Obama and Netanyahu Reject Rumors of Rift

President Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu both dismissed the notion of a rift between Israel and the White House, the Hill reports. Obama took a reporter to task for suggesting such a thing, inviting the reporter to look at "every public statement" to find an example of distance between the two nations. "There aren't any concrete policies that you could point to," Obama said. "I've trusted Prime Minister Netanyahu since before I was elected president, and I've said so both publicly and privately."

Netanyahu offered a succinct rejection: To "paraphrase Mark Twain," the prime minister said, such rumors "are not just premature, they're just flat wrong." Netanyahu invited the president and first lady to visit Israel. The fact that the Obamas have not yet made a visit has provided fuel for critics who say the administration is keeping Israel at arm's length.
(More Barack Obama stories.)