Hot Mic Catches Obama, Sarko, Griping About Netanyahu
EmailCourtesy of a hot microphone, journalists attending the G-20 last week heard President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy complaining about Israeli Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu.
The French media watch website “Arret sur Images” was first to report the conversation.
“Obama began by reproaching Sarkozy for not warning him in advance that France would vote in favour of Palestinian membership of UNESCO,” the website reported. “The conversation turned to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, with Sarkozy saying ,’I don’t want to see him anymore, he’s a liar.’
“To which President Obama replied: ‘You’ve had enough of him, but I have to deal with him every day!’ Obama then asked Sarkozy to try to convince the Palestinians to slow down with their UN membership drive.”
The journalists who overheard the remarks did not initially report them, but since then other European media outlets have started to do so, including the BBC.
Reuters is reporting the comments, having confirmed them with one of its reporters who overheard them.
ABC News’ Alexander Marquardt reports that Israeli media outlets are covering the comments, with the Jerusalem Post writing that one of Netanyahu’s rival political parties, “Kadima, whose last Knesset campaign slogan was ‘Bibi, I don’t believe him,’ chose not to comment on the matter. ‘What Sarkozy said is more than enough,’ a party spokesman quipped.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
-Jake Tapper
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Well, Netanyahu is openly hostile to US foreign policy priorities…. from Egypt to Palestinian statehood, from Libya to settlement expansion. Obama would be a fool for not realizing that the PM has no respect for his administration.
Posted by: buzz | November 8, 2011, 9:00 am 9:00 am
Ha! Just imagine what Sarko says about Obama behind his back.
Posted by: Denbo | November 8, 2011, 9:15 am 9:15 am
It’s about time America wake up and realize how it is being used and abused by Israel.
Posted by: Searambler | November 8, 2011, 9:19 am 9:19 am
It’s about time America wake up and realize how it is being used and abused by Israel.
Posted by: thomas mc | November 8, 2011, 9:19 am 9:19 am
BUZZ! What are you talking about, Israel has bent over backwards to get to a peaceful solution, they given up land, released terrorists and yet the palestinian just want more and more, not satisfied with anything, every day the lobby rockets into Israel killing and maiming, and according to you they should let that happen, like the Iranien said wipe Israel of the map. Would that make you happy?
Posted by: Lizzie | November 8, 2011, 9:20 am 9:20 am
When will Obama help his shia friends in Iran destroy Israel? He is NO FRIEND of the jew
‘Occupy’ Protesters Splatter Blood, Urine On Food Carts After Vendors Stop Free Service… I am Obama and I support the OWS..LMAO
Posted by: walk like an egyptian, whine like a liberal | November 8, 2011, 9:48 am 9:48 am
More Anti-Semite statement from OWS and their Dictator.
Posted by: deadwrestler | November 8, 2011, 9:56 am 9:56 am
According to Israel News the mics were open for over 3 minutes. Where is the rest of the conversation? WHY DOES THE MEDIA CONTINUE TO COVER FOR THIS MAN?
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 8, 2011, 10:07 am 10:07 am
Netanyahu has to actually keep his country safe unlike those to yahoos. He knows Pres. Obama has no back bone and will not back him up. Obama is too scared to even make a decision on the pipeline from Canada.
Posted by: Freedom | November 8, 2011, 10:16 am 10:16 am
Lizzie, you wrote: “Israel has bent over backwards to get to a peaceful solution, they given up land, released terrorists and yet the palestinian just want more and more.”
No wonder you don’t get it. This is the most ignorant representation of the situation in Palestine that I have ever heard.
Israel continues to take Palestinian homes for settlements. If you call that “bending over backwards,” then please let me bend over backwards for you… steal your house, put your children in a refugee camp, put police checkpoints everywhere, and deny you access to basic food, water, and medicine…
Posted by: Buzz | November 8, 2011, 10:16 am 10:16 am
“You tell ‘em Mein Fuhrer!” Spare us the theatrics!
Sarkozy, himself, is Jewish…. and he has no problem stating the obvious about Netanyahu. It doesn’t make you an anti-semite to notice that a foreign leader exploits his allies…. It’s just a statement of fact.
It’s kind of loathsome that Republicans always try to trot out Hitler and the Holocaust whenever anyone criticizes Israel’s foreign policy…. but they don’t bat an eye whenever they trot out George Soros to serve in the role of the diabolical international leftist Jewish banker conspirator. Historically speaking, their constant fearmongering about Soros has more in common with Nazi anti-semitism than the people who criticize Israel for expanding settlements.
Posted by: Buzz | November 8, 2011, 10:29 am 10:29 am
FREEDOM-
If your points are so valid, why do you find it necessary to resort to the hysterical language and insults? The truth to any reasonably minded person is not the way you paint it.
You conveniently leave out that a large part of palastine, gaza, is run by a group called Hamas- the only governing body in the world to express sympathy and outrage upon the death of osama bin laden and committed to the destruction of the jewish state.
Please sate your case with the type of coutsy and dialogue I have extended you- otherwise you appear to be resorting to insults and claims because you lack facts.
Posted by: thetruthisoutthere | November 8, 2011, 10:45 am 10:45 am
Everyone knows Muslims and Jews don’t get along.
Posted by: newcountryman | November 8, 2011, 10:46 am 10:46 am
Freedom writes, “Obama is too scared to even make a decision on the pipeline from Canada.”
Yeah, it took Obama a couple years to catch bin Laden. Bush was busy making deals with Gaddafi, while Obama actually had the sense to know that the man behind the deaths of the Marines in Berlin deserved to be chased out of power.
It’s one thing to just hate Obama blindly….. it’s your right as an American to hate the president. But you don’t get to make up your own facts.
The GOP needs to get on the right side of history.
Posted by: buzz | November 8, 2011, 10:48 am 10:48 am
“It’s kind of loathsome that Republicans always try to trot out Hitler and the Holocaust whenever anyone criticizes Israel’s foreign policy…. but they don’t bat an eye whenever they trot out George Soros to serve in the role of the diabolical international leftist Jewish banker conspirator. Historically speaking, their constant fearmongering about Soros has more in common with Nazi anti-semitism than the people who criticize Israel for expanding settlements”
Perhaps we could discuss this with Lloyd Blankfein, ja?
Posted by: Fritz | November 8, 2011, 10:49 am 10:49 am
I have to laugh at those rushing to defend Netanyahu. He is considered divisive and controversial in Israel and he gets pilloried at home on a regular basis for preferring settlement construction in the West Bank to peace talks. Meanwhile, Sarkozy has been recognized by Israel as being more friendly to Israel than his predecessors and for improving French-Israeli relations. On top of all that, journalists overheard snippets of conversation, not the entire conversation.
So far the biggest complaint coming out of Israel that I’ve read is of the nature of “Hey Obama, how do you think WE feel. We REALLY have to deal with him everyday.” His approval rating took a nose dive over the summer. He’s not as unpopular as the negatively viewed congressional republicans in America, but,hey, who is? He’s still very unpopular.
Buzz, I agree with your comment @ 10:29 am
Posted by: Kimberly | November 8, 2011, 11:00 am 11:00 am
Everyone knows Muslims and Jews don’t get along.
POSTED BY: NEWCOUNTRYMAN
Buzz is a muslim and not an anit-semite?
Posted by: foggy | November 8, 2011, 11:04 am 11:04 am
Hey everyone, meet me at Sbarro Pizza!
Posted by: Fritz | November 8, 2011, 11:29 am 11:29 am
Jake, it wasn’t a “hot mike” that “caught” them — you should change your misleading title. The two leaders were having a private conversation, and the reporters were told this & that that’s why they weren’t yet being handed the headphones to plug into the translation feed. A number of the reporters who had their own headphones on them then used them in an unauthorized fashion to surreptitious plug in.
Posted by: Kal Shen | November 8, 2011, 11:30 am 11:30 am
America blindly defends everything israel does. netanyahoo speaks to the US President like he’s an ignorant child and Obama puts up with it.
America is the greatest country on earth and stands for freedom and justice for all….as long as your not Palestinian.
Posted by: me | November 8, 2011, 1:00 pm 1:00 pm
“America is the greatest country on earth and stands for freedom and justice for all….as long as your not Palestinian.”
Yeah, we couldn’t even dock our aid boat in Palestine. Where was the US to help out?
Posted by: IRISL | November 8, 2011, 1:08 pm 1:08 pm
“America is the greatest country on earth and stands for freedom and justice for all
Run that by Eric Holder and the killing of a border agent that he says he has no involvement in.
Posted by: walk like an egyptian, whine like a liberal | November 8, 2011, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm
That’s the problem with conservatives these days…. when faced with a reasonable argument, they just start screaming “nazi” or “commie” or “muslim” or whatever. Just nothing there. Lots of feelings, but no substance. Watch as another one of their messiahs skyrockets to the top of pop charts and then sinks like a stone…. Trump, Palin, Bachmann, Perry, Cain? When the self-proclaimed defenders have such chronically poor judgement that they reject their own champions every few weeks and move onto to another pop star…. you gotta ask yourself, do you really want these people running the country. Better just to build them a play room, fill it with guns, ghost-written books by their favorite curmudgeons, a jumbotron with Fox News, and without any government supported services (water, sewer, electricity, education, etc.)…. and let them think they’ve been raptured. And then the rest of us can have a functional country.
Posted by: buzz | November 8, 2011, 2:24 pm 2:24 pm