Netanyahu called a liar RR#7

[Ms. Weston]

What are some possible results of this gaffe?

Sarkozy tells Obama Netanyahu is a "liar"
^{By Yann Le Guernigou | Reuters – 15 mins ago (11/8/2011)
news.yahoo.com/sarkozy-told-obama-fed-israeli-pm-092347721.html}

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a liar" in a private conversation with President Barack Obama that was accidentally broadcast to journalists during last week's G20 summit in Cannes.

"I cannot bear Netanyahu, he's a liar," Sarkozy told Obama, unaware that the microphones in their meeting room had been switched on, enabling reporters in a separate location to listen in to a simultaneous translation.

"You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you," Obama replied, according to the French interpreter.

The technical gaffe is likely to cause great embarrassment to all three leaders as they look to work together to intensify international pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

The conversation was not initially reported by the small group of journalists who overheard it because it was considered private and off-the-record. But the comments have since emerged on French websites and can be confirmed by Reuters.

White House press secretary Jay Carney declined to comment on the conversation when asked by reporters traveling with Obama to an event in Philadelphia.

Obama's apparent failure to defend Netanyahu is likely to be leapt on by his Republican foes, who are looking to unseat him in next year's presidential election and have portrayed him as hostile to Israel, Washington's closest ally in the region.

Pushing Netanyahu risks alienating Israel's strong base of support among the U.S. public and in Congress.

Netanyahu's office declined immediate comment.

Obama and Netanyahu have had a rocky relationship as U.S. efforts to broker a Middle East peace deal have foundered, with the U.S. president openly criticizing Jewish settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It was unclear why exactly Sarkozy had criticized Netanyahu. However, European diplomats have largely blamed Israel for the breakdown in peace talks and have expressed anger over Netanyahu's approval of large-scale settlement building.

PALESTINIAN WORRIES

During their bilateral meeting on November 3, on the sidelines of the Cannes summit, Obama criticized Sarkozy's surprise decision to vote in favor of a Palestinian request for membership of the U.N. cultural heritage agency UNESCO.

"I didn't appreciate your way of presenting things over the Palestinian membership of UNESCO. It weakened us. You should have consulted us, but that is now behind us," Obama was quoted as saying.

The October 31 UNESCO vote marked a success for the Palestinians in their broader thrust for recognition as a sovereign state in the U.N. system -- a unilateral initiative fiercely opposed by Israel and the United States.

As a result of the vote, Washington was compelled to halt its funding for UNESCO under a 1990s law that prohibits Washington from giving money to any U.N. body that grants membership to groups that do not have full, legal statehood.

Obama told Sarkozy that he was worried about the impact if Washington had to pull funding from other U.N. bodies such as the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the IAEA nuclear watchdog if the Palestinians gained membership there.

"You have to pass the message along to the Palestinians that they must stop this immediately," Obama said.

The day the conversation took place, the Palestinians announced that they would not seek membership of any other U.N. agency.

Sarkozy confirmed that France would not take any unilateral decisions when the U.N. Security Council discusses a Palestinian membership request, a debate expected later this month.

"I am with you on that," Obama replied.

_{(Writing by Crispian Balmer)}

[lesliegillett]

The story about Obama and Sarkozy speaking privately but having their conversation broadcast is just one in a string of similar events over the recent past. It is embarrassing for the politicians to have what they thought was private become public, but even more embarrassing I think is what Mr. Netanyahu must feel. The French and US leaders weren’t saying that he’s simply difficult to work with, or too argumentative, they were outright calling him a liar. A deputy in the Israeli government downplayed the comments saying that the policies of the US and France were more important. It does bolster the feelings of many other Arab Nations to hear western leaders speak in such a manner, it seems to me. Tension in that part of the world is very high, and it doesn’t help to have “supporters” if Israel make such a slip. Overall, I doubt this event will have any real effect, either bad or good.

[ameirrobertson]

This story highlights in part that you have to always remember that someone is watching you whether you like it or not. The world today can be characterized by a billion eyes always watching, and a billion tongues always judging any word that every person says. The world is now uber connected, and word travels at the speed of light. The statements made by Obama and Sarcozy are nothing more than gossip and small talk between two world leaders. The media and the enemies of the two of them will have more to say about it than Netanyahu will.

[Courtney Laddimore]

The story basically covers how French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a liar. The part that made it look bad was the fact that it was during a private conversation which President Obama, and it was leaked out eventually. There was nothing really wrong on both ends of the conversation except for the fact of their privacy being taken. Obama really did not do anything wrong, just clarified that he deals with the Prime Minister more than Sarkozy. People do what they always do and blow things out of proportion. The only reason why people are truly mad is because Obama did not say anything to defend Netanyahu. There was no reason for Obama to say anything since it was Sarkozy that was venting overall. What could happen as a result in the matter is that Netanyahu could become angered by the remark causing tension amongst the three leaders. Since they work together over the Iran issue, it would only create an awkwardness that could result in negative press.

[brandireschke]

My mom has told me time and time again "If you don't have anything nice to say keep your mouth shut." French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Obama should have been more aware of their surroundings while attempting to have a private conversation. I know that when someone says something negative about me, I don't want to deal with them anymore. Since Sarkozy called Netanyahu a liar, I don't see him wanting to continue their political relationship. As political figures who run countries, Sarkozy and Obama should be ashamed of themselves. They are respresentatives of their countries and as such any feelings about other politcal figures should be kept to themselves. The only outcome that I see happening for the gaffe is Netanyahu being hesistate to talk with Sarkozy and Obama again. They both could have possibly tarnished an important relationship.

[alicagalikova]

It is very strange that such high politicians as Presidents Obama and Sarkozy would exchange this conversation in front of reporters or interpreters in a Summit. Even though this article says it was a private conversation, there must have been microphones within a reach. They also must be aware of the fact that there are people waiting for gaffes like this to blow them out of proportion as it happens so many times (especially before presidential elections).

It is an embarrassment for both of them. The question is what were Obama and Sarkozy talking about exactly. And Israeli Prime Minister as well as other Israeli diplomats might not be willing to cooperate as much in the future if blunders like this will appear. It can seriously affect the support of the US by Israel. But I believe, what made it worse was Obama’s addition that he has to deal with Netanyahu more often!!

[davidmccoy]

With cameras and media constantly surrounding them, Presidents Sarkozy and Obama, should have never had such a conversation. Information such as this is exactly what gets world leaders in a tough situation. This comment could have ended Netanyahu’s trust in President Obama and our country for that matter. The Israelis should view the United States as a reliant country. An apology for the ill remarks should have been made following the release of this story. Like mentioned in the article, Republicans will definitely use this information against President Obama in the next election. Public opinion about Obama and his decisions while President are vastly negative at this point and will only decrease as information like this surfaces.

[vcontreras]

This story tells of a conversation between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and United States President Barack Obama believed to be had in private but in actuality they were being listened in on by reporters in another room. The reason this is so controversial is because they were discussing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and referring to him as a "liar" and how they were "fed up with him." This is truly an embarrassing thing to happen to all three parties involved. This could possibly impact United States' relations with Israel and President Obama's reelection plan. I believe that if you are a public figure as well-known as President Sarkozy and President Obama then it is important to recognize that everything you say could be listened in on and possibly skewed to shine a negative light on you. They must be extra careful and watchful of what they do and say.