GOP picked one line out of Obama's
speech
to declare him a foe of Israel
Earlier today, President Obama delivered a
speech on American policy in the Middle East and North Africa. The GOP's 2012 field naturally seized upon this as an opportunity to go on the attack. Mitt Romney
led the charge, accusing him of throwing Israel "under the bus," but most of the rest of the GOP field
joined in the assault.
The basis of their attack? Obama said any peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians should be based on 1967 borders. What they forgot to mention was that he also said there should be mutually agreed upon land swaps, a recognition of the fact that a return to the precise pre-1967 borders would be unacceptable to Israel.
While Republicans are accusing President Obama of being anti-Israel, it's worth pointing out that the Anti-Defamation League praised the speech not just as being constructive for Middle East peace and good for Israel, but also as being an expression of American values and ideals:
We welcome President Obama's compelling speech on the priorities for American policy in the Middle East. We applaud his strong outlining of the principles which motivate that policy, including supporting the universal rights of free speech, equality and religious freedom, opposing the use of force and political repression, and promoting political and economic reforms. These are a reflection of American values and promote American interests.
We further commend his strong affirmation of the importance of the deep and unshakeable U.S.-Israel relationship, and his clear articulation of the moral and strategic connections between America and Israel. We support the President's vision of a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian settlement with strong security provisions for Israel, and a non-militarized Palestinian state.
As ADL's statement underscores, the idea that Barack Obama is pursuing some sort of anti-Israel agenda is completely absurd. But then again, so is the field of Republican candidates for 2012.