YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    The Week

    Is Israel's Netanyahu trying to get Romney elected?

    By The Week's Editorial Staff | The Week – Fri, Sep 14, 2012

    The Israeli prime minister and the GOP nominee are old friends. Netanyahu and Obama? Frenemies, at best

    President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have a famously testy relationship, particularly when it comes to Obama's hesitance to back a potential Israeli attack on Iran, says Glenn Thrush at Politico. But both camps had informally agreed to keep any disagreements private — until Netanyahu slapped Obama over his Iran policy this week and let leak that Obama had declined to meet with the Israeli leader next week. (The White House denies a meeting was ever requested). Netanyahu's jabs at Obama, which may be intended to move the needle in a tight presidential election, haven't gone unnoticed, either here or in Israel. "Which regime is more important to overthrow — the one in Washington, or in Tehran?" Israeli opposition leader Shaul Mofaz pointedly asked Netanyahu on Wednesday, warning that "meddling in internal U.S. affairs" is dangerous. Is Netanyahu trying to throw the U.S. election to his longtime friend Mitt Romney — who Netanyahu worked with in Boston in the 1970s?

    Yes. And Bibi needs to butt out: Netanyahu is making "an unprecedented attempt by a putative American ally to influence a U.S. presidential campaign," says Joe Klein at TIME. Such foreign meddling should be "intolerable for any patriotic American," as should Bibi's other goal: "Trying to shove us into a war of choice in a region where far too many Americans have already died needlessly." Real friends don't do that, and Romney needs to let his old pal know that "his interventions into our political process and policy-making are not welcome."
    "Enter Bibi"

    SEE MORE: The incredible shrinking foreign policy debate

    So what if he's meddling? "I don't believe Netanyahu is trying to influence the American election," says Carl Sherer at Israel Matzav, "and I don't think he could even if he wanted to." But if I'm wrong, and "Bibi's actions happen to throw the election into Romney's hands?" That's fair game. Americans have been meddling in Israeli politics since George H.W. Bush. "Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."
    "Time's Joe Klein rips Netanyahu and Rivlin"

    If anything, Netanyahu thinks the race is over: U.S. and Israeli politics are more intertwined than usual this year, but while Netanyahu might prefer dealing with a President Romney, a former top U.S. intelligence official tells Politico, he and his top advisers "are grimly accepting the reality Mitt won't win." Bibi is incredibly attuned to American politics, and he's vocally trying to get Obama to side with him on Iran now, because after the election, which he expects Obama to win, Bibi will have no leverage.
    "Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Barack Obama" 

    SEE MORE: Are Democrats better than Republicans at creating jobs?

    Read more political coverage at The Week's 2012 Election Center.

    View this article on TheWeek.com Get 4 Free Issues of The Week

    Other stories from this topic:

    Like on Facebook - Follow on Twitter - Sign-up for Daily Newsletter
    Loading...

    More Politics News

     

    News for You »

    • Boyfriend espaces out window as husband confronts cheating wife [VIDEO]

      As part of perhaps the most spectacular walk-of-shame ever, an underwear-clad lover escaped from a third floor bedroom as the returning husband confronted his cheating wife on a balcony.

    • AP photographer describes destroyed Okla. school

      MOORE, Okla. (AP) — I left the office in Oklahoma City as soon as I saw the tornado warnings on TV. I had photographed about a dozen twisters before in the past decade, and knew that if I didn't get in my car before the funnel cloud hit, it would be too late.

    • Kids rescued from rubble at Okla. elementary

      MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Several children have been pulled out of the rubble alive at a school in an Oklahoma City suburb.

    • Rescues, Grim Recoveries at Elementary School After the OK Tornado

      There's a reason that many eyes were on Plaza Towers Elementary as Moore, Oklahoma began to assess the damage from a deadly, devastating tornado that blasted through the town Monday evening and killed at least 51 people: the school was leveled, with dozens of children still inside. And so far, some of the most emotionally charged news has emerged from the story unfolding there. 

    • China says its legal ivory trade not to blame for poaching

      BEIJING (Reuters) - China's small traditional trade in carving uses ivory acquired through legal auctions and in no way encourages or worsens the problem of elephant poaching in Africa, a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday. Demand for ivory as an ornamental item is soaring in Asia and especially in China, driven by the rising purchasing power of the region's newly affluent classes as well as growing Chinese investment in Africa and demand for its resources. ...

    • BREAKING: Subway Just as Unhealthy as McDonald’s!

      If you watched the London Olympics last summer, you saw a parade of top athletes touting the nutritional qualities of their favorite eatery: Subway. Watching Apolo Ohno or Robert Griffin III bite into a veggie footlong with avocado or hearing that Subway is “the official training restaurant of athletes everywhere,” you might get the idea that the food served at the chain isn’t that bad for you—that it’s even healthy.

    • See the Face of Suspected Burglar After Homeowners Fought Back

      It involved a stun gun.

    • Navy Dolphin Finds Rare 130-Year-Old Torpedo

      A Navy dolphin training to look for mines off the coast of San Diego found a museum-worthy 19th-century torpedo on the seafloor, military officials said.

    Show More
    Loading...

    Follow Yahoo! News