Secretary of State John Kerry still hopes to forge a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, but, in the meantime, he’s made himself a top target for the Israeli chattering class. From calling for him to be fired to saying he may as well be an alien from another planet, Israeli columnists and commentators aren’t too happy with Kerry’s performance. Here is what they’ve been saying:
1. “John Kerry is pathetic and confused. It’s time to fire him.” – Shlomo Samir in Maariv Week
2. “The Secretary of State has fallen prey to an ongoing series of mishaps, faux pas and other unfortunate events, begging the critical question: Has he become a nebbish?” – Chemi Salev in Haaretz
3. “What did Kerry think to himself that [the Israelis] must be stupid? That we won’t understand his trick? How did he imagine Israel would respond to his proposal?” – Yehuda Drori in News 1
4. “Kerry’s mistakes are embarrassing. … Kerry just doesn’t understand who’s playing against whom in the Wild Mideast.” – Avi Issacharoff in Times of Israel/Walla
5. “Is it the amateurism of the Secretary of State and the president that did not understand the depth of the cynicism and cruelty of the factors that they are dealing with?” – Yair Sheleg inMaariv
6. “It’s as if he isn’t the foreign minister of the world’s most powerful nation, but an alien, who just disembarked his spaceship in the Mideast.” – Barak Ravid in Haaretz
(Also on POLITICO Magazine: Israel is winning this war)
7. “Like a blind person groping for the ladder to climb down from the roof but instead falling down the chimney, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the government he represents have not missed an opportunity to step in all the Middle Eastern potholes along their way.” – Ron Breiman in Israel Hayom
8. “If Israel is forced to undertake an expanded ground operation, it would be appropriate to name the offensive after the person who caused it: John Kerry.” – Ari Shavit Haaretz
9. “President Barack Obama did Secretary of State John Kerry a favor on Sunday evening. Kerry could have avoided the unnecessary attack on him had he been as sharp and eloquent as Obama.” – Alon Pinkas in YNet
10. “Kerry’s fiasco: Another failed attempt to achieve a cease-fire.” – Asaf Gabor in Maariv
Source: POLITICO
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And do you think that the American press, in large part, has been any different?
That’s right. The Lurch is getting hammered big time. He should of stayed at his cushy do nothing job in the Senate.