Posted on 11/05/2015 12:23:52 AM PST by Netz
'Kerry's mental age doesn't exceed that of a 12-year-old,' Netanyahu's new media czar wrote
The appointment of Ran Baratz as Netanyahu's new media adviser has drawn scrutiny and criticism from the Israeli press.
Ran Baratz, the man who has been appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his top media adviser, once referred to US Secretary of State John Kerry as someone "whose mental age doesn't exceed 12."
In a column that he wrote for an online media magazine last year, Baratz offered a scathing critique of Kerry's suggestion that the emergence of Islamic radicalism in the Middle East could be traced to the lingering Israel-Palestine conflict.
During remarks at a White House ceremony for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha last year, Kerry implied that the strife resulting from the decades-long dispute between Israel and the Palestinians has harbored an environment prone to fostering extremism.
"I think that it is more critical than ever that we be fighting for peace, and I think it is more necessary than ever... As I went around and met with people in the course of our discussions about the ISIL (Islamic State) coalition, the truth is we – there wasn’t a leader I met with in the region who didn’t raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation that they felt," Kerry said.
The remarks elicited condemnations from Israeli officials, including then-economy minister Naftali Bennett.
"Asserting that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reinforces ISIS, gives a boost to global terrorism," Bennett said.
In his column for the Hebrew online outlet MIDA, Baratz wrote: "To Kerry's credit, it should be noted that there is no Miss America around who could say what he said any better. This is the time to wish the secretary of state good luck, and to count down the days with the hope that someone over there at the State Department will wake up and begin to see the world through the eyes of a person whose mental age exceeds 12."
Netanyahu's latest appointment has been criticized by the Israeli press over the last two days due to controversial tongue-in-cheek Facebook posts made by Baratz denigrating President Reuven Rivlin.
When it was learned that Rivlin had recently made an official state visit abroad by flying coach, Baratz wrote: "I think it says a lot that the president flies economy class, turned around and shook everyone's hand on board. It mainly says that he is such a marginal figure that there's no need to fear for his life. It seems that we could even send him paragliding over the Golan Heights and into ISIS-controlled territory (a reference to the Israeli-Arab who was said to have done that last week)."
These posts prompted Rivlin's aides to seek clarifications from the Prime Minister's Office.
When asked for comment by The Jerusalem Post's Hebrew-language sister publication Ma'ariv about the Facebook posts, Baratz said: "I wrote those posts as a private citizen, and now I'm obligated to be diplomatic and statesmanlike. It was just Facebook humor."
I seriously think he gives Kerry more credit than the facts warrant. I have known a lot of 12 year olds that are far more mature and intelligent than what we have seen Kerry do over his public life.
12 is good for a democrat.
John Kerry served in Viet Nam, y'know.
Yup. Truth.
With Kerry I never got past the idea that I hear, so they say ‘served in vietnam. And campaigned on it proudly.
But threw his medals over the fence in protest of America and ‘served’ the enemy in Paris. And he thinks no one noticed. To me that wreaks of a 4 year old caught in the cookie jar yelling NUH UNH!!!
History begins every morning when a liberal wakes up.
Kerry may be a man of type about whom Jesus posed the question “how easily can a rich man enter the kingdom of heaven, a camel may more easily pass through the eye of a needle”.
However, he still retains his God given, intrinsic human dignity.
To say he has 12 year old mentality in our society is to call him “raka”, that is, “fool”, which will tend to subject the sayer to Hell Fire.
I’m surprised the Bushes don’t pal around with Kerry, like they do with Bill Clinton.
Not only is Kerry Yale, he’s Skull and Bones.
That's a good four years older than 0bama's mental development. FWIW
“Not only is Kerry Yale, he’s Skull and Bones.”
And just as stupid, liberal and conniving.
True. Marrying Teresa Heinz helped him a lot more than Skull and Bones.
At 12 you still believe in Santa Claus, which is the basis of all Democrat policy.
‘Kerry’s mental age doesn’t exceed that of a 12-year-old,’
Of course... and that could just as well apply to all the Liberals
That’s insulting. When I was 12, I knew policies championed by Kerry were wrong.
And to think how relatively close he was to being POTUS.
Especially given that Cap’n McQueeg was anxious to join the ticket.
The Bushes hate people that run against them, unless they beat them, oddly enough.
It’s an indictment of America that election 2004 was so close. A potted plant would have been a better dem nominee.
If McRino had joined the ticket, it probably would have won.
Yes to both of your posts.
Think how wonderful it would’ve been. Dubya gotten out after his first term, the economic crash under John Francois-McQueeg, and Willard & El Jebbe as the 2008 GOP ticket. What a treat.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.