U.S.-Israeli relations just hit a new low following a report citing two senior White House officials calling Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "chickenshit" and a "coward" who puts his political survival ahead of the greater problem of de-escalating regional conflicts.

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The comments were published on The Atlantic in which two unnamed White House administration officials spoke with Jeffrey Goldberg -arguably among Washington insiders who know Israeli-U.S. relations best - about Netanyahu in colorful language.

"The thing about Bibi is, he's a chickenshit," the senior official who requested anonymity was cited using the prime minister's nickname.

He goes on to expand on his definition of chickenshit by describing Netanyahu as unwilling to compromise with neither the Palestinians nor the Sunni Arab states, who decides based on his political interests, and a politician who has "no guts" incomparable to Israel's finest, namely Yitzhak Rabin, Ariel Sharon and Menachem Begin.

Goldberg has been keeping a running list of all monikers White House officials have called the prime minister in interviews. Among other things, Netanyahu was called myopic, recalcitrant, obtuse, pompous and Aspergy.

President Barack Obama himself, had referred to Netanyahu's political cowardice.  

Goldberg says the name-calling reflects just how diametrically opposed the two leaders are, notwithstanding their open contempt against each other.

However, the anonymous slur signals a far more serious deterioration of relationships between the close allies, with Netanyahu telling his officials he has written Obama off the Iran nuclear deals.

For their part, Obama's officials say the Israeli leader has sparked "red hot anger" in Washington for his insistence on expanding the settlement communities in West Bank and East Jerusalem.

According to the piece, Netanyahu frustrates the White House and the State Department the most.

The issue at the core of the Washington-Jerusalem conflict is Netanyahu's unyielding West Bank settlement policies which White House thinks undermine the U.S.-brokered peace process between the Jews and the Palestinians.

The White House has been working to create a two-state solution that hopes to find a peaceful resolution to the bloody conflicts between Jews and militant groups operating in Palestine.

On Wednesday, the Israeli prime minister responded, saying he is being personally attacked for his defense of Israel while reiterating that he values his country's deep ties with the U.S.

The White House has denounced the bruising chickenshit remark, admitting it is inappropriate, counterproductive and not reflective of the administration's view. 

TagsNetanyahu chickenshit, Obama officials call Netanyahu coward, U.S.-Israel relations, U.S. President Barack Obama