Netanyahu’s diplomatic slap-down of Obama

On Friday Bibi delivered what is, in my humble opinion, a beautifully diplomatic slap-down to Obama’s Middle East policy speech from Thursday. (h/t CifWatch, TCKT)

Netanyahu’s response, together with the negative and disapproving reaction of top Jewish American leaders, will hopefully be leading to positive results as it seems Obama will be softening his stance towards Israel and its borders in his upcoming speech to AIPAC

Defense Minister Ehud Barak was rather more sanguine about the whole affair, saying the Obama-Netanyahu meeting was less dramatic than made out in the press.

Surprisingly, Deputy FM Danny Ayalon agreed with Barak’s position, adding:

… it was positive regarding Israel.

“Obama remains committed to Israel as a Jewish state and even demanded answers from the Palestinians regarding the reconciliation deal with Hamas,” Ayalon said at a cultural event in Holon on Saturday.

“The president stood up for Israel’s right to self-defense,” Ayalon added, as well as “the need for defensible borders and the end to [all] claims.”

The deputy foreign minister continued, “It is clear from Obama’s speech that no agreement will be forced upon Israel and that unilateral measures will fail.”

Addressing the conflict of positions regarding pre-1967 borders, which the US president demanded be a basis for future borders in his speech Thursday, Ayalon said, “It’s a type of disagreement between good friends that has not influenced the past and will not influence the deep friendship and natural alliance between Israel and the US [in the future].”

I hope this isn’t more double diplo-speak.