WH fact sheet plugs for Obama’s Israel record, ignores Iran

WASHINGTON — In the midst of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference, the White House decided to do some lobbying of its own by publishing and emailing a fact sheet documenting “5 things you need to know about the US-Israel relationship under President [Barack] Obama. The fact-sheet plugged Obama’s credentials as a supporter to Israel, and also emphasized that the United States has had a long history of support with Israel. It did not mention Iran.

The White House mailout came after a week of increased back-and-forth between Israel and Washington over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Tuesday speech before both houses of Congress.

“Under President Obama’s leadership, American engagement with Israel has grown and strengthened to an unprecedented degree,” the fact sheet read. “From meeting frequently with Israeli leaders to ensuring that Israel remains the largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, the President is deeply committed to helping Israel maintain its strength and security.”

The fact sheet highlighted that “the first country to recognize Israel, the United States has forged a deep and unshakable bond with Israel through a multifaceted relationship that reflects the depth and breadth of the ties between our people and the values that we share.” Last month, a Netanyahu campaign commercial compared the current prime minister to founding father David Ben Gurion, noting that then-US secretary of state George Marshall opposed the creation of the state of Israel.

Describing Obama as “a strong defender,” Sunday’s email noted that “President Obama has strengthened Israel’s defense in concrete and unprecedented ways.” It cited numerous budgetary benefits that Israel has received since 2009 as evidence, as well as the continued regularly scheduled joint military exercises between the nations’ armies.

It went on to emphasize Obama’s role in “leading global efforts to defend Israel’s legitimacy on the world stage” as well as describing him as an “economic partner.”

While many of the bullet points emphasized policies that were carried out through the administration and legislative initiatives, the fact sheet highlighted Obama’s personal role as “a proponent of peace.”

“The President has strongly supported Israel in its quest for peace with its neighbors,” the email read, emphasizing that “President Obama has repeatedly stood up for a two-state solution that ensures the peace and security of Israelis and Palestinians.”

It also ascribed a high level of presidential involvement in the failed attempts to broker a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that ultimately collapsed last spring. “Under the President’s direction, Secretary [John] Kerry initiated an intensive, collaborative effort to facilitate negotiations for a comprehensive peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians,” the fact sheet asserted. “The President prioritized Israel’s security by asking one of our foremost military experts to help develop security arrangements that ensure a two-state solution leaves Israelis more secure, not less.”

The fifth point of the fact sheet noted that “under President Obama, the US has invested millions in helping Israeli immigrants.” It continued that “in the last 6 years, US humanitarian assistance to refugees and migrants travelling to Israel totaled $140 million.”

The funds, the email said, “is used to help transport eligible migrants to Israel, transitional shelter, intensive Hebrew-language programs that focus on newly-arriving immigrants, or youth programming in Israel.”

The email concluded with a curt instruction to “share this information with everyone who needs to know.”