Chicagoland Pro-Israel Report Debunks Criticism of Obama’s Statement on Terrorism

David Streeter — September 12, 2011 – 5:29 pm | Barack Obama | Israel | Stop the Smears | Terrorism Comments (1) Add a comment

Chicago-based pro-Israel activist Steve Sheffey devoted this weekend’s edition of the Chicagoland Pro-Israel Report to debunking the false claims regarding President Barack Obama’s statement on terrorism. Sheffey made it clear that Obama has repeatedly condemned terrorism against Israel and emphasized that those who baselessly criticize Obama on Israel “don’t do the pro-Israel cause any favors.”

Sheffey wrote:

Marty Peretz baselessly attacked President Obama for the President’s statement on terrorism. Peretz recycled a Zionist Organization of America press release from the previous week (oddly enough, Peretz did not cite the ZOA in his article). Peretz and the ZOA are way off base….

President Obama did list some cities throughout the world that were victims of terrorism to make the point that terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon.

Is alliteration now considered anti-Israel by Peretz and the ZOA? ‘New York or Nairobi, Bali or Belfast, Mumbai or Manilla, Lahore or London.’ This very short list of cities was obviously not meant to represent policy. Does anyone really believe that President Obama thinks that the only victims of terrorism are in those eight cities?...

The Obama administration has repeatedly condemned terrorism against Israel in the strongest possible terms. Should the Obama administration have listed every country that was victimized by terrorism every time it condemned terrorism against Israel? Of course not….

President Obama has forcefully condemned individual terrorist attacks against Israel throughout his presidency. Anyone who is paying attention knows that this Administration is very sensitive to, and acknowledges, Israeli victims of terrorism.

One of many examples was just last month, when White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the U.S. government condemns ‘the brutal terrorist attacks in southern Israel today in the strongest terms… our deepest condolences go to the victims, their families and loved ones, and we wish those injured a speedy recovery. The U.S. and Israel stand united against terror, and we hope that those behind this attack will be brought to justice swiftly.’

The Obama administration specifically requested additional funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system, which has already saved many Israeli lives from terrorist rockets fired from Gaza. That’s what matters. Peretz and the ZOA found a grand total of two times in his presidency when President Obama delivered a short-list of cities or countries that did not include Israel. They chose to ignore all of President Obama’s direct condemnations of terrorism against Israel….

Peretz and the ZOA don’t do the pro-Israel cause any favors by unfairly attacking President Obama on Israel.

Also, in response to the resurfacing of the long-debunked rumor regarding Obama’s Haiti speech from 2010, Sheffey reiterated that Israel’s aid mission arrived after Obama had already spoken about the situation in Haiti.

 

 

 

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