Relations with Washington Were ‘Damaged’

Speaking at the 2014 Globes Israel Business Conference, Barak said, “I told my friends in the Cabinet that we need to respect American sovereignty. They have their own opinions, and we must listen to them. We must respect them. There has never been a perfect symmetry. We must protect our own sovereignty, but, at the same time, promise that we won’t destroy our relationship with the U.S. President, or with the American public.”

 

“The relationship was not destroyed, but it was damaged,” he continued. “Both U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama invested a lot in helping us, and they failed. Rabin and Peres also failed; also I failed. We can’t use this to curse them. We must respect them.”

 

Barak added, “When calls to boycott Israel come from Europe, it’s serious, and we must take this into account. Europe is Israel’s number one partner – not the U.S., and not China.”

 

Read More: Barak: Relations with Washington Were ‘Damaged’ – Inside Israel – News – Arutz Sheva