Netanyahu Brother-in-Law Calls Obama Anti-Semite

Hagi Ben-Artzi, the brother in law of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is claiming that " there is an anti-Semitic president in America," the Hill reports.

"As a politician, who ran for presidency, he had to hide it, but from time to time, it bursts out from inside," Ben-Artzi said.

Netanyahu's office quickly issued a statement saying he "totally disagrees" with the charge from his wife's brother.

The charges come in the wake of what many are calling a crisis in U.S.-Israel relations stemming from Israel's announcement -- during a visit to the country by Vice President Joe Biden -- that it would build new housing units in East Jerusalem. The United States responded aggressively to the announcement, calling it an "insult" and pressing the Israelis to change course. The U.S. special Mideast peace envoy, George Mitchell, canceled a planned trip to the region.

Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of their proposed state and say they will not re-engage in direct peace talks unless the decision to build the 1,600 new units is overturned.

According to The Hill, Ben-Artzi said that the United States, which sends billions of dollars of military and economic aid to Israel each year, should stay out of the dispute over what happens in Jerusalem.

"For 20 years he sat with the preacher Jeremiah Wright, who is anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli," said Ben-Artzi. "When an anti-Semitic president comes to power in America, it is our test, and we must say: 'We will not give up. We are a 4,000-year-old people, while you will pass on and disappear in one or two years. Who will remember you? But Jerusalem will always be secure.'"

Ambassador: U.S.-Israeli Relationship in Crisis
Sarah Palin, Others Hit White House Over Israel Spat