Obama Emphasizes Unwavering Dedication to Israel

Ariela Fleisig — June 21, 2011 – 2:23 pm | Barack Obama | Congress | Iran | Israel Comments (1) Add a comment

President Barack Obama emphasized his unwavering dedication to Israel’s security and his commitment to achieving peace during a Democratic National Committee (DNC) event last night.

In what he called the “most important message” he would give during the evening, the President said:

One inviolable principle will be that the United States and Israel will always be stalwart allies and friends - that that bond isn’t breakable and that Israel’s security will always be at the top tier of considerations in terms of how America manages its foreign policy - because it’s the right thing to do, because Israel is our closest ally and friend, it is a robust democracy, it shares our values and it shares our principles.

Obama explained that his administration has shown more commitment to Israeli military strength than any other in recent history:

We have to do so from a position of strength, which is why my administration has done more to promote Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its defense capabilities than any administration over the last 25 years. And we have made that commitment consistently. 

He also pressed for support for diplomatic engagement with those willing to cooperate with the US and Israel to create a lasting Middle East peace. Obama explained that though he has confidence that peace and security in the Middle East will eventually be achieved, hard work, creativity, and active citizen participation will be imperative to creating a successful, lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He said:

It’s not going to be sufficient for us just to keep on doing the same things we’ve been doing and expect somehow that things are going to work themselves out. We’re going to have to be creative and we’re going to have to be engaged. We’re going to have to look for opportunities where the best impulses in the Middle East come to the fore and the worst impulses are weakened.

Click here to read the President’s remarks.

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