Obama says Washington is 'more attentive' to Israelis than Palestinians

Obama made the remarks on Tuesday at a meeting between White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew and a visiting delegation of the US Orthodox Jewish community, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

The US president also called on the audience not to cast doubts on his loyalty to his Israeli allies.

Referring to his amicable personal relationship with Israeli hawkish Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama highlighted that he understands that the Israeli official wishes “no restraints”.

When asked about what he had found out from events regarding Israel-Palestine talks to end the conflict between the two sides, Obama said “it’s really hard,” and pointed to numerous possibilities for misunderstanding.

The remarks come after the US House of Representatives announced its plans on May 7 to allocate nearly USD one billion for the 2013 fiscal year for Israel’s missile systems.

“This funding level is the highest ever appropriated in a single year” for Israeli missiles, Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), a member of the committee, said in a statement.

Tel Aviv is the top recipient of military aid from the United States.