Israeli premier to rebuke Ehud Barak over US visits

Netanyahu reportedly plans to demand an explanation from Barak about meetings with US government officials in which he apparently made statements without the Israeli premier’s consent.

The dispute between the two broke out on Tuesday when a conversation between Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, in which the prime minister said Barak was undermining him during recent meetings in the US, was leaked to the press.

The meetings to which Netanyahu was referring included one with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, a close ally of US President Barack Obama, and another with Obama’s national security adviser, Tom Donilon, to which Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren was not invited.

Netanyahu loyalists have accused Barak of taking advantage of his recent trip to the US to demonstrate his opposition to the premier’s policies at a time when Bibi’s efforts to garner American support for his position has hit a snag.