Netanyahu’s brother-in-law calls Obama an anti-Semite

As if relations between Israel and the United States weren’t icy enough lately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother-in-law, Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi, has now publicly called President Barack Obama an anti-semite on an Army Radio program: It’s not that Obama doesn’t like Bibi. He doesn’t like the nation of Israel… When there is an anti-Semitic president ...

As if relations between Israel and the United States weren't icy enough lately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brother-in-law, Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi, has now publicly called President Barack Obama an anti-semite on an Army Radio program:

As if relations between Israel and the United States weren’t icy enough lately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother-in-law, Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi, has now publicly called President Barack Obama an anti-semite on an Army Radio program:

It’s not that Obama doesn’t like Bibi. He doesn’t like the nation of Israel…

When there is an anti-Semitic president in the United States, it is a test for us and we have to say: We will not concede. We are a nation dating back 4,000 years, and you in a year or two will be long forgotten. Who will remember you? But Jerusalem will dwell on forever.

Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly distanced himself from the comments, saying "he completely disagreed with his brother-in-law." President Obama has repeatedly expressed his support for Israel (and in a 2008 interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, offered one of the most sincere, human take on Israel any American politician ever has), but it seems far-rightists like Ben-Artzi have comprehension problems.

Andrew Swift is an editorial researcher at Foreign Policy.

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