Shimon Peres slams Israeli critics of Obama: It wouldn’t hurt us to say thank you

JERUSALEM POST – Former president Shimon Peres on Thursday criticized those in Israel who question the friendship of US President Barack Obama, suggesting that they were ungrateful.

Peres’s comments came a day after the US handed over to Israel its new F-35 fighter jets in a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas attended by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.

“Yesterday was a very important day in the history of Israel,” Peres stated. “The United States handed over to us one of the best planes in the world. The F-35, which will add great power to our air force.”

Peres said that at times like these, “We must stand up and say thank you to the United States and to US President Barack Obama, who granted us what America has not granted to any other nation.”

The former president said that there are those in Israel who “criticize America and think they know better than America what Obama should be doing.”

Peres accused these elements of “trying to harm and undermine the relations between the countries.”

He said that the Obama administration had acted to improve Israel’s security more so than any previous administration. “Those who question Obama’s friendship should look and see if they gave such a plane to any other country.”

Peres said that “it wouldn’t hurt us to say thank you once in a while.”

The former president said that he believes most Israelis truly feel this way about the Obama administration’s contributions to the country.