President Obama made the most of the opportunity to dis Israel at The White House today. Obama had a sit-down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking the first meeting with a head of state with no pictures.
Obama and Netanyahu conferred for about 90 minutes in the Oval Office, but in a break with custom reporters were not allowed to see the close allies shake hands and begin their discussions.
Still, it is highly unusual for a visiting ally not to be seen with the president, either for photographs or statements, and the treatment seemed linked to a crisis marring relations between the two countries.
That’s what it seemed. But it was a message of solidarity to the militant Arab / Muslim world of the Middle East and beyond. What it was, was the president dissing our ally in the Middle East. Congress, on the other hand, wasn’t so smug. They played the part of good cop.
On Capitol Hill, Netanyahu received a warm public reception from Congress on Tuesday, with a top Democrat and Republican joining to praise a leader who has refused to back down in a disagreement the White House says threatens new peace talks.
“We in Congress stand by Israel,” the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., assured Netanyahu at an all-smiles appearance before the cameras. “In Congress we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel.”