U.S. State Department Criticizes Netanyahu's Media Advisor's Remarks

John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on Thursday, November 5, that the remarks made by Benjamin Netanyahu's new media advisor regarding Barack Obama, the President, and John Kerry, the Secretary of State, are "disturbing and upsetting." According to Reuters, Kirby added that John Kerry had discussed this issue with Benjamin Netanyahu. During this conversation, Kerry learned that Netanyahu intends to reassess the appointment of Ran Baratz after returning to Israel. Reuters reports that Baratz had previously accused Barack Obama of anti-Semitism in his writings and claimed that John Kerry has the mental capacity of a 12-year-old child. The U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Thursday: "Baratz's remarks about American officials, especially the President and Secretary of State, are disturbing and upsetting. We expect officials from any country, especially our close allies, to speak honestly and respectfully about senior U.S. officials." According to Reuters, hours after Baratz's appointment as the media director of the Israeli Prime Minister's office on Wednesday, Israeli media republished many controversial quotes from him that had previously been published on Facebook and websites. Reuters notes that it seems the officials in the Prime Minister's office did not conduct the necessary reviews regarding Baratz's appointment. An Israeli official stated that Baratz apologized to Netanyahu over the phone for these quotes. Reuters added that Netanyahu, in a statement, tried to indicate that these quotes do not relate to his positions; however, he still considers Baratz's appointment as his media advisor valid. According to the Israeli Prime Minister's statement, Netanyahu is set to meet with Baratz next week after returning from the U.S. Baratz has requested such a meeting. In Netanyahu's statement, he mentioned: "I have read Dr. Ran Baratz's recent writings, including those about the President of Israel, the President of the United States, and other prominent figures published on websites. I find these statements inappropriate, and they do not reflect my positions or the policies of the Israeli government." According to Reuters, Baratz wrote on Facebook last year regarding Obama's reaction to Netanyahu's statements in Congress: this is an example of modern anti-Semitism in Western and liberal countries. Ran Baratz, 42, holds a PhD in philosophy from the Hebrew University. According to Western media, he was dismissed from his teaching position at this university five years ago due to his extremist views. The remarks of the new media director of the Israeli Prime Minister's office have gained attention as Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with White House officials in Washington in the coming days to discuss U.S. military aid to Israel.