Senator John McCain asked U.S. President Barack Obama to keep aside his personal problems with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said that the United States’ decision-making and shared policy goals should not get affected by the troubled relation between the two.

McCain said that the United States should work together with its “Israeli friends.” “It’s time that we work together with our Israeli friends and try to stem the tide of ISIS and Iranian movement throughout the region, which is threatening the very fabric of the region.” McCain said, “Get over your temper tantrum, Mr President.”

McCain said that the U.S. president had his priorities so “screwed up” that it was “unbelievable.” He said that what Netanyahu had said during an election campaign should not be Obama’s problem.

The Arizona Republican said that he was “convinced” that the U.S. president had personal problems with Netanyahu and was letting it spoil shared policy goals. McCain referred to Netanyahu’s comments during his election campaign where he announced that he would never support the formation of a Palestine state.

Democratic Rep. Steve Israel of New York earlier said that "the hype and the drama of personalities" of Obama and Netanyahu was insignificant as both the countries were strong in terms of policy issues. He said that the United States was proving critical security equipment technology, and that was what mattered. Israel said that “all the drama” should be stopped as authorities should “get back to the fundamentals.”

McCain said that, when compared to the threat Islamic State posed against the United States, Netanyahu’s election rhetoric was insignificant. He said that it would be a topic of long discussion if every politician was held to everything they said in a political campaign.

Obama earlier said that he had taken Netanyahu at his word when the Israeli PM announced that the two-state policy would not happen as long as he was the prime minister. He said that the United States would have to evaluate other available options to make sure there was no chaotic situation in the region. Obama, however, said that his country would continue to work with Israel on military and intelligence operations.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au

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