US officials tell the Wall Street Journal that a phone call between US President Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday on the state of ceasefire negotiations in Cairo was “particularly combative,” as ties between the countries have soured over Gaza.
US President Barack Obama during a news conference August 6, 2014 at the State Department in Washington, DC. (Photo credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)
The paper reports that Washington has increased its control over arms transfers to Israel after the administration was shocked to discover in late July that the Pentagon was providing the Jewish state with ammunition for the war without its knowledge, just as officials were trying to bring about a cessation of hostilities.
“We were blindsided,” a diplomat says.
A transfer of a large batch of Hellfire missiles was also put on hold by the Pentagon.
An administration official notes on the sorry state of diplomatic ties between the nations: “The United States is their strongest friend. The notion that they are playing the United States, or that they’re manipulating us publicly, completely miscalculates their place in the world.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
