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| At Synagogue, Obama Restates His Support for Israel | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday sought to reassure American Jews that he loves and supports Israel, taking to the bimah for a fence-mending speech after a season of tension rooted in his push for a nuclear deal with Iran. | WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday sought to reassure American Jews that he loves and supports Israel, taking to the bimah for a fence-mending speech after a season of tension rooted in his push for a nuclear deal with Iran. |
| Calling himself an “honorary member of the tribe,” Mr. Obama told attendees in the packed sanctuary at Adas Israel, a large Conservative congregation about three miles from the White House, that the United States had an “enduring friendship with the people of Israel” and “unbreakable bonds with the state of Israel” that could never be weakened. | Calling himself an “honorary member of the tribe,” Mr. Obama told attendees in the packed sanctuary at Adas Israel, a large Conservative congregation about three miles from the White House, that the United States had an “enduring friendship with the people of Israel” and “unbreakable bonds with the state of Israel” that could never be weakened. |
| “Our commitment to Israel’s security and my commitment to Israel’s security is, and always will be, unshakable,” said Mr. Obama, who wore a white skullcap for the occasion. | “Our commitment to Israel’s security and my commitment to Israel’s security is, and always will be, unshakable,” said Mr. Obama, who wore a white skullcap for the occasion. |
| The visit was billed as a way to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month and an initiative to combat anti-Semitism called Solidarity Shabbat. But it was also the president’s latest effort to bridge a rift between the administration and some Jewish leaders that has been worsened by his divisions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel over both the agreement with Iran and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | The visit was billed as a way to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month and an initiative to combat anti-Semitism called Solidarity Shabbat. But it was also the president’s latest effort to bridge a rift between the administration and some Jewish leaders that has been worsened by his divisions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel over both the agreement with Iran and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. |
| “When I hear some people say that disagreements over policy belie a general lack of support of Israel, I must object – and I object forcefully,” Mr. Obama said. But he said he was unwilling to “paper over differences.” | “When I hear some people say that disagreements over policy belie a general lack of support of Israel, I must object – and I object forcefully,” Mr. Obama said. But he said he was unwilling to “paper over differences.” |
| “It is precisely because I care so deeply about the state of Israel,” he said, “that I feel a responsibility to speak out honestly about what I think would lead to long-term security and to the preservation of a true democracy in the Jewish homeland, and I believe that’s two states for two peoples, Israel and Palestine living side by side,” peacefully and securely. | “It is precisely because I care so deeply about the state of Israel,” he said, “that I feel a responsibility to speak out honestly about what I think would lead to long-term security and to the preservation of a true democracy in the Jewish homeland, and I believe that’s two states for two peoples, Israel and Palestine living side by side,” peacefully and securely. |
| The president used the roughly 30-minute speech to defend his quest for a deal to restrain Iran’s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, vowing that he would reject a “bad deal” or one that failed to meet his objective of cutting off Tehran’s pathways to developing a bomb, and arguing that such a deal was in Israel’s best security interests. | The president used the roughly 30-minute speech to defend his quest for a deal to restrain Iran’s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, vowing that he would reject a “bad deal” or one that failed to meet his objective of cutting off Tehran’s pathways to developing a bomb, and arguing that such a deal was in Israel’s best security interests. |
| Above all, Mr. Obama said, “the people of Israel must always know: America has its back.” | Above all, Mr. Obama said, “the people of Israel must always know: America has its back.” |
| But to a greater extent than he has previously, Mr. Obama used the speech as a chance to knock down a perception among some Jewish leaders and activists that he lacks a deep personal and emotional connection to Israel and its people, and therefore fails to understand their basic priorities and concerns. As a young man inspired by the civil rights struggle in the United States, Mr. Obama said, he came to know Israel “through these incredible images of kibbutzim,” those who established collective communities that would ultimately form the backbone of the Jewish state. | But to a greater extent than he has previously, Mr. Obama used the speech as a chance to knock down a perception among some Jewish leaders and activists that he lacks a deep personal and emotional connection to Israel and its people, and therefore fails to understand their basic priorities and concerns. As a young man inspired by the civil rights struggle in the United States, Mr. Obama said, he came to know Israel “through these incredible images of kibbutzim,” those who established collective communities that would ultimately form the backbone of the Jewish state. |
| “Those values in many ways came to be my own values,” Mr. Obama said. “To a young man like me, grappling with his own identity, recognizing the scars of race here in this nation, inspired by the civil rights struggle, the idea that you could be grounded in your history, as I was, but not be trapped by it, to be able to repair the world – that idea was liberating.” | “Those values in many ways came to be my own values,” Mr. Obama said. “To a young man like me, grappling with his own identity, recognizing the scars of race here in this nation, inspired by the civil rights struggle, the idea that you could be grounded in your history, as I was, but not be trapped by it, to be able to repair the world – that idea was liberating.” |
| In appearing at Adas Israel, Mr. Obama chose the religious home to many influential policy makers and opinion leaders. The congregation is attended by Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan, as well as a host of senior administration officials, lawmakers and journalists. | In appearing at Adas Israel, Mr. Obama chose the religious home to many influential policy makers and opinion leaders. The congregation is attended by Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan, as well as a host of senior administration officials, lawmakers and journalists. |