Journalists covering last week 's economic summit overheard French President Nicolas Sarkozy blasting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a `` liar '' during a talk with U.S. President Barack Obama , according to published reports . The private conversation was inadvertently carried by open microphones before an Obama-Sarkozy news conference on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in the French resort of Cannes . Its contents were first reported by the French website Arret Sur Images , which said reporters heard Sarkozy 's comments in French and Obama 's reply through a translator . `` I ca n't stand him . He 's a liar , '' Sarkozy said of Netanyahu , according to the website . Obama replied , `` You 're tired of him ; what about me ? I have to deal with him every day , '' the site reported . Arret Sur Images ( `` Freeze Frame '' ) said journalists had listened in on the conversation but had agreed not to report it . The Reuters and Associated Press news services confirmed that report Tuesday . `` We did n't record it , and to use it would force us to admit that we had cheated , '' Arret Sur Images quoted one of the reporters who heard the conversation , whom it did not name . `` Also , it would have caused great problems for the people responsible for the event 's organization . '' Dan Israel , the Arret Sur Images writer who broke the story , told CNN that about three minutes of the leaders ' private conversation could be heard . `` It was a mistake by the organization for the G-20 summit , '' Israel said . He said journalists agreed among themselves to consider the remarks off the record because they did n't want to get a summit staffer heard into a `` rough patch '' after he disclosed that the audio could be heard . But the word spread rapidly among journalists in Paris , prompting Arret Sur Images to start chasing the report , he said . `` Some of them did give me the quotes , and others just confirmed the quotes , '' Israel said . The report was met with silence from the Elysee Palace , the French president 's office , which did not respond to requests for comment . In Washington , White House spokesman Jay Carney said he had no comment on the conversation or Obama 's response but said , `` The president 's position has been quite clear on the issue of efforts by the Palestinians to achieve through the U.N. what can only be achieved effectively through direct negotiations . '' Netanyahu 's office also had no comment . But in the United States , the Anti-Defamation League said it was `` deeply disappointed and saddened '' by the private conversation , warning that it could hurt ties between Israel and two key players in the Middle East peace process . `` President Obama 's response to Mr. Sarkozy implies that he agrees with the French leader , '' ADL Director Abe Foxman said in a written statement . `` In light of the revelations here , we hope that the Obama administration will do everything it can to reassure Israel that the relationship remains on a sure footing and to reinvigorate the trust between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu , which clearly is not what it should be . '' A member of Netanyahu 's coalition in the Knesset , Israel 's parliament , said `` there is not much love lost '' between the Israeli leader and his counterparts . `` It 's unpleasant , '' said Einat Wilf , whose Independence party is allied with Netanyahu 's ruling Likud . `` Of course , we would all like to be loved and all love to have great relationships with each other , and I 'm sure it would be nicer to know that our prime minister is loved . But at the end of the day , what did Machiavelli say ? It 's more important to be feared than loved . '' Israeli opposition leaders have questioned Netanyahu 's honesty before , but Labor Party lawmaker Daniel Ben-Simon said he was `` ashamed '' that the leaders of two of Israel 's top allies `` could characterize my prime minister as a liar . '' `` If the most friendly leaders say that about my prime minister , what do others say about him who are not as friendly ? '' said Ben-Simon , the head of the Israeli-French Parliamentary Association . `` If he lies to them , he must be lying to Israelis as well . ''
`` He 's a liar , '' Sarkozy says of Israeli PM , a French website reports . `` You 're tired of him ; what about me ? '' the site quotes Obama as responding . Neither leader 's office would comment on the report . An Israeli lawmaker says the report is `` unpleasant '' but not news .