Ambassador to US slams NY Times over Netanyahu-Romney article

In a letter published by the New York Times on Thursday, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Oren took the paper to task for its front page report, on Sunday, about the long-standing friendship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Of particular concern was an apparent factual mistake regarding a phone call between the two men during Netanyahu’s recent visit to the US.

“In your article about the relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (“A Friendship Dating to 1976 Resonates in 2012,” front page, April 8), you reported that ‘on Super Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu delivered a personal briefing by telephone to Mr. Romney about the situation in Iran,’” wrote Oren.

“In fact, Prime Minister Netanyahu was in Washington for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference and, after meeting with President Obama for more than four hours the previous day, received a call from Mr. Romney. The call lasted a few minutes and covered a range of topics, not just Iran,” Oren made clear.

The New York Times piece by Michael Barbaro revealed that the two politicians’ friendship dated back to the 1970s, when they worked together as corporate advisers at the Boston Consulting Group, and carried on to the present day. The article went on to give examples of the open communications between the two leaders, suggesting that their working relations might be better than the constantly strained one between Netanyahu and US president Barack Obama.

In his letter, Oren called attention to the article’s undertone and stated that “Israel does not interfere in internal political affairs of the United States — contrary to the article’s insinuation — and greatly values the wide bipartisan support it enjoys in America.”

The letter reflects ongoing tension between the Prime Minister’s Office and one of the world’s leading news organizations.

Several weeks ago, Netanyahu’s adviser Ron Dermer sent a letter to the paper, stating that Netanyahu does not plan on writing any op-ed pieces in the newspaper, due to its constant criticism of his government’s policies.