AJC Praises President Obama's Ongoing Commitment to Israel's Security

NEW YORK, March 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC welcomed President Obama's reaffirmation of his commitment to Israel's security in his address today to the AIPAC conference in Washington.

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"President Obama has made clear, lest there be any doubters, that the solid foundation of the U.S.-Israel partnership endures," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "As Israel today faces exceptionally challenging diplomatic and security challenges, it is gratifying to hear President Obama declare that 'when the chips are down, I have Israel's back.'"

Regarding the Iranian nuclear threat, said Harris, the president's words and deeds are critically important for both Israel and the United States.

Obama declared that "no Israeli government can tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime that denies the Holocaust, threatens to wipe Israel off the map, and sponsors terrorist groups committed to Israel's destruction."

"Iran's leaders should have no doubt about the resolve of the United States, just as they should not doubt Israel's sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs," said Obama, who will host Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House tomorrow. "I understand the profound historical obligation that weighs on the shoulders of Bibi Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, and all of Israel's leaders."

Harris said the president's words "give strong hope that President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu will see eye-to-eye, built on a foundation of mutual trust, on the best path to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear-weapons capability. All eyes will be on the White House for tomorrow's meeting."

The president also reiterated that it is in America's own national interest, for compelling reasons of global security, to ensure that Iran does not get the bomb.

Harris noted the president's ongoing commitment to advance Arab-Israel peace, while helping ensure Israel's security needs. The peace process has experienced serious setbacks over the past three years due, above all, to Palestinian intransigence.

"Any lasting peace must acknowledge the fundamental legitimacy of Israel and its security concerns," said Obama, recalling his address to the UN General Assembly last September, which AJC praised at the time for its forthright defense of Israel. "Any Palestinian partner must recognize Israel's right to exist, reject violence, and adhere to existing agreements."

Obama also reviewed his administration's record on military and intelligence cooperation with Israel, and support for Israel at the UN and other international forums.

"When there are efforts to boycott or divest from Israel, we'll stand against them," said Obama. "Whenever an effort is made to delegtimize the state of Israel, my Administration has opposed them."

Early in the speech, Obama announced that he will present in the Spring the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, to Israeli President Shimon Peres. "I am grateful for his life's work and moral example," Obama said of Peres, who also addressed AIPAC today.

"We could not agree more wholeheartedly with the president's choice of Peres as a recipient of this extraordinary honor," Harris said.

And the president also appealed to American unity, which is also a strongly held theme of AJC advocacy. "The U.S.-Israel relationship is too important to be distorted by partisan politics. America's national security is too important. Israel's security is too important," said Obama. "Our support for Israel is bipartisan and that is how it should stay."

AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither endorses nor opposes any candidate for public office.

www.ajc.org

SOURCE American Jewish Committee