Opposition leader speaks at rare summer Knesset session, attacks PM over growing rift between US, Israel: "The world not sick of Israel, the world sick of Netanyahu."

Mofaz to PM: Are you trying to oust Obama or Ahmadinejad?

 

Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday over what he perceives is a growing rift between Israel and the United States, asking rhetorically: "Who are you trying to replace? The administration in Washington or that in Tehran?"
Speaking at a special Knesset session taking place during the summer recess, Mofaz slammed the prime minister for what some believe to be an ongoing diplomatic rift between the two countries. "How far will you allow this deterioration in relations to continue?" he asked. "Prime minister, please tell me who our biggest enemy is. The US or Iran?"
 
Tensions between the the two countries were reportedly roiling after Netanyahu asked the US to set red lines for Iran’s nuclear program. The prime minister was rebuffed by senior US official, who stated that such ultimatums were unhelpful.  In a bid to dispel rumors of a rift, the US State Department announced that Obama spoke with Netanyahu for an hour about Iran and other security issues on Tuesday night.
Mofaz said that Netanyahu's approach was not only alienating a main ally in the US, but was also ineffective in isolating Iran. "We saw the results of Netanyahu’s actions two weeks ago when 120 countries and the secretary-general of the United Nations applauded our greatest enemy," he said. Mofaz was referring to the Non-Aligned Movement summit, hosted by Tehran, and touted by Iranian official for proving that Western diplomatic efforts to sanction the Islamic Republic have failed. "The world will not turn its back on Israel," Mofaz said. "The world is not sick of Israel, the world is sick of Netanyahu and does not believe him."
Mofaz added that the US has an interest in a "strong and secure Israel in permanent borders."