Today, 10th District Congressional candidate Robert Dold chastised the Obama Administration for its recent campaign to reverse U.S.-Israel relations. In the past month alone, President Obama has denounced Israel’s plans to build homes in entirely Jewish areas of Jerusalem, continued to pressure a cherished and respected ally in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and invited Zbigniew Brezinski – a man known for questioning the value of a strong American-Israeli relationship – into the White House for meetings to discuss Middle East policy.
“The President has exhibited an alarming pattern of behavior that signals a dangerous shift in U.S. Middle East policy,” Dold said. “President Obama’s desire to seize control of Middle East policy himself, keep Prime Minister Netanyahu at arm’s length, and flirt with an ‘American Peace Plan’ is a dangerous and misguided departure from the leadership we need to maintain an unwavering U.S.-Israeli relationship."
Amid recent reports that President Obama is interested in balancing support for Israel against other American interests, Dold went on to question the President’s strategy for the Middle East.
“The President should be focused first and foremost on halting a nuclear Iran,” Dold said. “Tying progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to the issue of confronting Iran is unwise and presents a severe threat to American national interests.” Dold continued, “I will not be a rubber stamp in Congress for President Obama when it comes to Israel’s safety and security. I will speak up and challenge the President when he is wrong on Israel.”
