A letter authored by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and signed by nearly fifty legislative colleagues demanded that the Obama administration clarify reports that it considering sanctioning Israel for building in Jerusalem.
The Washington Free Beacon reports:
Members of Congress are demanding that President Obama come clean about controversial reports that he is considering leveling sanctions on Israel, according to a letter sent Friday afternoon by lawmakers to the White House.
The Obama administration has found itself engulfed in controversy since reports emerged Thursday that the White House and State Department had met in secret to strategize about imposing sanctions on Israel for its continued building of houses in contested Jerusalem neighborhoods.
When asked about the reports on Friday, White House Press Secretary refused to answer definitively.
Well, I’ve been informed of some of these reports. And what I can tell you is that I’m not going to talk about any sort of internal deliberations inside the administration, and certainly not inside the White House. But I will say something that I have said many times before, which is that Israel is a close and strategic partner of the United States of America, and I don’t need to remind you of the strong and unshakable bonds that exist between the United States and Israel, and the United States’ exceedingly strong commitment to the security of the nation of Israel.
That said, we’ve also been crystal clear about our view of settlement activity. That view has not changed. We believe that settlements are illegitimate, and we have deep concerns about highly contentious planning and construction activities that the Israeli government is pursuing in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. We believe that those kinds of activities are counterproductive. We’ve made those views clear in public and we’ve made those views clear in private.
The congressional letter criticizes the administration for failing “to denounce or clarify” the reports and reads in part:
Israel is one of our strongest allies, and the mere notion that the Administration would unilaterally impose sanctions against Israel is not only unwise, but is extremely worrisome. Such reports send a clear message to our friends and enemies alike that such alliances with the United States government can no longer be unquestionably trusted.
Further, at no point in time has Congress given the Administration the authority to sanction Israel. In fact, Congress has continued to show its unwavering support for Israel and has recently taken steps to increase our economic and military cooperation. At a time when you have requested an additional seven months to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear weapons program, any attempts to undermine the U.S.’s support of Israel will only further diminish the Administration’s ability to get Congressional support for any potential agreement with Iran.
[Photo: RepMarkMeadows / YouTube ]