CBS News is reporting that Israeli officials were "insulted" by the photo to the right. In it, Obama is talking with Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone, with his feet up on his desk. As much as Israel prides itself for being a "Western" outpost in the Middle East, this photo seems to have struck a regional nerve as CBS reports, "They saw the [photo] as somewhat akin to an incident last year, when
the Iraqi reporter threw a shoe at President Bush in Baghdad." Wow, someone seems to be a bit sensitive these days. In what can only be interpreted as sardonic editorializing, writer Howard Arenstein adds, "It is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too."
The CBS story also shares a report from Israeli television that an "American official" meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday told him, "We are going to change the world. Please, don't interfere." George Mitchell and Netanyahu met for four hours on Tuesday in Jerusalem. The story adds that Netanyahu aides understood this statement as a "threat."
We've been following on the site how Israel seems to be in a state of panic and that Israeli anxiety over the US/Israeli relationship seems to be hitting a boiling point. When Obama finally does go to visit Israel, he might want to watch out for some flying shoes.
