White House Hits Back Hard at Benjamin Netanyahu Over Jerusalem Settlements
Image by getty images
The White House rejected criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a withering response on Monday, accusing him of refusing to acknowledge how much help the United States has been to Israel over the years.
A long-time split between President Barack Obama and Netanyahu appeared to widen further after the Israeli leader’s visit to the White House last week.
Netanyahu, on the CBS program “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said U.S. criticism of an Israeli move for a new Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem was “against American values.”
At his daily briefing, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: “It did seem odd for him to try to defend the actions of his government by saying our response did not reflect American values.
“The fact is American policy has been clear and unchanged under several administrations, both Democrat and Republican.”
Earnest added: “We oppose any unilateral actions that attempt to prejudge final status issues including the status of Jerusalem. These can only be legitimately determined through direct negotiations through the parties that this president has worked hard to try to facilitate.”
The White House statement was a lengthy defense of U.S. policy toward Israel, centered around the “American values” theme that Netanyahu raised.
“The fact is, when it comes to American values, it’s American values that lend this country’s unwavering support to Israel. It’s American values that have led us to fight for and secure funding to strengthen Israel’s security in tangible ways.”
Earnest said it was U.S. funding for Israel’s “Iron Dome” system that has prevented Hamas rockets from hitting their targets.
“It’s American values that have led us to fund and build an Iron Dome system that protected the lives of countless innocent Israeli citizens,” he said.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
