PM has no comment on Michael Oren’s op-ed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects an American request to publicly distance himself from opinions voiced by Michael Oren criticizing the Israel policies of US President Barack Obama.

Oren, Israel’s former ambassador to the US, penned an op-ed that was published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. After the op-ed brought in its wake an angry phone call from US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro to Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon, the party in which Oren is currently an MK, Kahlon sent a letter to Shapiro emphasizing that Oren’s views were his own and did not reflect the party line of Kulanu.

Oren, according to Kahlon’s letter, stuck by his views and said he would not take back his words. His op-ed comes ahead of the publication of his book “Ally,” which he wrote about his time as an Israeli diplomat in the US.

According to Haaretz, Shapiro also called Netanyahu several hours after the publication of Oren’s op-ed.

Netanyahu refused Shapiro’s request and said he had no intention of publicly addressing the op-ed. A Haaretz request to hear the prime minister’s view of the issue was answered with a statement saying the Prime Minister’s Office is not willing to comment, the paper reports. Shapiro refused to comment on the content of his call with Netanyahu.

On Wednesday evening, John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said that Oren’s claims were not accurate and did not reflect the reality of US-Israeli ties when Oren was a diplomat.

This morning, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said “Oren’s words are not in line with reality.”