Israeli Politician Calls Obama's Comments on Netanyahu 'Hypocritical'

One of the senior Israeli politicians from Benjamin Netanyahu's party rejected Barack Obama's criticisms of the Israeli Prime Minister's policies, labeling them as 'unjust' and 'hypocritical.' In response to Obama's remarks in an interview with the American magazine Atlantic, Tzachi Hanegbi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee and head of the Likud party faction in the Israeli Knesset, criticized Obama during an interview with Israel Radio on Friday, June 1. Obama, in the Atlantic interview published on Thursday, May 31, referenced Netanyahu's statements during the Israeli election campaign two months prior. Netanyahu had stated that as long as he is the political leader of Israel, Palestinians should dream of their independence, and he expressed fear over the widespread voting of Arab citizens of Israel, warning Israelis that 'look at the Arabs going to the polling stations like a herd and in buses!' After the elections, Netanyahu somewhat moderated his comments and apparently apologized to Arab citizens of Israel. Obama told the Atlantic magazine that Netanyahu's remarks contradicted the values of Judaism that have guided him in his political efforts and also contradicted the Israeli Declaration of Independence. The U.S. President added that these remarks would affect U.S. policies towards the Israeli government. While Benjamin Netanyahu himself has remained silent in response to Obama's statements, Tzachi Hanegbi, one of his closest politicians in the Likud party, stated on Friday that the repetition of the U.S. President's criticism is 'inappropriate' and 'hypocritical.' Hanegbi claimed in the interview with Israel Radio that Obama should criticize Iran for its high number of executions, yet instead, he is 'struggling to reconcile with such a regime that has a record of killing its own people.' However, following Hanegbi's criticism, Barack Obama also defended his policies regarding Iran and support for Palestinian independence during a speech at one of the largest synagogues in Washington on Friday night. In this speech, Obama reiterated that the disagreement between him and the Israeli Prime Minister regarding 'strategic and unwavering U.S. support for Israel' does not affect the overall support. He emphasized that Judeo-Christian values have always guided him in his support for Israel and the Jewish people. Obama added that just as Jews declared their independence, Palestinians also have the right to witness their own independence, and the two-state solution is the best path to ensure Israel's security in the long-standing conflict with Palestinians. The U.S. President reiterated his statements from the Atlantic interview, stating that the nuclear agreement with Iran 'will end in his name' and 'his personal reputation is at stake,' thus efforts will be made to 'prevent a bad nuclear deal with Iran and sign an agreement that makes the region, including Israel, safer and closes the path for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons... and be able to proudly say even 20 years from now that because of this agreement, Iran could not build a bomb.' Meanwhile, Israeli media noted that Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., who always attends the mentioned synagogue, was absent during Obama's speech, an event that these media outlets described as 'an order from Netanyahu to show the Israeli government's displeasure with the U.S. President.'