"Moreover, Netanyahu will in all likelihood swiftly return to his old habit of alienating Israel's friends. Even Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak once admitted the Israeli nationalist leader made him "very, very, very exasperated." Jordan's King Hussein, who at one point ceased all contact with the former premier, openly accused him of betrayal and trying "to destroy all that I have worked to build between our peoples."
And who can forget how the Americans talked about him after his last stint as premier? Former White House staffer Aaron David Miller described in his book how President Bill Clinton reacted to Netanyahu's habit of lecturing foreign leaders: "Who the f*** does he think he is? Who's the f***ing superpower here?" Former White House spokesman Joe Lockhart described him as "one of the most obnoxious individuals you're going to come into - just a liar and a cheat." Surely President Barack Obama will have even less patience for Netanyahu's attempts to obstruct a peace settlement." Daily Star
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Probably so.
It is unlikely that Barack Obama will tolerate Netanyahu's normal arrogance and overbearing demeanor.
It is, however, likely that Netanyahu will "try it on." Why? Because he is compulsive and will not be able to help himself. Like a lot of extreme nationalists in various parts of the world, Netanyahu deeply believes in the intellectual and moral superiority of what he thinks of as his people. For him, innate feelings of group superiority are the bedrock of his personality. The Oval Office encounter which I forecast some time ago is inevitably in the cards now. Ah, to be a fly on the wall in that one.
To see such a confrontation approaching does not require "moral and intellectual superiority." Therefore one must ask why the Israeli electorate has created the preconditions for that meeting. I will leave the question open for debate. PL
