President Obama "My Commitment to Israel is Unshakeable"

December 16, 2011, 4:49 pm

In Obama Speech on Israel, No Mention of Palestinians

By HELENE COOPER

Doug Mills/The New York TimesPresident Obama spoke at the 71st General Assembly of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Less than a year before the presidential election, a pattern is emerging. The Republicans will outdo themselves to say the most provocative things they can to demonstrate they love Israel more than anyone else. And President Obama will counter by saying as little as he can about the Palestinians.
In a speech Friday to the convention of the Union for Reform Judaism, Mr. Obama sought to counter Republican criticism that he had been more supportive of the Palestinian cause than Israel by outlining how he had fought for Israeli interests over the last three years, providing unprecedented military and security aid and defending Israel on the world stage. He said that the United States hadn’t eliminated any options to combat Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons, and promised to keep international pressure meant to rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“We will keep standing with our Israeli friends and allies,” Mr. Obama said. “Don’t let anyone tell you a different story. We have been there, and we will continue to be there.”
What Mr. Obama did not get into much was any real discussion of the Palestinian issue, which has been stuck in neutral since his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, when he said he would not back Palestinian statehood in the Security Council.
That has not, however, stopped Republican presidential candidates from sniping that Mr. Obama hasn’t shown enough support of Israel, and trying to contrast how different they would be if they were president. Newt Gingrich recently called the Palestinians an “invented” people whose leadership seeks the destruction of Israel, while both Mr. Gingrich and Mitt Romney said that they would be fine with moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv despite decades of American foreign policy based on the widely held belief that such a move would be inflammatory absent a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.
Whether any of the machinations do much to move the overwhelmingly Democratic Jewish vote remains to be seen. Mr. Obama on Friday was doing his best to remind his audience — the largest convention of reformist Jews in North America — that its values were Democratic values. He talked about the health overhaul law, the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and his work to make college education more affordable.
And, of course: “America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel’s security is unshakable,” Mr. Obama said. He added: “It is unshakable.”