Weiner was one of more than a dozen Democrats in the House and Senate
who have expressed concern about Obama's policy in the Middle East. The criticism
was sparked by a warning by Sen. Charles Schumer that Obama was trying to intimidate Israel, a statement that
provoked a harsh White House response.
"Instead of continuing to lash out publicly at our closest ally, the
Obama administration should be listening to what Senator Schumer says,"
Weiner said on April 23. "Schumer is right, and the White House is wrong on
Israel."
Weiner has opposed any increase in U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority
amid its boycott of negotiations with Israel. In an address to the Zionist
Organization of America, Weiner said the PA must demonstrate its commitment
to peace with the Jewish state.
"Until the Palestinians return to the negotiating table, we should not
give them another dollar, another [Israeli] shekel," Weiner said.
Rep. Shelley Berkley, a leading member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, said Obama has adopted the Palestinian position that Israel was
illegitimate. Ms. Berkley, a Nevada Democrat, said Obama has forgotten
history.
"Get off this settlement nonsense," Ms. Berkley also told ZOA. "It is
not an impediment to peace."
Congressional sources said Democrats in Congress have been concerned by
the sharp drop in Jewish contributions for the November 2010 elections. They
said most of the drop was reported in Chicago and New York, regarded as two
of the largest Jewish communities in the United States.
In 2010, more than 100 Democrats refused to sign a letter to Obama that
urged him to resolve his dispute with Israel. The sources said pro-Israel
lobbyists have determined that at least a third of the Democrats in Congress
support Obama's campaign against Israel, which included the establishment of
a Palestinian state in the West Bank by 2012.
"The only true ally we have in the region is Israel," Rep. Edolphus
Towns, a New York Democrat, said. "And we need to wake up and act like it."
Some of the Democrats have warned that Iran would be emboldened by
Obama's pressure on Israel. They said the White House must not stop
any Israeli military attack on a nuclear Iran.
"Everyone of good will stand up and say it [Israel] has to make its own
national security decisions," Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat,
said.
ShareThis
