Talk about a tough crowd.
After landing a few one-liners and laughs when referencing the “drama” between him and his Israeli Prime Minister bestie “Bibi” Netanyahu, President Obama faced a heckler during his speech before a crowd of university students in Jerusalem Thursday—and it wasn’t to say “I love you back.”
Obama, no stranger to stateside hecklers, joked that the interruption was all part of his shtick.
“I have to say we actually arranged for that because it made me feel at home,” he said. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t have at least one heckler.”
White House pool reports suggest that the man who interrupted the event shouted in Hebrew, referencing Jonathan Pollard—an American who was sentenced to life in prison for spying on the U.S. for Israel.
“This is part of the lively debate that we talked about,” Obama said. “This is good.”
Amanda Sakuma