Pro-Israel activist Steve Sheffey wrote an opinion piece for The Jerusalem Post warning about the false smears likely to be spread by right-wingers against President Barack Obama's strong pro-Israel record as the presidential campaign heats up.
The campaign to delegitimize President Obama in the eyes of pro-Israel voters will only intensify between now and November 6....
Opponents of territorial compromise and Americans who use concern for Israel to mask concern about paying their fair share of taxes compose most of the 20-25 percent of Jews who vote Republican. But that's not enough to win an election; hence their efforts to distort President Obama's record on Israel. Most Jews support the Democratic domestic agenda, so if there is no reason to oppose the president based on Israel, there is no reason to oppose him at all.
Obama has called for the removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad, ordered the successful assassination of Osama bin-Laden, done more than any other president to stop Iran's illicit nuclear program, restored Israel's qualitative military edge after years of erosion under the previous administration, increased security assistance to Israel to record levels, boycotted Durban II and Durban III, taken US Israel military and intelligence cooperation to unprecedented levels, cast his only veto in the UN against the one-sided anti-Israel Security Council resolution, opposed the Goldstone Report, stood with Israel against the Gaza flotilla, and is mounting a diplomatic crusade against the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.
-- Alan Elsner and Jennifer Packer, The Israel Project
U.S says "unwise" measure would break trust between Israeli and Palestinians.
An American veto Friday defeated a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned Israeli settlement activity as "illegal." With only three exceptions (Eisenhower, G.H.W.Bush and G.W.Bush), American Presidents have wielded America's veto as Israel's last line of defense on the United Nations Security Council.
Calling it an "unwise" move for the peace process,
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice used the Obama administration's first veto at the United Nations while the 14 other members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution.
Rice said the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue is to work toward a two-state solution.
U.S.: Only way to bring about peace is through direct negotiations
"The only way to reach that common goal is through direct negotiations between the parties with the active support of the United States and the international community," she said. "Even the best-intentioned outsiders cannot resolve it" for them. "There simply are no shortcuts," Rice added.
See responses from Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Marc Stanley and David Harris (NJDC), and Ronald Lauder (WJC) after the jump.
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