Obama photo offends some in Mideast

A photo of President Barack Obama with his shoes propped up on his desk in the Oval Office has sparked some concern for some in the Middle East.

In the picture, Obama is on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that seems to be part of the problem. Apparently, it's considered disrespectful among some cultures in the Middle East to show the soles of your shoes.

As a result, some Israelis see the official White House photograph as an insult.

But isn't that an Arab tradition, not an Israeli one? Well, yes, apparently, but things are often more complicated than meets the eye in the region. "It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too," CBS News reported.

It also doesn't help that the photo was released in the same climate in which President Obama has pushed Israel farther than past presidents to suspend the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

And speaking of shoes, it was just last year when an Iraqi journalist was arrested for throwing a shoe at then President George W. Bush.