White House Pushes Back On Schumer's Criticism Of Israel Policy

The Obama administration pushed back on Friday against critical comments made by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y) accusing the president of having a "counterproductive" policy on Israel.

Asked by the Huffington Post about the remarks during the morning's gaggle, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs replied: "I don't think it is a stretch to say we don't agree with what Senator Schumer said."

The night before, Schumer rebuked the administration's approach to Israeli settlements in Jerusalem. "This has to stop," he told the politically conservative Jewish Nachum Segal Show. "I told the president, I told Rahm Emanuel and others in the administration that I thought the policy they took to try to bring about negotiations is counterproductive, because when you give the Palestinians hope that the United States will do its negotiating for them, they are not going to sit down and talk."

The remarks were, far and away, the toughest Israel-related criticism leveled at this administration to come from a congressional Democrat (and White House ally) to date. A hawkish Israel supporter, Schumer also charged the Obama administration with having a less-than-firm commitment to Israel; that cabinet officials (namely Sec. of State Hillary Clinton) had demanded too many concessions of the Jewish state, and that the White House had been overbearing and one-sided in its demands during the nascent peace process.

Gibbs acknowledged seeing a write-up of the remarks, though not hearing them.

"We have an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel and the Israeli people," he said. "You heard General Jones speak about that earlier in the week. We have said that from the beginning of the administration."

Comments

[needyboy]

12:44 PM on 05/07/2010

As an African-American who hasn't appreciated some of past Jewish relations with blacks in America, I really don't have a dog in this fight, but I actually lived in Jerusalem for work related reasons, which judging by the majority of comments I read here most of you who demonstrate such appalling acid shill criticism against just plain people, and people, could not possibly have had any such real experience of what it really mean to live there. I shudder to think now that it was such an everyday thing for me to consider that if I went out for coffee that there was a good chance I just wouldn't be coming back. So I wonder if any of you have ever sat at a table outside a shop and have an unbelievably surreal explosion go off among a group of shoppers and paint the shop windows and sidewalk with bits of bone, blood and human fat? And I just have to wonder how you yourself would react if you had your brothers and wives, children and grandparent torn to shred in eight straight years of some other people who only wished you dead lobbing rockets out of the blue sky on them?

Then, when they've had enough and actually fight back, the whole world accuse them for being murderers, even acting like Nazis.I feel this hatred myself, which causes me to ask myself if I too have been infected by this very same moral insanity?

[Vlady]

11:10 PM on 04/25/2010

General George Keegan, former head of U.S. Air Force Intelligence has publicly declared that “Israel is worth five CIA’s.” He further stated that between 1974 and 1990,
Israel received $18.3 billion in U.S. military grants. During the same period Israel provided the U.S. with $50-80 billion
in intelligence, research and development savings, and Soviet weapons systems captured and transferred to the U.S.

[JoeDoorman]

09:38 PM on 04/25/2010

Schumer tough on Israel?
This is a joke, right?
This SOB is up to something.

[TheOuroborus]

09:29 PM on 04/25/2010

We should cut off their billions in "aid" and let them fend for themselves. Wonder how long it would be 'til they come beggin' and kissin' our @ss?

Is everyone clear on exactly how much we give to Israel? It's obscene.

[jerryatthebeach]

08:42 PM on 04/25/2010

The American Public stands with Israel and were in an election cycle this year.....

[stevethetruck]

06:45 PM on 04/25/2010

This is NOT Israel, it's AMERICA! . Send him and all the other dual citizens who only work for Israel HOME! Bless them and move on. Please go home, stop taking OUR MONEY and trying to drive us into war with Arabs/Muslims. I don't want to go! I don't want to be an Israeli or have all my govts decision based on a countries well being, that I don't support.(Israel)

Go home Charles, take yer cronies with you. I have no problem with you supporting YOUR country. Pleas stop ruining mine.

[rkreyn]

07:27 PM on 04/25/2010

No doubt, I wonder what he had to say when Israel was caught spying on us? Face it, we are Israel's ally. They are not ours!

[muck-raker]

08:38 PM on 04/25/2010

steve has the right stuff...it is the only attitude a real American can have. Yes you are fanned

and now for Americans who only get the watered down news....this is not pretty...but IT IS WHAT YOU ARE PAYING FOR.....so have a look

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25110.htm

[batguano]

12:32 PM on 04/25/2010

By “counter productive” Senator Schumer means whatever Israel or its US agents want they get, & anyone, even our president, attempting to thwart Israeli aggression, stalling on peace, or expansion of their “settlement” policy will receive the full force of pro-Israel-at-any-cost shills, even if it’s demeaning to American values, international law, or common decency. Schumer, like most NY reps have their heads buried up Israel’s policy, & any attempt to look out for American goals or security is met with howls of protest from Israeli/Likud representatives in Congress. I recently sent a letter to my Congress rep protesting the letter supporting AIPAC & Netanyahu’s stick in our eye, & got back standard pro-Israel crap & toadying sycophancy – pathetic! In NY either tow the pro-Israel line & kiss their ring, or else, like in every district in America, or AIPAC, JINSA, et al, will target you for defeat – pathetic that a nation allows defacto agents of another country to subvert their domestic politics & foreign policy!

Its time to end ALL aid to the racist Israeli state until they deliver on past promises (never fulfilled) & enter good-faith (apparently impossible for the Israeli right-wing expansionists) negotiations & give the US the security & actions WE demand for a change. The Israeli fifth-columnists in America will push the Israeli right-wing line to our detriment & great expense – in short they are traitors to their own country to benefit another; some call that treason.

[muck-raker]

08:42 PM on 04/25/2010

batguano.....great post....I also sent letter to Mr Santorum along the same lines...I got back form letter stating he was doing everything possible to back Israel more and trying to get them even more money.......we then voted him out

[Okieborn]

12:14 PM on 04/25/2010

Schumer took payoffs from the big pharmaceutical and Insurance companies, this guy can't be trusted !!

[scholasticus]

09:48 AM on 04/25/2010

With allies like Schumer, I guess Two State is DOA. The tragic irony is that Palestinians believe it will happen, and the Zionists always hold it out as a goal, while they play the Peace Process for decades.

[Fred303]

11:39 PM on 04/24/2010

Israel comes first for the chosen people , and don't you forget it!

[batguano]

12:55 PM on 04/25/2010

It is true that most Jews hold first loyalty to Israel, regardless of Israeli racism, killings of men, women and children, destruction and illegal expansionism, and unrivaled sense of entitlement they hold to be their right, at the expense of everything else, even their "own" country, common humanity, truth and historical accuracy, but that is beginning to change, and more Jews are speaking out against Israeli state terrorism, intransigence and brutality. You'd think from the dialogue and propaganda that no other people or population on Earth has ever had genocidal or horror inflicted on them; in the case of Israel they use the past to cynically cover and rationalize today’s common land/water theft and the inhumanity (racism) they inflict indiscriminately on Palestinians (and Lebanese) of all ages.

[CigarGod]

01:01 PM on 04/25/2010

Actually, I am one of your "generalizations"...and there are hundreds of thousands like me who place human rights above any nationalistic dogma's.
If you actually want to help...then join one of MANY Peace/Jewish/Palestinian organizations...that accept any race into membership.

[batguano]

05:31 PM on 04/25/2010

Your right CG that more and more Jews are speaking out and that human rights measure more important than the Israeli government’s extremism and intransigence. I may have come off more negative than intended; frustration at the Netanyahu regime and continued killing, AIPAC, and our own lap-dog Congress are the reasons. The difference may be the Jewish left-right divide and whether commitment to human rights and justice can take precedence over the desire for expansionism and sense of entitlement. I do work for a just peace in other than this forum.

[rkreyn]

07:38 PM on 04/25/2010

What I would like to know is where are these organizations each election cycle when the Israeli propaganda machine plays our religious Taliban right for every vote they can get?

[proudandtrue]

10:02 PM on 04/24/2010

Schumer has never heard of loyalty to one's country.

[jpaultel]

10:01 PM on 04/24/2010

If the Israelis want more money and more support from the American people, then the American people would have to insist that they not be insulted at every turn. The American people on whose largess Israel has depended on for more than fifty-five years and under whose security umbrella Israel has found relative peace should not be spat on. Israelis must stop calling the President Obama names unbecoming of an honorable President of the United States like Arab, Kenyan, etc. A few more apologies to Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton will be in order. Enough!

[Wood]

11:13 AM on 04/25/2010

Well said.. When the brother-in-law of the Prime Minister is
making comments like the one he made, given that it is
completely and utterly false,' it is completely counterproductive....

[morphyous]

09:09 PM on 04/24/2010

The Citizens of the United States have given the Israli people BILLIONS of dollars for Years. The US has always been their staunchest ally. There MUST be Peace in the Middle East between these two sides. Israel cannot have it both ways. Do not take the Money, go it alone, or a least TRY to make some concessions ! I am a friend to the Israli people, but too many people on both sides have died. Time to let the Mothers decide this ! Someone has to be the "Grown Up " here !

[TheSecularist]

07:48 PM on 04/24/2010

I'm tired of my money supporting Israel and their oppression of Palestinians. The world is standing by as Israel tries to control every aspect of Palestinian life usurps their land. Not all Palestinians are terrorists. The Israelis don't want peace; at least not until they've taken all Palestinian territory. Obama should take an even more assertive position against Israel's Palestinian policy.

[sanderson13]

07:00 PM on 04/24/2010

It's about time Schumer (or ANY Senator or Representative) took Obama on directly for this administration's shameful treatment of its loyal ally, Israel.

[Kimpeach]

07:32 PM on 04/24/2010

So you feel like Israel can do whatever they want, even if they hurt America's interests and reputation around the world. Oh, okay.

[sanderson13]

04:41 PM on 04/26/2010

What you write is a very warped interpretation of what I wrote.

Israel has been a fantastic ally to the US. They've sent many of their men and women to fight alongside us in our wars and have NEVER asked or gotten any of our troops to help them fight their wars. They give us tremendously valuable intelligence about the Mideast region. They are an unflinching ally.

I don't know of any action Israel has taken that could be taken seriously as harming the US's interests or reputation.

Would you do the right thing if it were unpopular with some people? Or do you always bow to "peer pressure" instead of doing what's right?

[morphyous]

09:11 PM on 04/24/2010

Spoken like a True Blue Republican/ Teabag idiot! What "Shameful treatment " Awe, He didn't Bow !!!