Why Obama and Netanyahu Don't Get Along

2012 photo/jta-ron kampeas

Douglas Bloomfield's Op/Ed piece, Playing the "Holocaust card" could backfire on Netanyahu, bemoans the lack of warmth between the American and Israeli leaders.

His [Netanyahu's] barely concealed personal antipathy toward the president of the United States was on display throughout his visit to Washington last month. He had high (deserved) praise for Congress and for some select members, and he thanked the president for his speech of support for Israel and the American government’s help for Israel.
But there was not a single kind word personally for the man who has hosted him eight times in the Oval Office. No foreign leader has made as many visits to the White House in this administration, and none has had such a rocky relationship with the president.

 Bloomfield thinks that Netanyahu should be more grateful for American support and should be willing to support US policies as strongly as the US supports Israel's. Bloomfield misses the fact that Netanyahu got along famously with George W. Bush and has a strong relationship with Mitt Romney stretching back to 1976.

Part of the problem is politics.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk said Netanyahu is “much more of a Republican than he is a Likudnik.” The PM himself once told an interviewer, “I speak Republican.”

Part of the problem is style.

Former Ambassador Dennis Ross wrote in “The Missing Peace,” his memoir of the Clinton years: “In the meeting with President Clinton, Netanyahu was nearly insufferable, lecturing and telling us how to deal with the Arabs. … After Netanyahu was gone, President Clinton observed, ‘He thinks he is the superpower and we are here to do whatever he requires.’ No one on our side disagreed with that assessment.”

Obama is also known for lecturing people. Put two "lecturers" in a room and no one is a listener. That doesn't make for a good relationship. Obama and Netanyahu have enough combined ego and narcissism to fill Madison Square Garden. Each thinks that the world should just shut up and listen. That doesn't help their relationship either. However, I believe their partnership was poisoned by their very first meeting on May 18, 2009. Obama, hoping to reshape the middle east, demanded that Netanyahu agree to an immediate settlement freeze. I would guess that was not a good opener. Offering Netanyahu a ham sandwich would have worked better! Netanyahu's team, quite upset by this tactic met and decided to go home rather quickly.

Later we had the infamous interchange with the French president.

"I can't stand him. He's a liar," Sarkozy said of Netanyahu, according to the website [Arret Sur Images]. Obama replied, "You're tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day," the site reported.

I'll bet that Netanyahu will be hoping Romney wins in November.

Update: Obama takes the politically-risky move of snubbing Netanyahu in September of an election year. See the Haaretz article here.