As we reported Tuesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry held a news conference in New York to press his argument that President Obama has been bad for Israel and is to blame for the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral push for statehood recognition at the United Nations:
"We are indignant that certain Middle Eastern leaders have discarded the principle of direct negotiations between the sovereign nation of Israel and the Palestinian leadership," Perry said. "And we are equally indignant that the Obama administration’s Middle East policy of appeasement has encouraged such an ominous act of bad faith."
Here’s a clip of the key passage (or click here for more of Perry’s remarks):
The National Jewish Democratic Council and J Street fired back with statements of their own: [[READMORE]]
NJDC:
“Rick Perry’s comments today demonstrate that he clearly has little command of the U.S.-Israel relationship and even less interest in preserving the historic bipartisan support for Israel. His baseless attacks on President Barack Obama’s strong record of support for Israel and the actions that the President and his Administration are taking to beat back the Palestinian’s unilateral initiative are nothing more than a deeply disturbing ploy to inject domestic politics into the U.S.-Israel relationship."
"From sharing the podium with an extreme right-wing Knesset member who calls for the outright annexation of the West Bank, to urging an end to Palestinian aid and paying lip-service to the two-state solution while undercutting moves to achieve it, Perry is cynically attempting to turn Israel into a partisan football for his own very narrow gain."
Mitt Romney, Perry’s main competition for the GOP nod, and House Speaker John Boehner also took aim at Obama this week:
"What we are watching unfold at the United Nations is an unmitigated diplomatic disaster," USA Today quoted Romney as saying. "It is the culmination of President Obama’s repeated efforts over three years to throw Israel under the bus and undermine its negotiating position."
Over the weekend, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the U.S. House of Representatives speaker, said that America should "stand by" its friend Israel. Boehner, speaking in Cincinnati at the Jewish National Fund’s national conference, did not mention President Obama, but his remarks echoed Republican and conservative criticism of the president for making his differences with Israel over peace strategies a matter of public record. His speech was titled "Words matter."
"Where I’m from, where we’re from, we stand by our friends, especially the ones who have always stood by us," he said. "Supporting Israel and her people has been the policy of this nation since Harry Truman sat in the Oval Office. Our commitment to Israel should be no less strong today. If anything it should be stronger than it’s ever been."
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
