Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to reconsider his recent appointment of a communications chief who accused US President Barack Obama of being antisemitic.
Within hours of Mr Netanyahu naming Ran Baratz as his new head of media relations on Wednesday, it emerged that the former university lecturer had written on Facebook that Mr Obama’s foreign policy on Iran and Israel amounted to “modern antisemitism.”
In another post, Mr Baratz suggested that US Secretary of State John Kerry had the mental age of a child.
Mr Netanyahu is due in Washington on Monday in an effort to patch up his relations with Mr Obama. In a tweet, the Israeli PM denied claims that he would fire Mr Baratz, and wrote that he would “deal with the matter upon my return”. It is understood that Mr Baratz will not travel to the US with the prime minister next week.
State Department Spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that Mr Baratz’s comments about the president and the secretary were “troubling and offensive… We understand the prime minister will be reviewing this appointment when he returns from his visit to the United States.
“We obviously expect government officials from any country, especially our closest allies, to speak respectfully and truthfully about senior US government officials,” said Kirby, adding that “it’s a rule you learn in kindergarten about name-calling and it’s simply not a polite thing to do.”
In another controversial Facebook post, Mr Baratz appeared to agree with the statement that President Reuven Rivlin was “not important enough for someone to assassinate”.
Mr Netanyahu said in a statement: “I have just read Ran Baratz’s posts on the internet, including those relating to the president of the Israel, the president of the United States and other public figures in Israel and the US.
“Those posts are totally unacceptable and in no way reflect my positions or the policies of the government of Israel. Mr Baratz has apologised and has asked to meet me to clarify the matter following my return to Israel.”
