President Obama has struggled to convince some American Jews that he is a strong supporter of Israel, but at the White House on Wednesday, the president of Israel worked to remove any doubt.
“Mr. President, you have pledged a lasting friendship for Israel. You stated that Israel’s security is ‘sacrosanct.’ So you pledged. So you acted. So you’re acting. As a great leader, as a genuine friend,” Shimon Peres said after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.
For his part, Obama returned the love, saying that in Peres he sees the essence of Israel — “an indomitable spirit that will not be denied.” He said Peres has worked to ensure that “the security cooperation between the United States and Israel is closer and stronger than it has ever been.”
“Because the security of the state of Israel is non-negotiable. And the bonds between us are unbreakable,” Obama said.
Gone was any trace of tension between these allies, such as when Obama called for peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to be based on the 1967 borders, with land swaps, and the tense Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that followed.
The Obama campaign has worked to reassure American Jews of the president’s commitment to Israel, and in particular its resolve to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which Israel deeply fears.
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