The Obama administration continues to receive pushback regarding its recent decision not to support Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Most recently, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio called out the administration, and particularly Secretary of State John Kerry.
President Obama and Secretary Kerry were involved in the recent United Nations decision repudiating Israel’s claim to the West Bank.
The Obama administration directed the U.S.’s UN representative to abstain from the important vote, essentially standing on the side against Israel.
The official UN resolution stated that Israeli settlements on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem are “a flagrant violation under international law.”
Rubio had this to say regarding the decision:
“Secretary Kerry today once again decided to cater to the demands of freedom’s enemies and devote an entire speech to disparaging a country that is one of our closest allies. This administration’s shameful undermining of our moral standing in the world should be a warning to administrations for decades to come about the consequences of America abandoning our values. When we fail to take a stand against those that seek to deny Israel’s right to exist or try to question the Jewish history of Jerusalem, we hurt not just Israel but our own credibility.”
Rubio went on to say that he has better hopes for how the incoming administration under Donald Trump will deal with Israel.
Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz also condemned the UN decision, calling Obama “one of the worst foreign-policy presidents ever.”
Photo courtesy: flickr.com
Publication date: December 29, 2016
