New book claims Obama slammed Netanyahu in 2012

According to new book 'Double Down,' during 2012 presidential campaign, US president said Israeli prime minister was 'pain in the ass'

Yitzhak Benhorin|Published: 11.05.13 , 23:00

WASHINGTON – "Double Down," a book by senior MSNBC correspondents Mark Halperin and John Heilemann was released Tuesday, revealing behind-the-scenes political stories from the American race for presidency in 2012.

In contrast to the attempt to combine Israel in the campaign, the Israeli subject is hardly mentioned in the book, other than one meeting of Obama with his aides a year before the elections to discuss foreign matters in the campaign.

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When the Israeli-Palestinian issue came up, Obama referred to Netanyahu, saying: "We all know Bibi Netanyahu is a pain in the ass." Obama later expressed regret over the exaggerated American involvement in mediating between Israel and the Palestinians.

The US president was very active with his entrance to the White House in January 2009 and one of his first moves was to appoint a special delegate and publicly pressuring Israel to freeze settlement building. A little later he realized he was wrong by using public pressure, and stirred clear of the matter.

Obama acted to improve his ties with Israel, culminating in his decision to visit Israel shortly after he was elected president a second time.

The new book also revealed that Obama boasted to his aides that he's "really good at killing people." Obama, who gave the order to execute Osama Bin-Laden in Pakistan, extensively used drones to kill terrorists in Pakistan, Yemen, and recently in Africa.

According to the book, Obama said this during a discussion with his aides about drone strikes in the past year. The quote raised significant criticism, although the White House claimed it was a false report.