On June 10, both The Fox Nation and the Drudge Report linked to a CBSNews.com post titled “Some Israelis Insulted By Obama Picture” to claim President Obama insulted Israel or Israelis. The photo showed Obama talking on the phone with his feet on his desk. The Fox Nation stated as fact in its headline that “Obama Insults Israel With This Photo.” Drudge ran text at the top of its page stating, “Some Israelis Insulted By Obama Picture; 'Sole of shoe' talking on phone with Netanyahu.” As evidence of Obama's purported insult, correspondent Howard Arenstein wrote in the CBSNews.com piece that “Israeli TV newscasters Tuesday night interpreted a photo taken Monday in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an 'insult' to Israel” and claimed that "[i]t is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too." From the CBSNews.com post:

Israeli TV newscasters Tuesday night interpreted a photo taken Monday in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “insult” to Israel.

They saw the incident as somewhat akin to an incident last year, when the Iraqi reporter threw a shoe at President Bush in Baghdad.

It is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too.

Was there a subliminal message intended from the White House to Netanyahu in Jerusalem, who is publicly resisting attempts by Mr. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to force Israel to stop any kind of settlement activity in occupied territories once and forever?

Whether or not it is true, it shows the mood in Israel. They feel cornered. The reactions out of Israel reflect that feeling.

From The Fox Nation:

From the Drudge Report: