U.S. President Barack Obama speaks on the pho
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks on the phoReuters

Tensions between Israel and the current U.S. administration hit a new low two weeks ago when President Barack Obama refused to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during his visit to New York to address the UN General Assembly.

The White House insisted that the meeting would not take place due to the president’s pressing “campaign obligations” that would take the president out of New York during the time.

While PM Netanyahu offered to travel to Washington to make the appointment more convenient for the president, Obama refused to make whatever necessary scheduling adjustments in order to make the meeting possible.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that while the president cited “campaign obligations” for being unable to meet with the Israeli leader, his schedule in fact shows that he had the entire afternoon free.

The following is a record of President Obama’s schedule for Friday, September 28—the day the meeting would have taken place:

9:45 am || Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing

10:15 am || Meets with senior advisers

4:20 pm || Delivers remarks at a fundraiser; Capital Hilton, Washington

6:05 pm || Delivers remarks at a fundraiser; private residence, Washington

8:25 pm || Delivers remarks at a fundraiser; Capital Hilton, Washington

According to a statement issued by the White House, the two leaders instead spoke on the phone for about twenty minutes, discussing a “range of security issues,” including Iran.

"The two leaders underscored that they are in full agreement on the shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," the statement read.