‘Israel and US choosing to escalate rift’

After US House Speaker John Boehner announced that he had invited Netanyahu to address Congress without first notifying the president, Obama said he would decline to meet the Israeli leader during his visit, saying it would be “inappropriate” to meet him two weeks before the prime minister would run for reelection.

A US spokesperson criticized on Friday Israel’s decision to issue tenders for the construction of 450 housing units in the West Bank, saying the move “would only undermine the ability of the Israelis to build support internationally”.

The Times said that if Netanyahu is reelected, “the result may be a virtual freeze in the relationship at the very top” for the rest of Obama’s tenure.

The newspaper earlier reported that Netanyahu recently reached out to senior Democrats, but failed to alleviate tensions.

Efraim Halevy, former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency said in the report that Israel’s government had decided to tacitly support the Republican Party. “Israel is now placing its bets on one side of the aisle,” Mr. Halevy reportedly said. “I think it’s a mistake.”

 

Read More: ‘Israel and US choosing to escalate rift’ – Israel News, Ynetnews