RJC: Speech too balanced
The Republican Jewish Coalition said President Obama's speech in Cairo was too balanced and "appear to mark the beginning of a worrisome shift in U.S. policy."
"President Barack Obama, in his major speech in Cairo this morning, struck a balanced tone with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that's what was wrong with this speech," said RJC executive director Matt Brooks. "American policy should not be balanced -- it should side with those who fight terror, not those who either engage in it or are too weak to prevent it."
"We urge President Obama to return to the policy of holding the security of Israel as a key American priority and requiring significant, concrete, and verifiable moves toward peace from the Palestinian side," the Brooks statement said.
The full RJC statement is after the jump:
Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks said today:
President Barack Obama, in his major speech in Cairo this morning, struck a balanced tone with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that's what was wrong with this speech.
American policy should not be balanced - it should side with those who fight terror, not those who either engage in it or are too weak to prevent it.
This conflict will not reach a peaceful conclusion until the Palestinians put an end to terrorism, violence, and incitement against Israel. American policy has long been to support Israel - a fellow democracy and committed ally of this country - in its efforts to achieve lasting security for its citizens. Israel's good faith efforts have been met by unremitting Palestinian violence and what is in effect an internal Palestinian civil war. Peace and security go hand in hand -- Israel has repeatedly reached out her hand in peace only to have it slapped back. The President's remarks to the world's Muslims today appear to mark the beginning of a worrisome shift in U.S. policy.
We urge President Obama to return to the policy of holding the security of Israel as a key American priority and requiring significant, concrete, and verifiable moves toward peace from the Palestinian side.
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Hannah
06/04/09 04:26 PM
This was exactly my response. How can there be equivalence between the Holocaust and the situation with the Arabs (erroneously called Palestinians) - the lie of the “occupation”?
There is NO equivalence, there is no honesty, because he’s starting off on a foundation which itself is a lie- that there is an Arab people called Palestinians. There IS a two state solution, rejected by the Arabs, and that is the state of Jordan. Jordan should be addressed, not Israel. And when is the blindness going to end, where terror is the fault of Israel. How does that explain Darfur etc.? Quit talking about displacement of the poor Arabs- what about the murder and displacement of European Jewry? Fellow Jews, we are fighting for our right to exist; please don’t remain silent!!!!!!