Sometimes I feel like I could run the show better at the Israeli Foreign Ministry than its current occupants.
Last month, the Israeli government managed to apologize to Turkey after Turkish media depicted Israelis in an anti-Semitic context. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon refused to shake the hand of a Turkish ambassador, leading Israeli officials to apologize while Turkish officials expressed dismay at the lack of etiquette from their Israeli counterparts.
Turkey is one thing, but publicly insulting your best friend that continually goes out on a limb to defend you is another. Oh, and that friend also buys you lunch, millions of times over with arms shipments and direct assistance.
That’s right, now the Foreign Ministry has decided to take U.S. officials to task. Ayalon refused to meet with a delegation of U.S. congressman because the lawmakers traveled to the region accompanied by J Street officials. The pro-Israel pro-peace lobby organization has had a rather rocky relationship with Israel, facing accusations of being more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israel. However, the feud could be coming to a close.
Apparently, Ayalon still holds a grudge.
The congressional delegation included: Reps. Bob Filner (D-CA), Lois Capps (D-CA), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH), Donald Payne (D-NJ) and William Delahunt (D-MA).
In response, the Foreign Ministry released the following statement, alleging that Israel, not the congressmen, is running the show.
“The Foreign Ministry always welcomes American Congress members visiting Israel and is happy to organize meetings for them with any state official as per their request.
“The Foreign Ministry would be happy to organize such meetings for the American Congress members visiting Israel at the moment, and there is no need for any mediators. The Foreign Ministry regrets the attempt to impose who will be present in the meetings, which is unacceptable in diplomatic life.”
The fracas comes on the heels of apparently cold interactions between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama. The two countries clashed over settlement activities and minimal progress in the peace process. Moreover, Vice President Joe Biden is en route to the region to meet with the region’s leadership.
As an aside, let’s not forget that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is currently under investigation for fraud charges and could resign if charged. Lieberman was an effective kingmaker last year, throwing his party behind Netanyahu in exchange for high-level cabinet positions for his party, including the post of top diplomat.
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