NJDC: Obama clear on Israel support (UPDATED)

Capital J

By Eric Fingerhut · June 4, 2009

The first Jewish group out witha statement on President Obama's speech is the National Jewish Democratic Council, which praises his statement that the U.S. and Israel have an "unbreakable" bond and his emphasis on the importance of Israel's security:

"President Barack Obama's speech this morning in Cairo did not just reiterate what the audience wanted to hear, but Obama was forthright about the acceptance of Israel and their legitimate needs," said Ira Forman, CEO of NJDC. "The President made very clear to the Arab world that he was going to continue to prioritize Israel's peace and security, and that the U.S. and Israel have an 'unbreakable' bond."

UPDATED: NJDC has released a longer statement. Here it is:

President Barack Obama’s speech this morning in Cairo did not just reiterate what the audience wanted to hear. Instead, Obama was forthright about the necessity for acceptance of the Jewish homeland in Israel and called for Palestinian abandonment of violence.

We praise Obama for reaching out to the Muslim world and for his commitment to Middle East peace. Similarly, we recognize his wisdom in speaking directly to the Muslim world about the need to abandon fantasies of destroying Israel and in reiterating America’s unbreakable bond with the Jewish State.