fbpx

News

Obama: I care deeply about Israel, we share same values

[ssba]

In an in depth interview with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, US President Barack Obama emphasised his support for Israel and the shared values of the US-Israel relationship.

He told Goldberg, “To me, being pro-Israel and pro-Jewish is part and parcel with the values that I’ve been fighting for since I was politically conscious and started getting involved in politics.” Obama explained, “There’s a direct line between supporting the right of the Jewish people to have a homeland and to feel safe … and the right of African Americans to vote and have equal protection under the law. These things are indivisible in my mind.”

Underscoring the common values of America and Israel, Obama added, “I want Israel, in the same way that I want the United States, to embody the Judeo-Christian and, ultimately then, what I believe are human or universal values that have led to progress over a millennium… I want Israel to embody these values because Israel is aligned with us in that fight for what I believe to be true.”

However, alluding to the differences of opinion he has had with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially over the peace process, Obama said, “if we’re not willing to take risks on behalf of those values—then those principles become empty words.” Therefore, he explained that he is required to be “honest with friends about how I view these issues,” although “that makes, understandably, folks both in Israel and here in the United States uncomfortable.” Obama also raised concerns that if the status quo were not altered, “it may lead Israel down a path in which it’s very hard to protect itself [as] a Jewish-majority democracy.”

Addressing Iran’s nuclear development, Obama said, “I have a personal interest in locking this down” and took responsibility for the potential outcome of the nascent deal under discussion, commenting “20 years from now, I’m still going to be around, God willing. If Iran has a nuclear weapon, it’s my name on this.”