"He spat in our face publicly and that's no way to behave."

[geek tragedy]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.638604

note: just google the headline and follow the google link to read the entire article

Obama also warned Netanyahu not to meddle in the battle he is waging against Congress over the sanctions legislation, the official said. This warning was issued more than a week before Speaker of the House John Boehner publicly invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress. Netanyahu’s address, which will take place at the height of the battle between Obama and the Republican-controlled Congress, is expected to focus on the Iranian nuclear issue and what he sees as the need to ratchet up the pressure on the Iran.

At Netanyahu’s behest, both U.S. Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer and members of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, have been urging members of Congress in recent weeks to advance legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran. Netanyahu has also urged new sanctions on Iran in all his meetings with American legislators, including his meeting earlier this week with a delegation headed by Republican Senator John McCain.
...

Nevertheless, hiding behind this diplomatic language was enormous anger on the part of the White House over the fact that Netanyahu has been working behind the U.S. administration's back regarding the Congress address, which led to the decision to completely ostracize the PM during his visit.

"We thought we've seen everything," a senior American official said. "But Bibi managed to surprise even us. There are things you simply don't do. He spat in our face publicly and that's no way to behave. Netanyahu ought to remember that President Obama has a year and a half left to his presidency, and that there will be a price."

[oberliner]

1. Time for him to move on

Hopefully the Israeli voters will be giving him the boot shortly.

[geek tragedy]

2. sadly we all know how this is going to play out.

he gets a three-fer--

1) adoring applause as Congress turns itself into a campaign prop for Likud;
2) acting tough on Iran;
3) defying/publicly feuding with Obama (who may be marginally more popular than Iran is in Israel right now)

That's electoral gold.

The consequences are extremely toxic for the long-term relationship, as this kind of blatant interference in our political process cannot go unpunished.

But Bibi was never a long-term thinker, or one who's actually concerned about the big picture.

[oberliner]

3. Probably so

He is more popular among US Republicans than just about anywhere else.

[geek tragedy]

4. Do you think he realizes that he's threatening the US bipartisan consensus on Israel?

If Israel's government becomes an extension of the Republican party and a partisan player in our politics, that will have some very negative consequences.

[oberliner]

5. He seems to me to be a pretty simple single-minded guy, not unlike Bush

He is really fixated on the idea that Iran poses an imminent and existential threat to Israel (and secondarily, to the rest of the world) - and that only action from the US can prevent that from happening. His mind is as made up on this matter as Bush's was with respect to Iraq.

[geek tragedy]

6. Only action by the US? Certainly he can't be delusional enough to think we're going to start a war

with Iran because he snaps his fingers.

There may very well could be a war, but it will be Israel that will have to do the heavy lifting, not the US.

Certainly not after this.

[oberliner]

7. Action meaning super strict sanctions of the kind that Obama says he will veto

Remember that he spoke to the UN to try to warn everyone that Iran was on the verge of getting nukes and would be a threat to the civilized world if permitted to do so. He is hoping to line up stricter sanctions against Iran with the US taking the lead on that front. Personally, I do not see him succeeding in this endeavor and resent the way he is behaving with respect to Obama - whose approach to Iran I think is exactly the right one.

[azurnoir]

8. Hardly anything new for Netanyahu, but what price will there be?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

9. A heavy one. That moron should stay home. He will do more harm than he realizes,

but Bibi does things for Bibi.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

10. What kind of assh*le circumnavigates our POTUS

in order to score crass political points for themselves and the GOPigs?

[aranthus]

11. Someone who thinks that the benefit is worth the price.

Netanyahu is trying to win an election in Israel. Apparently he thinks he needs all the help that he can get. He knows that he doesn't need to convince the Congress to vote sanctions on Iran. The Republicans are chomping at the bit to do that. He's looking for a way to make himself look good to Israeli voters. The Reps are looking for a way to make the President look bad. They are using each other. Netanyahu must think that he can ride out another year and a half of an angry Obama administration, but that he must have as much of a push from this as he can get in order to win re-election.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

12. May it blow up in his face.

[quadrature]

13. don't let him in the country ...

what am I missing here?

[aranthus]

14. That makes Obama look afraid of what he would say.

Remember that Netanyahu has been invited by the Speaker of the House. If Obama refuses him entry, then he's dissing the Congress in a way that looks bad.

[Calista241]

15. I wouldn't say he's threatening relations

How threatened can the relations be when the sanctions are going to pass Congress, and it's going to be close to a veto proof majority. Congress will also make sure any aid packages are funded and approved.

The only thing the Administration can really do is change our strategy at the UN and perhaps support or decline to veto a few UN resolutions. And there's going to be a LOT of political flack to be taken by the Administration if that happens.