Obama: I support Israel and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise!

Obama was speaking to the Union for Reform Judaism today, clearly trying very hard to convince American Jews that he is not anti-Israel. He said early on:

So America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel’s security is unshakeable! It is unshakeable!

With assuredness he told the crowd that no other administration had supported Israel’s security more than his and told them not to listen to anyone else telling them a different story:

In fact I am proud to say that no US administration has done more in support of Israel’s security than ours. None! Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. It is a fact!

At the end of the speech he reiterated a similar point:

We have been clear. We’re gonna keep standing with our Israeli friends and allies just as we’ve been doing when they’ve needed us most.

In September when a mob threatened the Israeli embassy in Cairo, we worked to ensure that the men and women working there were able to get out safely.

Last year when raging fires threatened Haifa, we dispatched firefighting planes to help put out the blaze.

On my watch the United States of America has led the way from Durbin to the United Nations against the attempts to use international forums to delegitimize Israel. And we will continue to do so. That’s what friends and allies do for each other.

So don’t let anybody else tell a different story. We have been there and we will continue to be there. Those are the facts!

Here is the six minute portion of the speech and transcript where he laid out his support of Israel:

And that’s why as president I have never wavered in pursuit of a just and lasting peace. Two states for two peoples, an independent Palestine alongside a secure Jewish state of Israel. I have not wavered and will not waver. That is our shared vision.

Now, I know that many of you share my frustration sometimes with the state of the peace process. There’s so much work to do.

But here’s what I know. There’s no question about how lasting peace will be achieved. Peace can’t be imposed from the outside. Ultimately it is the Israelis and the Palestinians who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them.

And the fact that peace is hard can’t deter us from trying. Because now more than ever it’s clear that a just a lasting peace is in the long-term interest of Israel, it is in the long-term interest of the Palestinian people, it is in the interest of the region, it is the interest of the United States, it is in the interest of the World. And I am not going to stop in pursuit of that vision. It is the right thing to do.

Now that vision begins with a strong and secure state of Israel. And the special bonds between our nations are ones that all Americans hold dear. Because they are bonds forged by common interests and shared values. They are bonds that transcend partisan politics – or at least they should.

We stand with Israel as a Jewish democratic state because we know that Israel is born of firmly held values that we as Americans share. A culture committed to justice; a land that welcomes the weary; a people devoted to Tikkun Olam.

So America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel’s security is unshakeable! It is unshakeable!

I said it in September at the United Nations. I said it when I stood amid the homes in Sderot that had been struck by missiles.

No nation can tolerate terror. No nation can accept rockets targeting innocent men, women and children. No nation can yield to suicide bombers. And as Ehud has said, it is hard to remember a time when the United States has given stronger support to Israel on it’s security. In fact I am proud to say that no US administration has done more in support of Israel’s security than ours. None! Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. It is a fact.

I’m proud even in these difficult times we’ve fought for and secured the most funding for Israel in history.

I’m proud that we’ve helped Israel develop a missile defense system that’s already protecting civilians from rocket attacks.
Another grave concern and a threat to the security of Israel and the United States and the world is Iran’s nuclear program. And that’s why our policy has been absolutely clear. We are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

And that’s why we’ve worked painstakingly from the moment I took office with allies and partners, and we have imposed the most comprehensive, the hardest hitting sanctions that the Iranian regime has ever faced. We haven’t just talked about it, we’ve done it! And we’re going to keep up the pressure. And that’s why, rest assured, that we will take no options off the table.

We have been clear. We’re gonna keep standing with our Israeli friends and allies just as we’ve been doing when they’ve needed us most.

In September when a mob threatened the Israeli embassy in Cairo, we worked to ensure that the men and women working there were able to get out safely.

Last year when raging fires threatened Haifa, we dispatched firefighting planes to help put out the blaze.

On my watch the United States of America has led the way from Durbin to the United Nations against the attempts to use international forums to delegitmize Israel. And we will continue to do so. That’s what friends and allies do for each other.

So don’t let anybody else tell a different story. We have been there and we will continue to be there. Those are the facts!


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