Israel and its closest ally the United States appear to be drifting apart in a “tectonic rift,” the Jewish state’s envoy to Washington Michael Oren has said, painting a grim picture on the future of bilateral ties.
Describing the growing differences between Tel Aviv and Washington, Mr Oren during his briefing on bilateral relations at the foreign ministry last week, said that the two countries were like “continents drifting apart,” Israeli diplomats told daily Ha’aretz newspaper. The Israeli envoy’s comments come days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House on July 6. Differences between the long-time allies have grown recently particularly over the West Asia peace process. Mr Oren visited Israel over the past week, briefing at the ministry’s North America and research divisions. Five Israeli diplomats, some of whom took part in the briefing or were informed about the details, reportedly said that the envoy projected the relations between the two countries in bleak terms.
—PTI