TelegraphNicolas Sarkozy calls Benjamin Netanyahu a 'liar'
Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy are facing deep embarrassment after they were inadvertently recorded disparaging Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as a "liar".
The exchange, which took place during talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Cannes last week, has already prompted a backlash on the American right and is likely to undermine Mr Obama's claims to be a friend of Israel as he campaigns for re-election next year.
The French and American presidents, speaking during what they believed to be a private encounter week, failed to realise that a simultaneous translation of their conversation was being broadcast to journalists outside the room.
During a discussion on Israeli-Palestinian policy, Mr Sarkozy gave an unapologetic assessment of his views of Mr Netanyahu, sayingg: "I cannot bear him, he's a liar."
Damagingly his pro-Israel credentials, the US president did not demur.
Instead he exacerbated his sin in the eyes of pro-Israeli Americans by retorting: "You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day.
Mr Obama has had an often strained relationship with the Israeli leader. In March last year, Mr Netanyahu was left to stew in a White House meeting room for over an hour after the president allegedly walked out of tense talks to have dinner with his family.













































































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