Politics
08:31, 20-Jul-2017
Netanyahu calls Brussels' position on Israel ‘crazy’ on hot mic
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the European Union's approach to Israel as "crazy" during a closed meeting that was inadvertently broadcast to journalists by an open microphone.
He criticized the EU's insistence on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a precondition for closer ties with the bloc.
“I think it is crazy, I think it is actually crazy,” Netanyahu noted. “I am not talking about my interests, Israel’s interests; I’m talking about Europe’s interests.”
Netanyahu was in private talks with leaders of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia at a regional summit.
His was discussing Iran, Syria, ISIL and EU-Israel relations when his voice was accidentally broadcast live to journalists in another room.
After the closed-door meeting, Netanyahu toned down his rhetoric in official comments, saying the EU's criticism of Israel as an "anomaly".