White House Archived on Twitter: “”Our commitment to Israel’s security-and my commitment to Israel’s security-is and always will be unshakeable.” -@POTUS at @AdasIsraelDC / Twitter”
“Our commitment to Israel’s security-and my commitment to Israel’s security-is and always will be unshakeable.” -@POTUS at @AdasIsraelDC
That was then. This is now.
The White House’s decision to break with decades of U.S. policy and allow the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements is the culmination of years of bad blood between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The decision won Obama criticism from across the political spectrum, and almost certainly wouldn’t have been made if Hillary Clinton had won the presidential election.
It opened him up to condemnation from President-elect Donald Trump and the right, and could lead to a battle over U.S. funding for the U.N. in Congress.
But Obama’s team decided it was worth it.
Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said the rapid expansion of settlement activity under Netanyahu had put the possibility of a future peace agreement at risk.
“We could not in good conscience veto a resolution that expressed concerns about the very trends that are eroding the foundation of a two-state solution,” he told reporters.
Via The Hill