White House issues statement following ambassador’s comments on anti-Semitism
The White House has distanced itself from the American ambassador to Belgium, following his declaration that Israel's conflict with the Palestinians has stoked global anti-Semitism.
"We condemn anti-semitism in all its forms, and that there is never any justification for prejudice against the Jewish people or Israel," the White House said in a statement that was sent tonight to Jewish leaders and others. A copy of that statement was forwarded to the Washington Jewish Week.
At least one source close to the Obama campaign implied that the administration must take concrete action.
"Anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism," said the source, who does not work for the campaign. But "if the Obama administration's rebuke of its Belgium ambassador is to be taken seriously, we expect greater action than a statement."
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Leon Chattah
12/05/11 02:13 PM
It’s not a first for a prominent antisemitic Jew to ‘apologize’ or ‘explain’ after the fact, and in a well known ploy of lawyering below the belt ‘withdraw’ his/her comments after the Jury hears it..., or as in the case of this ambassador who should be most careful with his language, covers his cowardice with the mantle of being himself a second generation Holocaust survivor. The slight Obama’s rebuke points out to that that was the message so we should not JUST shoot the messenger… YES, Antisemitism is Antisemitism whatever its source and regardless of ‘validity’. A rose by any other name is still a rose… The same goes for Hillary Clinton’s remarks about equating the treatment of women in Israel as the the way Iran treats theirs. Is she totally insane or just irretrievably antisemitic?