We just posted this brief on the meeting at the White House tonight between President Obama and the congressional Jewish caucus:
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Obama met with Jewish Congress members and discussed his support for Israel and strategies to counter the perception that he is not pro-Israel.
"We discussed Iran, the situation in the Middle East, the efforts of the Republican Party to distort President Obama’s positions on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) said afterwards.
The 90-minute meeting Tuesday evening at the White House drew 37 of the over 40 Jewish members in both Houses of Congress.
"The conversation included an update on proximity talks and administration efforts to strengthen Israel’s security, including the administration’s recent decision to provide Israel with an additional $205 million in funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system," a White House statement said, referring to Israel’s short-range missile defense program.
They also discussed the announcement today that the Obama administration had rallied major power support for a new set of sanctions on Iran.
Rothman, an early backer of Obama’s presidential candidacy, said the members thanked Obama for such initiatives, describing Obama as "the best president on U.S.-Israel military and intelligence cooperation in American history."
Much of the talk was about how to spread the word about such assistance to counter claims by Republicans and others that Obama is not pro-Israel, Rothman said.
Not present at the meeting were two of Congress’ three Jewish non-Democrats: Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Attending, however, were some of Obama’s toughest critics in the wake of tensions in March between Israel and the United States over settlement building: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) among them.
Lieberman, Schumer and Berkley did not release statements, but another member Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) who had voiced moderate criticism of Obama’s handling of the tensions with Israel, released a statement before going in that counseled keeping any such disputes out of the public eye.
"We must not be distracted by recent unfortunate disagreements," Engel said. "Rather, we must reaffirm the strength of our ties and understand that in a relationship between friends, as in family, there will be some disagreements. Through quiet dialogue, we will overcome differences and learn from each other, and, in turn, our nations will become stronger and our relationship deeper."
Below is the entire White House statement, and the list of CongressJews in attendance.
But first, where was Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif.? Alan Grayson, D-Fla.? Sen. Arlen Specter D-Pa. has the excuse of fighting for his political life tonight. Does anyone see anyone else missing? (I have my list at work, I’m at home — people, honestly, its Shavuot! And I hear the White House didn’t even serve cheescake.)
The President met with Jewish members of the Democratic caucuses for approximately an hour and a half this afternoon to discuss a range of issues important to U.S. foreign policy. The conversation included an update on proximity talks and administration efforts to strengthen Israel’s security, including the Administration’s recent decision to provide Israel with an additional $205 million in funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system. They also discussed today’s announcement of a consensus P5+1 draft of an Iran sanctions resolution. The President and the Members had a wide ranging and productive exchange about their shared commitment to peace and security in Israel and the Middle East.”
Here’s a list of members attending today’s meeting:
1. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
2. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.)
3. Al Franken (D-Minn.)
4. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.)
5. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
6. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.)
7. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)
8. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.)
9. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
10. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
11. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.)
12. John Adler (D-N.J.)
13. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.)
14. Howard Berman (D-Calif.)
15. Stephen Cohen (D-Tenn.)
16. Ted Deutch (D-FL)
17. Susan Davis (D-Calif.)
18. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.)
19. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)
20. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)
21. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.)
22. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.)
23. Steve Kagen (D-Wisc.)
24. Ron Klein (D-Fla.)
25. Sander Levin (D-Mich.)
26. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.)
27. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
28. Jared Polis (D-Colo.)
29. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.)
30. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
31. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.)
32. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
33. Brad Sherman (D-Calif)
34. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)
35. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.)
36. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)
37. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.)
And here’s Engel’s statement:
It is always an honor to meet with the President of the United States, especially on an issue so vital to our national security. Israel has long been our best, and at times, only friend in the Middle East. Yet, the threats facing the Jewish state today are unprecedented. From the Iranian nuclear weapons program to the missiles in the hands of Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists, the United States must stand shoulder to shoulder with our ally, Israel. We must not be distracted by recent unfortunate disagreements. Rather, we must reaffirm the strength of our ties and understand that in a relationship between friends, as in family, there will be some disagreements. Through quiet dialogue, we will overcome differences and learn from each other, and, in turn, our nations will become stronger and our relationship deeper.
I look forward to an exchange of views with the President because I believe that helping to strengthen the U.S./Israel relationship is our common goal.
UPDATE: Rep. Berkley has commented (and I’ve updated the brief to reflect it) in an AP story her office redistributed that says that lawmakers advised Obama to visit Israel:
"I do want to see the president step up and vocalize his support for Israel far more than he has. He just needs to do that," Berkley said.
So has Jerry Nadler, in a measured statement:
Yesterday, I joined other Jewish Members of Congress for a productive meeting with President Obama at the White House. Among the many topics discussed at the meeting, we reiterated to the President the urgency for him to strengthen the longstanding friendship between United States and Israel. We stressed that the U.S. must not in any way seek to impose a settlement on Israel, and the President agreed, stating that he would not do so, and that any agreement had to be negotiated between the parties. We also urged him to make clear to the Palestinians that the U.S. will not do their work for them.
We expressed our appreciation for the Administration’s recent sharp increases in military cooperation and assistance to Israel and for last week’s announcement of $205 million for anti-missile assistance to Israel. The President also reiterated his absolute determination that Iran would not achieve a nuclear bomb.
It was a fruitful meeting and the President was receptive and genuinely interested in our advice.
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