Livni praises Obama for pressing PM

“The American pressure led those who don’t believe that time is of the essence to a better understanding that there is no status quo option," opposition leader tells ' The Atlantic.'

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
tzipi livni_311 (photo credit: Idan Gross )
tzipi livni_311
(photo credit: Idan Gross )
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni praised US President Barack Obama for pressuring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to advance the peace process, according to an interview with her in The Atlantic that was published over the weekend.
“When Obama pushed Bibi, Bibi made some steps forward,” Livni said. “The American pressure led those who don’t believe that time is of the essence to a better understanding that there is no status quo option. For Israelis, when they wake up in the morning and ask themselves, what is the general situation today, the litmus test for them is the health of the relationship between Israel and the United States.”
Livni said Netanyahu had placed American Jews in an awkward position by clashing with Obama.
“This puts them in a situation in which they need to choose a side, and they don’t want to be in this situation,” she said. “Even if you voted for President Obama, I think the situation is complicated for you when you have the Israeli prime minister on one side and the American president on the other. It’s a nightmare, because we are actually on the same side. It’s not Israel versus the US and vice-versa.
We cannot afford this.”
Regarding Netanyahu’s handling of Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, she said Netanyahu believed “the whole world is against us, and that there is nothing to do about it. In a way, he takes Israel and changes it into a Jewish ghetto.
Like we are waiting, you know, for the goyim, or expecting the goyim to come, and we should just wait until it’s over. The Israel I know is strong and can change the trends against it.”