Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-FL, blasted the Obama administration Thursday for its treatment of Israel, a crucial ally in the war on terror.
“President Obama was quoted saying, 'I try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done more for the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration.' Does the President not recall the events of the past few years?” Diaz-Balart asked in a statement released by his office.
He then outlined a series of statements and actions by the Obama administration that has increased pressure on Israel and threatened its overall safety:
• September 2009: During a U.N. General Assembly, President Obama declared, "America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements." The speech concluded without a single criticism of Palestinian terrorism.
• March 2010: During Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, a Jerusalem municipal office announced plans for new construction in a part of Jerusalem. The president launched an unprecedented weeks-long offensive against Israel. Mr. Biden very publicly departed Israel.
Diaz-Balart pointed out that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton berated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a now-infamous 45-minute phone call, telling him that Israel had "harmed the bilateral relationship." The Israeli ambassador was dressed-down at the State Department, Obama's Middle East envoy canceled his trip to Israel, and the U.S. joined the European condemnation of Israel.
In another instance, the Palestinian Authority held a ceremony to honor Dalal Mughrabi, who led one of the deadliest Palestinian terror attacks in history: the so-called Coastal Road Massacre that killed 38, including 13 children and an American, just after a visit by Vice President Joe Biden.
“The Obama administration was silent. But that same day, on ABC, Mr. Axelrod called Israel's planned construction of apartments in its own capital an "insult" and an "affront" to the United States. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs went on Fox News to accuse Netanyahu of "weakening trust" between the two countries,” Diaz-Balart wrote.
“Ten days later, Netanyahu traveled to Washington to mend fences but was snubbed at a White House meeting with President Obama-no photo op, no joint statement, and he was sent out through a side door.”
• April 2010: Netanyahu pulled out of the Obama-sponsored Washington summit on nuclear proliferation after it became clear that Turkey and Egypt intended to use the occasion to condemn the Israeli nuclear program, and Mr. Obama would not intervene.
• March 2011: Obama returned to his habit of urging Israelis to engage in self-reflection, inviting Jewish community leaders to the White House and instructing them to "search your souls" about Israel's dedication to peace.
• May 2011: The State Department issued a press release declaring that the department's No. 2 official, James Steinberg, would be visiting
"Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank." In other words, Jerusalem is not part of Israel. Later in the month, only hours before Netanyahu departed from Israel to Washington, Obama delivered his Arab Spring speech, which focused on a demand that Israel return to its indefensible pre-1967 borders with land swaps.
"The President must be experiencing some form of amnesia to forget his constant pressure and criticism against Israel. How President Obama can claim otherwise and say, he does not 'compromise when it comes to Israel's security,' is baffling to me,” Diaz-Balart concluded. “I urge the Administration to follow a simple principle that has served the United States well: loyalty to our allies."
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