"$%#@*%^# hidden microphone!"

Hundreds of Palestinian civil servants called Tuesday for the labor minister to be fired after he made disparaging remarks about government workers.

Ahmed Majdalani has been under fire after remarks he made about government workers, calling them “brothers of whores,” were accidentally broadcast live on Palestinian local radio on Thursday.

Majdalani made the comments after an interview with Rayya FM, apparently unaware that the radio microphone was still on.

He has since apologized and denied he was referring to government employees, claiming his remarks were in reference to Israel and its measures in the West Bank.

But the incident has angered civil servants and the Palestinian workers union, prompting calls for this resignation.

I love his attempt to claim by “brothers of whores” he was referring to Israel.

But, alas, everyone knows we are instead the “sons of apes and pigs.”

Yeah, right.

Here are some previous Sarkozy excuses.

There is an update to this story on the Blaze…. and in the interests of not completely pissing off the whole of Russia here it is:

The Russian anchor who appeared to “flip off” President Barack Obama on live TV while reading a news report may have meant the gesture for her studio crew, not as a sign of disrespect to Obama.

As The Blaze first reported Monday, anchor Tatiana Limanova was delivering a news report about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. When she said Medvedev would be taking an APEC leadership role previous held by Obama, she held up her middle finger while reading his name.

But according to the Telegraph, Limanova — an award-winning senior anchor — may have believed she was off-camera at the time at the time she flashed the gesture. Sources told the newspaper she thought she was merely reading a voice-over and intended the sign for studio technicians who were “trying to put her off her stride.”

Looks like we got a new recruit.

THE White House has tried to stifle any diplomatic fallout from an open microphone incident in which President Barack Obama appeared to show frustration with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.

A top official insisted Obama had a good relationship with the Israeli prime minister, despite being party to a conversation at the G20 summit in which French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Netanyahu a “liar.”

The incident, first reported by a French blog, turned into an embarrassment for the White House and ammunition for political critics who see Obama as too tough on Israel and in danger of losing the US Jewish vote.

Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security advisor, told reporters, that Obama had a “very close working relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu. They speak very regularly.

Yes we know. Every day.

As for “close working relationship”, translate that as “He can’t stand the guy on a personal level.”

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, described the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, as a “liar” in a private exchange with Barack Obama at last week’s G20 summit in Cannes that was inadvertently broadcast to journalists.

“I cannot stand him. He’s a liar,” Sarkozy told Obama. The US president responded by saying: “You’re fed up with him? I have to deal with him every day.”

Neither leader apparently realised that microphones that had been attached for a press conference had already been switched on, allowing journalists waiting for a press conference to hear the conversation.

The exchange was first reported on the French website Arrêt Sur Images, and was later confirmed by a Reuters reporter who also heard the remarks.

The gaffe came before a press conference while the two presidents were in a private room.

Arrêt Sur Images reported that while the two presidents were in private discussions in a closed room before their press conference, Élysée staff handed out translation sets to waiting journalists.

A staff member reportedly explained that the headphones to go with the translation sets were not yet being handed out because this would have allowed journalists to listen in on the private conversation still going on. Half a dozen journalists immediately plugged in their own headphones and caught three minutes of the private exchange.

The conversation apparently began with Obama criticising Sarkozy for not warning the US that France would vote in favour of the Palestinians’ application to join Unesco, the United Nations agency for culture and education.

One French journalist told Arrêt Sur Images that the conversation was broadcast for around three minutes before officials realised the mistake. Another told the website that the reporters agreed not to publicise the remarks because of their sensitive nature.

The exchange was mentioned on a blog by Le Monde’s political correspondent Arnaud Leparmentier, who said the two presidents had discussed their “difficult” relationship with Netanyahu behind closed doors.

Spokesmen for the Élysée and Netanyahu declined to comment.

 My thoughts:

• Did this really happen? Surely the audio would be available if it did, notwithstanding the alleged agreement by journalists to keep mum (surely someone there would find it too irresistible to leak?)
• Assuming it did happen, isn’t witholding the information unethical journalistic behavior?
• It can’t be long before someone Bibi-bombs a photo of Sarkozy and Obama

And of course..

• Who do Sarkozy and Obama think they are – Frank Drebin?

Jew, janitor, what’s the difference.

Sure, it is by no means perfect. But in all fairness, he did come out against any “shortcuts” to peace (i.e. a unilaterial declaration on the part of the palestinians), mentioned peace can only come about through compromise of the parties, reaffirmed America’s commitment to Israel’s security, emphasized the security concerns Israel faces every day, acknowledged Israel’s neighbors have waged wars against us and continue to threaten to wipe us off the map, and mentioned Israel as the “historical homeland” of the Jewish people. In other words, he rectified much of what was wrong with his infamous May speech to the State Department.

Obama’s speech this time was not the only improvement. In a Press Conference with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after the speech, the body language between the two leader seemed warmer, albeit slightly.

Perhaps this time around, Netanyahu will be invited to dinner.

Update: Another reason to be content with the speech.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas top 3rd R places his hand on his face as he listens to U S President Barack Obama s address at the 66th United Nations General Assembly at the U N headquarters in New York September 21 2011 REUTERS Jessica Rinaldi

 And this:

Palestinian officials from various factions voiced criticism of US President Barack Obama for his UN General Assembly address, and accused him of “adopting Israel’s stance” to win over the Jewish vote in the upcoming presidential elections.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, said that the movement expected Obama to show support for the Palestinian cause, and asserted that the US president’s statements on the freedom of the Arab people were far removed from his call to resume negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

—-

Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki told Palestinian television following Obama’s speech that “The time has come for us to stop differentiating between Israel and the US, because they are committing the same crime.

“The Americans slaughtered the Indians there, so wouldn’t they be capable of slaughter here? The world is a small global village, and it is changing,” he added.

Senior Hamas official in Gaza Ahmed Yousef dismissed the president’s positions as nothing new. He said that the peace talks are doomed due to the US’ inability to pressure Israel to stop settlement construction.

“Obama’s statements are pro-Israeli, and are considered an evasion of the Palestinian UN bid,” Yousef said. “The US has proved that it is not an honest broker in the Palestinian issue.”

Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri noted that “Obama adopted Israel’s stance in his speech. This is the US’ permanent position, as its ties with Israel are stronger than its ties with the Arabs.”

Masri suggested that Obama is taking Israel’s side in the conflict to ensure that he gets the Jewish vote in the upcoming presidential elections.

Shortly after the photo-op meeting and “working lunch” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the one that saw President Obama openly chastised by the Prime Minister for Obama’s earlier public comments regarding wanting to see Israel return to its 1967 borders, the president verbally “went off” on Richard Daley in the private study area that adjoins the Oval Office. President Obama’s verbal attack was clearly heard by numerous staff up and down the West Wing hallways.

The essence of the president’s rage and embarrassment can best be summed up with him yelling out very loudly, “What the f-ck was that!?” That phrase was apparently repeated a number of times in the span of about five minutes, a time period in which Obama’s voice became “louder and louder” and culminating in Obama exclaiming, “Never again! Do you understand me? Never again!” Any response by Bill Daley back to the president, if given, was not overheard.

Sounds like Obama could have do with a chill pill. Or even something else.

Unless I am reading into things, and his reference to “Never again” meant to convey his disapproval of the notion he would ever suggest Israel return to the Auschwitz lines.