Amir Benayoun, Israeli singer blasts Obama: 'Hussein from America' wants Jerusalem

Amir Benayoun

Israeli songwriter Amir Benayoun posted a song to Facebook Monday lambasting U.S. President Barack Obama's policies on the division of Jerusalem.

In a post on his Facebook page, the singer explained the thinking behind the song, which is titled "Jerusalem of Hussein."

"Hello, people have asked me more than once, what do I think about America? Or, not to make a comparison, about Jerusalem," he wrote.

"And why do songwriters only write songs about leaders who have passed away, and not about leaders who are still alive and active in the world. And what do I think about the president of the United States, or about our prime minister?," he said, adding that he had addressed the two "cases" in his song.

In the track takes aim at "Hussein from America," and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Rejoice in Jerusalem, and all who love her, celebrate, because the prime minister and all of his friends seem to have given up on her long ago. Rejoice in Jerusalem while you still can, because behind our backs they have sold her, to the outside they are just pretending," the Mediterranean-style musician sings.

In the next verse, he takes on Obama: "Rejoice in Jerusalem, and all who love her, celebrate, while it is still possible, because Hussein from America wants her, and he is determined and cruel."

He ends the song with "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem" from the Book of Psalms. 

At the end of his Facebook status the singer adds, "Take everything lightly. What could happen? At most, another mediocre political song, the situation isn't really that bad."

In 2010, Benayoun released the political song "Ani Ahikha," (I am your brother), which included lines such as, “I’m watching over your identity, I’m protecting your children, I’m sacrificing my life for your family and you spit in my face.”

At the time, the song was perceived as a move by the singer to join the extra-parliamentary Zionist movement Im Tirtzu’s campaign against the New Israel Fund and human rights organizations. Other parts of the song were seen as a protest against the Anat Kamm affair.