Senior White House Official Calls Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu 'Chickenshit'

The Crisis In U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here -- Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic

The Obama administration's anger is "red-hot" over Israel's settlement policies, and the Netanyahu government openly expresses contempt for Obama's understanding of the Middle East. Profound changes in the relationship may be coming.

The other day I was talking to a senior Obama administration official about the foreign leader who seems to frustrate the White House and the State Department the most. “The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chickenshit,” this official said, referring to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, by his nickname.

This comment is representative of the gloves-off manner in which American and Israeli officials now talk about each other behind closed doors, and is yet another sign that relations between the Obama and Netanyahu governments have moved toward a full-blown crisis. The relationship between these two administrations— dual guarantors of the putatively “unbreakable” bond between the U.S. and Israel—is now the worst it's ever been, and it stands to get significantly worse after the November midterm elections. By next year, the Obama administration may actually withdraw diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations, but even before that, both sides are expecting a showdown over Iran, should an agreement be reached about the future of its nuclear program.

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More News On A Senior White House Official Calling Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu 'Chickenshit' And ‘Aspergery'

Binyamin Netanyahu 'chickenshit', say US officials in explosive interview -- The Guardian
Report: Senior administration officials call Israel’s Netanyahu ‘chickens–t’ and ‘Aspergery’ -- Washington Post
White House tries to ease flare-up over Netanyahu insults -- FOX News
White House to Haaretz: 'Chickenshit' jibe against Netanyahu inappropriate, counterproductive -- Haaretz
White House rejects insults of Netanyahu -- USA Today
U.S. Denies Crisis With Israel After Reported Netanyahu Insult -- NBC
Israel's Netanyahu fumes at reported U.S. slur -- Reuters
Israeli Leader Lashes Back at Harsh US Criticism -- AP
Netanyahu Responds to U.S. Official: I Am Not a 'Chickensh—t' -- Bloomberg
Netanyahu Responds To ‘Chickens***’ Comment: ‘I Am Being Attacked Because I Am Willing To Defend The State Of Israel’ -- CBS News
Israel PM vows no concessions after US criticism -- AFP
US official calls Netanyahu "chickenshit"; Israeli lawmaker calls US a third world country -- VOX News
Why are U.S. officials trash-talking Netanyahu? -- Daniel W. Drezner, Washington Post
Some background to the “Chickenshit” controversy -- David Bernstein, Washington Post
The ‘Chickenshitgate’ Fallout for America, Israel, and the Middle East -- Ben Cohen, Algemeiner