PMO denies report of Obama-Netanyahu rift
Kuwaiti paper reports Sunday that the US president is refusing to take Israeli leader’s phone calls
Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
The Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday denied a Kuwaiti media report that US President Barack Obama has refused to answer phone calls from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days.
The Kuwaiti paper al-Jarida reported Sunday that the rift between Israel and the US has deepened recently, nearly leading to a disconnect between the two governments. Quoting a “knowledgeable source,” the daily reported the Obama has stopped taking Netanyahu’s calls over the past two days, and instead directed him to speak with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
According to the paper, a group of influential Jewish Americans are working to mend the rift and want to facilitate a meeting between Netanyahu and Obama at the White House for that purpose.
The story was picked up by the Hebrew media Sunday, leading to the denial from the PMO.
A spokesperson for the prime minister flatly told Israeli media that the report was untrue.
Relations between Israel and the US have been strained in recent weeks, with the two sides clashing publicly over talks between Western powers and Iran over the country’s nuclear program.
Elhahan Miller contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.