Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the European Union's attitude toward Israel as "crazy" on Wednesday.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a closed-session meeting with the leaders of four European countries, Haaretz reports. The audio was transmitted accidentally to reporters' headphones outside of the meeting, although his team discovered the error and shut down the transmission a few minutes later.
"The European Union is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel, that produces technology in every area, OK, on political conditions," Netanyahu said. "The only one!"
Netanyahu then proceeded to discuss Israel's more positive relationship with China and India before again talking about the EU.
"The only ones who are conditioning the association with Israel, the European—what is it—the EU Association Agreement, it's absolutely, may I say, I think it's crazy," Netanyahu said. "I think it's actually crazy."
Netanyahu said that the EU is not even acting in its own interests by being critical of Israel.
"Don't undermine the one European, Western country that defends European values and European interests and prevents another mass migration to Europe, so stop attacking Israel, start supporting Israel," Netanyahu said.
"There is no logic here," Netanyahu continued. "Europe is undermining its security by undermining Israel, Europe is undermining its progress by undermining the connection with Israeli innovation because of a crazy attempt to create conditions."
The Visegrad Four leaders of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic expressed support for the Jewish state on Wednesday and called for an improvement in the EU's relations with Israel. Western European leaders have criticized Israel over its relations with the Palestinians.