Oren: Obama Did Not Snub Bibi
President Obama never snubbed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s U.S. ambassador said.
Michael Oren ran through what he said were the distortions of a March 23 White House meeting between Netanyahu and Obama during a dinner he hosted this week for top Democrats.
According to an account of Oren’s remarks prepared by the National Jewish Democratic Council, whose officers attended the dinner, Oren outlined why the Obama-Netanyahu meeting was not a snub.
The meeting was last minute, Oren said – Obama was scheduled to be overseas, but stayed in Washington to shepherd a health care reform vote through Congress – and was therefore not “official.” Such meetings do not have photo opportunities, Oren said.
Oren also dispelled rumors that Netanyahu entered through the back door – he came in through the front door – and that Obama ended the meeting to dine alone with his family.
In fact, he said, Netanyahu ended the first part of the meeting and asked if he could stay at the White House and consult with his staff before having another meeting with the president. Obama agreed.
Furthermore, Oren noted, Obama’s family was not in town.
According to the NJDC, Oren said that his own relations with top U.S. officials were “as good as or better” than his predecessors.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.