Email the White House TODAY and Urge President Obama to End His crisis with Israel
While Vice President Biden was in Israel, Israel's Interior Minister announced that permits would be issued for new homes in a Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Since the Obama Administration is opposed to such construction, many complained that the timing was a slight to the Vice President. But by all accounts Prime Minister Netanyahu had nothing to do with the timing of this announcement. He and Israel's other top leaders immediately and profusely apologized for it. Democracy is sometimes messy.Yet timing aside, this policy was hardy new. Building in East Jerusalem has been a source of disagreement between Israeli and US administrations for many years. But this disagreement has never strained the close ties between our two countries. And it has never been a barrier to peace talks with the Palestinians.
Now, however, the Obama Administration has reacted to this announcement by creating the worst crisis in relations with Israel in decades. First Vice President Biden condemned the announcement in unusually harsh terms. Then, over the weekend, Secretary of State Clinton and advisor David Axelrod escalated the rhetoric still further. Today, Middle East envoy George Mitchell indefinitely postponed his trip to the region. Where will it end?
This response is both exaggerated and unnecessary. At a time of such peril to Israel and the world, we can ill afford such distance between us and our closest ally in the Middle East.
We need to act now to remind President Obama that what we share with Israel is deep and profound. We need to stand with the only democracy in the Middle East. We need to speak up for our vital ally in the struggle with militant Islam. We need to provide some perspective to an administration that seems to lack it.
