JERUSALEM: Two right-wing Israeli activists were arrested on Thursday after they heckled White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel as he toured Jerusalem’s Old City, police said.
"Itamar Ben Gvir and Baruch Marzel were arrested because they insulted the chief of staff of the White House in the Old City," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
One of the right-wingers could be heard yelling "shame on you, you hate Israel" and "traitor," as the US official was visiting Roman ruins in the Old City’s Cardo area.
Emmanuel, who did a stint as a volunteer in the Israeli army and whose father was born in Jerusalem, is the nemesis of right-wingers who believe he influences White House policy against the interests of the Jewish state.
He is on a generally private visit, to attend his son’s Bar Mitzva, but he also met with Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and delivered an invitation for talks with US President Barack Obama next week.
