Illinois Republican Party

Republican Jewish Coalition expresses deep concern over Obama administration Israel policy
3/15/2010

The Republican Jewish Coalition said today that it was deeply upset by the tone and actions of the Obama administration regarding Israel in recent days.

RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:

The Obama administration has used harsh and intentionally undiplomatic language to exacerbate tensions with our ally Israel in the wake of Vice President Biden's visit there. The strident and unwarranted escalation of tension, which has turned a minor diplomatic embarrassment into a major international incident, has raised serious concerns about the administration's Israel policy from a variety of mainstream voices.*

Now Israeli sources report that the administration is pressuring Israel not only to halt construction in Ramat Shlomo but to make a "confidence-building" concession such as releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners (presumably terrorists) or turning over additional West Bank areas to Palestinian control.

We believe the administration's actions are disproportionate and one-sided. It should be noted, there has been no similar official U.S. condemnation of any Palestinian action, including recent rioting on the Temple Mount and official Palestinian plans to name a public square for a female terrorist responsible for the worst single terror attack on Israeli soil.

Moreover, the administration's stance is dangerous to the best interests of the U.S. and Israel. By distancing ourselves from our most important strategic ally in a troubled region, an ally with which we have strong and necessary joint military, intelligence, security, and trade agreements, we weaken the United States. By taking the role of the Palestinians' negotiator in the guise of an "honest broker" and advancing Palestinian demands that should be the subjects of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, not their preconditions, the administration is seriously weakening the security of Israel.

A report in the Politico that Vice President Biden, speaking to Prime Minister Netanyahu behind closed doors, explicitly linked Israeli housing policy with the safety of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is also of great concern. It demonstrates the false linkage between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war on terrorism often used by Israel's enemies to undermine Israel's legitimacy and efforts for security and peace.

We call on the Obama administration to halt immediately its unwarranted pressure against Israel, to take steps to heal the dangerous rift it has created between the two countries, and to return to the policy of its predecessors in supporting Israel's security and well-being as an important strategic ally.

* Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren has called it "the worst crisis in 35 years."

ADL National Director Abe Foxman said, "We cannot remember an instance when such harsh language was directed at a friend and ally of the United States. One can only wonder how far the U.S. is prepared to go in distancing itself from Israel in order to placate the Palestinians in the hope they see it is in their interest to return to the negotiating table."

AIPAC called the "escalated rhetoric of recent days" a "distraction from the substantive work that needs to be done," and called on the administration "to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State."

Democratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkeley (D-NV-01) called the administration's moves "an irresponsible overreaction" and "overwrought rhetoric designed to appease Palestinians politicians..."

The Wall Street Journal editors wrote, "Our enemies get courted; our friends get the squeeze. It has happened to Poland, the Czech Republic, Honduras and Colombia. Now it's Israel's turn."

Even the Washington Post reported, "Relations with Israel have been strained almost since the start of the Obama administration. "

SOURCE: Republican Jewish Coalition

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