World Bulletin / News Desk

An analyst has accused US President Barack Obama of setting a trap for American Muslim leaders when he invited them to an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) at the White House on Monday.

Writing for Press TV, Kevin Barrett reported that the event was opened by far-right Israeli ambassador Ron Dermer, who had once said that Arabs and Muslims have “a cultural tendency towards belligerency” that is “deeply imbedded in the culture of the Arab world and its foremost religion.”

Dermer, who according to the Israeli daily Haaretz is a “right-wing neo-con with close ties to Bush family,” addressed an audience of Muslim guests in the White House while the bombing of Gazan civilians by the Israeli army continued.

After Dermer gave a speech attempting to justify the bombing of civilians in Gaza, Obama himself then gave a follow up speech saying that Israel had “the right to defend itself.”

Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Ph.D. Arabist-Islamologist and co-founder of the Muslim-Christian-Jewish Alliance, went on to accuse Obama of intentionally seeking a reaction from the Muslim guests.