And you thought Obama had it bad with Netanyahu. Look at this uncanny image from the Netanyahu-Merkel meeting yesterday. “JPost photographer snaps what must be the most inadvertently hilarious political picture of the decade,” tweets AFP’s Jerome Taylor.
But the Jerusalem Post says it is not using the photograph.
This next photo is also odd. Yousef Munayyer wrote: “Look at all this space between us, I can fit a new settlement here!”
Here’s the video from the little press appearance.
At 1:45 they shake hands, and it’s pretty chilly.
Well, Angela Merkel grew up in the old East Germany, and knows a Eastern European despot given to clan corruption and enrichment at the ruthless expense of others, when she sees one. Compare and contrast the recently deposed president of Ukraine. That is the culture Bibi, Leiberman and a host of other hardline brutalists in Israel come from, where democracy, human rights and accountability are simply inconveniences which can be manipulated and ignored.
Matt Drudge ran the photo on Drudge Report this morning — portraying Angela Merkel as a Nazi (Adolph Hitler). (Drudge was also a leading driver of Monicagate.) It’s clear where Drudge is coming from on Israeli issues.
Netanyahu has been privy to all Merkels telephone conversations, private and business, thanks to the NSA sharing this information with the Israelis. Information is power, no wonder they will not give it up easily.
Netanyahu can have his laugh. We’ll see who will have the last laugh. And considering that he is watching her as he does it(and smiling), I don’t think he did it without purpose.
Germany is really Israel’s last ally in Europe, and possibly UK, too.
We’ll see how long this lasts. Merkel has the perfect excuse now to chill relations even more. This may be an unexpected gift for her, once the embarrassment has settled.
Being fortunate to be fluent both in english and german, I had to notice that the translator did differ from what Merkel said. It is very usual and it bothers me, because sometimes it leads to great misunderstandings.
Merkel´s face talks a whole story, and I would like to warn Bibi, she is not a pushover like our great leaders in Washington are. She may just decide to take the last two submarines, that Germany gave to Israel, back with her.