LIkud Party members panned Barack Obama’s stump speech at AIPAC this morning.
Jerusalem Post reported:
Israeli reactions to US President Barack Obama’s speech at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington on Sunday were divided along party lines.
Deputy Negev and Galilee Development Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) criticized Obama for saying that too much bluster played into Iranian hands and suggesting that it led to higher gas prices.
“There is a saying that it’s easier to watch a fire from far away,” Kara said. “We are facing an existential threat, not the US. If Israel doesn’t bluster, the US will also be in danger, because Iran’s missiles will reach them too. Israel is doing everything possible to keep the world safe, and it’s unfortunate that the White House doesn’t see things the way we see them here.”
Likud MK Danny Danon mocked Obama’s promises to protect Israel’s security. He said history had proven that Israel can rely only on itself.
“Looking back at the way the United States criticized Israel for destroying the nuclear reactor in Iraq, Israel must make its decisions based on its own good judgment,” Danon said
Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich called Obama’s speech unquestionably pro-Israel. In a speech in Herzliya, she wished Netanyahu well in his meeting with the president.
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni blamed tension between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Obama on Netanyahu.
