WASHINGTON — Friends and allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the Obama administration Thursday for halting a weapons shipment to the Jewish state.
“The Obama people came into office with almost a chip on their shoulder against Netanyahu,” Rep. Peter King (R-NY) told The Post. “He was treated worse than most enemies are treated. They were almost looking for a fight with Netanyahu and they got it.”
The Wall Street Journal revealed Thursday that Israel has been sneaking stockpiles of ammunition behind Obama’s back through the Pentagon.
Once the White House learned of the shipments, it halted a request for Hellfire missiles, asserting “the buck stops here.”
Rep. Steve Israel (D-LI), just back from a week in Israel, said he’ll press the administration to strengthen Israel’s missile defenses. “I can tell you firsthand: When terrorists are firing rockets, it’s no time for behind-the-scenes speculation,” Israel said.
The Obama administration pushed back on the WSJ story.
“I would strongly disagree with the notion that some of us didn’t know what was going on,” said Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman.
She insisted there’s no change of policy toward Israel, saying “it’s natural” to review shipments “in any crisis.”