Barack Obama has seized upon news media reported quotes of Benjamin Netanyahu, not because they are true (they're not) but because they open up the door for him to publicly show the hatred of Israel that has dominated his Middle East policy since he ran for President.
The two statements reported wrong were regarding Netanyahu's support for a Jewish State and his statement about Israeli Arabs voting
It is very convenient for the media and President Obama to take half a statement and spin it the way they want, but the truth is Netanyahu never said he didn't believe in a two-state solution, nor did he ever say he would block a two-state, what he said was a Palestinian State would never be formed while he was premier because it would become a base for radical Islam.
The dialog below is from the original CNN story posted the day before the Israeli election and before the leftist media and the President started spinning what Netanyahu said:
“Asked by an interviewer with the Israeli news site, NRG [Ma’ariv] if it was true that a Palestinian nation would never be formed while he's prime minister, Netanyahu replied, ‘Indeed.’That's what the guy said folks. Not "no two-state solution", or that "he would block a Palestinian State" but as long as they presented themselves as sponsors of terrorism there would be no Palestinian State, and based on that it will not happen on his watch.
His interview with NRG came as he courted conservative supporters a day before Israelis head to the polls for national elections.
‘Anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state, anyone who is going to evacuate territories today, is simply giving a base for attacks to the radical Islam against Israel,’ he said. ‘This is the true reality that was created here in the last few years.’
The President is a very bright person as is his staff at the State Department, he had to know exactly what Netanyahu said and meant the day he said it, but he is exploiting the reports in the liberal press.
The second statement, “Arab voters are going en masse to the polls” and thus threatening the country’s “rightwing government,” is partially true. He did say that and continued not by saying the Arabs should be prevented from voting, but that Netanyahu supporters needed to get to the polls. Almost immediately after the Arabs voters going to the polls video was posted, Netanyahu clarified what he said by adding, “what’s wrong is not that Arab citizens are voting, but that massive funds from abroad from left-wing NGOs and foreign governments are bringing them en masse to the polls in an organized way, thus twisting the true will of all Israeli citizens who are voting, for the good of the Left.”
Bibi was looking for help in combating the foreign funds being used to unseat him such as the group V-15 whose advertising was basically "vote for anybody but Bibi?" V-15 received money from the U.S. State Department
Again the reports skewed what Netanyahu said, and again President Obama used the twisted words because it freed him to trash Israel overtly not only because of his historic feelings about the Jewish State but because he hopes to silence Israel about what may be an awful Iran deal.
Since the election the President has been condemning Netanyahu and the Jewish State way beyond what has ever been seen before including telling the Huffington Post, “What Netanyahu said about Arab voters erodes Israeli democracy”
Earlier in the week the President’s spokesman Joshua Earnest said that despite what Netanyahu really said and what he repeated to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, President Obama did not believe the Prime Minister and is reevaluating the American-Israeli relationship.
After Earnest’s statement, AIPAC, which rarely criticizes politicians of either party, and even more rarely criticizes an American President, released a statement critical of President Obama which means this one group bent on bi-partisan support of Israel believes Obama crossed the line.
“Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly and clearly reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, he sought to reassure that his government will be dedicated to serving and representing all the people of Israel – both Jewish and non-Jewish citizens. Unfortunately, administration spokespersons rebuffed the prime minister’s efforts to improve the understandings between Israel and the U.S. In contrast to their comments, we urge the administration to further strengthen ties with America’s most reliable and only truly democratic ally in the Middle East. A solid and unwavering relationship between the U.S. and Israel is in the national security interests of both countries and reflects the values that we both cherish.”On Thursday Republican Senator Marco Rubio delivered a 15-minute long address on the Senate floor blasting Obama’s recent treatment of Israel. Rubio declared,
This is a historic and tragic mistake. Israel is not a Republican or Democratic issue. If this was a Republican president doing these things, I would give the exact same speech. In fact, I would be even angrier. This is outrageous. It is irresponsible. It is dangerous, and it betrays the commitment this nation has made to the right of a Jewish state to exist in peace.Senator Schumer joined in on the criticism without mentioning the president by name,
The UN has never been a great friend of Israel’s, and the United States has always been the strong, and often lonely voice for Israel at the UN. I expect that to continue, and will do everything I can to ensure that the US stands up strongly for Israel at the UN.Congressman Zeldin a Republican who represents eastern Suffolk County NY added:
The Palestine Authority must be willing to root out terrorist groups like Hamas from its ranks or a two state solution will never be viable. There are way too many neighbors of Israel overly aggressive in offensive actions against Israelis. Many seek to wipe Israel off the map. That is not an option and the White House should be more sensitive to that reality on the ground.Note: a request for comment from the office of Congressman Steve Israel was not answered.
In the end it doesn’t matter what congress thinks, as many made it clear when Prime Minister Netanyahu was about to speak before congress, the President of the United States sets foreign policy. And this President’s policy has been anti-Israel from the start. Only no he is taking words that he must know Bibi never said, so he can increase his venom toward the Jewish State and bring it out into the open.
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