Israel relationship ‘never been worse:’ Sen. John McCain

The relationship between the U.S. and Israel has “never been worse,” an influential Republican senator said Sunday.

“It's the worst that I've ever seen in my lifetime, and that in itself is a tragedy," Arizona Sen. John McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union." "They've never been excellent, but they've never been worse.”

McCain, a reliable supporter of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said President Obama misread how cooperative Netanyahu would be on a host of critical issues pertinent to the U.S. and Israel, including negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program and the prospects of a Palestinian state.

"The President had very unrealistic expectations about the degree of cooperation that he would get from Israel,” McCain said.

“No other President has had such a difficult relationship with the state of Israel since it became a country,” he added.

 

Tensions between the two democracies reached a fever pitch last month after Netanyahu accepted an invitation from Republican House Speaker John Boehner to address a joint sessions of Congress in March, with neither leader informing the White House of the plan until moments before the public announcement.

McCain, for his part, said he would notified the White House of the visit.

"Obviously I would have talked to the White House,” he said. “I might have at least informed them, but I certainly agree we don't need their permission given the state of relations.”

The maneuver, which the White House has called a “departure from protocol," is widely seen as the latest clash in an already fragile relationship between Netanyahu and Obama.

Following the snub, the White House said Obama wouldn’t meet with Netanyahu during his visit, explaining that the trip occurred too close to the upcoming Israeli elections and the White House wanted to avoid being seen as taking sides.

The dust-up between the two historically friendly nations likely stems from tensions over how the U.S. will deal with Iran’s budding nuclear program.

Netanyahu, facing a tough race to win reelection in Israel’s upcoming March vote, and Republican lawmakers, along with a handful of Democrats, believe that Congress should pass legislation threatening Iran with new economic sanctions if the U.S.-led nuclear talks with the country break down.

Obama has warned that a sanctions bill could upend the negotiations and has vowed to veto any measure that lands on his desk.