Netanyahu distances himself from new media adviser’s comments

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday denounced a number of past statements against senior US officials made by his newly-appointed media adviser, Ran Baratz.

The Facebook posts written by Baratz came to light on Thursday after he was tapped by Netanyahu to be his next spokesman and head of public diplomacy and media relations in the Prime Minister's Office.

In one such post, Baratz referred to US President Barack Obama's response to the premier's Iran speech in Congress as "modern anti-Semitism."

"Allow me to be a bit blunt, which is a break from my usual moderation," Baratz wrote. "This is what modern anti-Semitism in a liberal Western country looks like. And, of course, it comes with a great deal of tolerance and understanding for Islamic anti-Semitism. The tolerance and understanding is so great that [Obama] is willing to give it a nuclear bomb," Baratz wrote.

Baratz also referred to US Secretary of State John Kerry as someone "whose mental age doesn't exceed 12."

In a column that he wrote for an online media magazine last year, Baratz offered a scathing critique of Kerry's suggestion that the emergence of Islamic radicalism in the Middle East could be traced to the lingering Israel-Palestine conflict.

Netanyahu issued his first response to the controversy on Thursday evening, after opposition politicians called for the prime minister to cancel Baratz's appointment.

"I read for the first time the comments published by Dr. Ran Baratz on the Internet about the US president and public figures in the US. They are not worthy and don't reflect my position or the policy of my government," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said that Baratz had apologized for the posts and clarified them in a meeting with him and the two had agreed to meet again upon Netanyahu's return from his visit to the US next week. During that visit, Netanyahu will meet with Obama at the White House in an effort to repair damaged relations between the two leaders which may be further challenged by Baratz's comments.

Baratz, a former university professor with right-wing views, founded the online Hebrew-language journal MIDA. After Obama's re-election in 2012, he wrote: "For the next four years, a pro-Arab, anti-Israel president will continue to rule. His upcoming term will be even more extreme, and he has nothing more to lose or to hide. The Jews have once again voted for Obama by a wide majority, and this just shows how wide the gap has become between the Jews of Israel and the Jews of the US."

"The Jews in America who see Obama as pro-Israeli are the most extreme in their criticism of Israel," he wrote. "The irresponsible Israeli policy which they seek raises the question of how exactly they can define themselves as pro-Israel."

Baratz himself issued an apology for his comments on Facebook on Thursday evening, saying that he was sorry he had not made the prime minister aware of their existence prior to his appointment.

"The things that I wrote were written thoughtlessly and in some cases as jokes, in language fitting of social media networks and a private individual. It is clear to me that in a public role, I must behave and express myself differently. I asked the prime minister for a meeting to clarify the comments in the coming days."

By Arik Bender and Dana Somberg