White House Tries to Ease Tension after Netanyahu Insults

Carrie Dedrick | Updated: Oct 30, 2014

White House Tries to Ease Tension after Netanyahu Insults

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was recently insulted by an unidentified White House official. Netanyahu was allegedly called a coward, as well as another inappropriate name by an official; the quoted insults were published in The Atlantic magazine. The White House is now attempting to ease the tension that the insults have caused.

Alistair Baskey, National Security Council spokesman said, “Certainly that's not the administration's view, and we think such comments are inappropriate and counter-productive. Prime Minister Netanyahu and the president have forged an effective partnership, and consult closely and frequently, including earlier this month when the president hosted the prime minister in the Oval Office.”

Despite efforts to ease the situation, many Israelis have taken offense to the remarks. 

Dan Gillerman, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, called the situation “shameful.” 

“This is not the way you speak about your only ally, about the only democracy in the Middle East, especially not when the Middle East is so volatile,” he said. 

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said President Obama should "name, apologize for, and repudiate" the individual who made the comments. 

The White House has not yet announced any plans to identity the person who made the comments.

Publication date: October 30, 2014



White House Tries to Ease Tension after Netanyahu Insults