Woody Allen
Woody AllenReuters

Jewish American film director Woody Allen spoke with Israeli media on Friday while promoting his new film "Irrational Man" in France, and launched harsh criticism against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu - based on his portrayal in American media.

In an interview with Channel 10, Allen, an open supporter of US President Barack Obama, spoke about the falling out between Obama and Netanyahu over the controversial nuclear deal with Iran that Obama has forced through despite Netanyahu's objections.

"There are only two ways to look at it, either Netanyahu was very visionary and sees things we don't see, or he's behaving very foolishly," stated Allen.

Despite polls showing most Americans reject the Iran deal and thereby support Netanyahu's opposition to it, Allen claimed that "to the average American it seems that he is the wrong leader making mistakes, leading Israel in the wrong way, and has been not helpful in the relationship with the United States because of who he is."

"This could all be not true, but if you buy a newspaper in America or listen to the news on television that is the impression you get," he said, in an admission of American media bias against Netanyahu.

Allen's new movie deals with a "forbidden relationship" of an older man and younger female student of his, a recurring topic in his films that many note relates to Allen's personal life given his controversial marriage to Soon-Yi Previn, the 35-year-younger adopted daughter of Mia Farrow, his former partner.

Likewise, Allen was accused by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 2014 of sexually abusing her when she was a child.

Explaining the recurring theme in his films, the director said that forbidden relations of "men sleeping with women they're not married to, that's exactly what you want to see" in movies.