Foxman: Obama Gave a Pro-Israel Speech
By Jeffrey Goldberg
I know of no one on this planet who loves the Jewish people, and the Jewish state, more than Abraham Foxman, the head of the Anti-Defamation League. I'm not exaggerating; I quite literally can't name anyone who has a love of his people as profound as Abe's. Sometimes this gets him into trouble (even on this blog!), but the man has devoted his life to Jewish survival, and to Israel's defense. So when he declares that President Obama isn't anti-Israel, it's safe to believe him. This is what he told The Washington Post's Greg Sargent about the President's speech:
"I don't see this as the president throwing Israel under the bus," he told me. "He's saying with `swaps.' It's not 1967 borders in the abstract. It's not an edict. It's a recommendation of a structure for negotiations."
Foxman said that the broader characterization of the speech as anti-Israel by some on the right is also off base, citing its insistence on Israel's right to self-defense, its opposition to the Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, and other matters.
"The speech indicated to me that this administration has come a long way in better understanding and appreciating the difficulties facing both parties, but especially Israel in trying to make peace with the Palestinians," Foxman said.
