he does not." In Israel, a senior political official said, "It's possible the comments were made ahead of the signing of a bad nuclear deal with Iran, with the knowledge that the prime minister will harshly criticize such a deal." According to the official, the Americans timed the attack on Netanyahu to delegitimize him ahead of this expected criticism. In a Knesset address on Wednesday, Netanyahu said, "As prime minister, I stand firm with regard to Israel's security. I care about the lives of each and every citizen and each and every soldier. I have been on battlefields many times. I risked my life for this country, and I am not prepared to make concessions that will endanger it. And it must be understood, our supreme interests, first and foremost security and the unity of Jerusalem, are not the top priority of those same anonymous sources that attack us and me personally. I am being attacked only because I am protecting the State of Israel. If I did not protect the State of Israel, if I did not stand up decisively for our national and security interests, they would not attack me. And despite the attacks I face, I will continue to protect our country; I will continue to protect the citizens of Israel. "I would also like to add that I respect and appreciate our deep connection with the United States. Since the establishment of the country, we have had disagreements with the U.S. and we will have disagreements in the future as well. However, they are not at the expense of the close relationship between our peoples and our countries. We have seen time and again, this year as well, that support for the State of Israel is ever increasing among the American public." On a state visit to Poland, President Reuven Rivlin said, "I was happy to hear the denials from the White House regarding these accusations that were hurled at the prime minister." Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said, "The unrestrained criticism of Israel and its leader quoted today from 'officials' in the White House crossed all lines. You can have disagreements, but in diplomatic relations -- certainly among close allies -- it is appropriate to maintain a respectful dialogue." Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi) said, "In recent years, the Americans have demonstrated ignorance and a complete lack of understanding of the Middle East. They will not achieve anything by throwing insults and slurs at the prime minister." Finance Minister Yair Lapid said, "There is no Israeli citizen for whom it is pleasant to hear these statements against the prime minister. However, one cannot ignore that there is a crisis that must be dealt with." The Labor Party, led by MK Isaac Herzog, released a statement, saying, "The prime minister is inflaming the relationship with the U.S. as a diplomatic pyromaniac, for the purpose of political survival. This harms Israel's security interests, its economy and its society."
Credit: Reuters
"The prime minister and the president have forged an effective partnership, they consult closely and frequently and did so as recently as this month right here at the White House in the Oval Office," Earnest said.
