Bibi and the presidents

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The president hated Bibi so much he interfered with the Israeli election and all but campaigned openly for the Labor candidate. He sent advisors to Israel to help Labor's campaign.

Yup, it was 1999, and relations with Netanyahu and the Clinton administration were at a low point. Clinton made his distaste for Bibi clear and wanted him out of office.

A couple of differences between then and now.


  1. Clinton succeeded, and Ehud Barak defeated Netanyahu.
  2. Clinton actually interefered. Obama in 2015 did very little compared to Clinton's efforts in 1999.

What's the common thread? Bibi. So do you still think Obama "hates Israel" and is an "anti-Semite"? In that case, you have to say the same about Clinton.

Or maybe, just maybe, the problem lies with Bibi, the guy who seems to go out of his way to antagonize multiple US presidents.

Comments

  1. Mighty Garnel IronheartMarch 20, 2015 at 2:15 PM

    No, there are other major differences. Back in the late 1990's many people were still under the delusion that the Oslo discords would still work out and Bibi was seen as sabotaging that. Recall that Clinton had just been humiliated by his sexual pecadillos and was scared that his sexual scandals were all he'd be remember for. Clinton didn't campaign against Bibi because he hated him, he campaigned against him to save his precious agreement and legacy.

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