Rahm Emanuel Could Be Behind the Diminishing Support for Israel

Prominent U.S. Jewish community members pointed to the poor reception of Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the cause of the estrangement between Washington and Jerusalem. Although Rahm Emanuel declared that the U.S. would continue to support Israel, the Republican Congressman Eric Cantor said that there is a risk that Washington could cease to support the Jewish state.

Although an appearance by the president of the United States, Barack Obama, was scheduled at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in Washington, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel represented him instead. He has been designated responsible for what some Jewish leaders consider to be a decrease in support by the White House for Israel. One of the community leaders present said “There’s a lot of pressure on Rahm Emanuel at this event to explain how a nice Jewish boy became White House Chief of Staff and sends his kids to a Jewish school while advising his president on a speech in Cairo that put tremendous pressure on Israel,” according to the Israeli press.

Before his involvement, one of the assistants said, “I think this is going to be a tough crowd for Rahm Emanuel, who’s rumored to be one of Israel’s toughest critics within the White House.” For his part, the chairman of the executive board of the Jewish Federations, Michael Gelman, said about the absence of Obama that it’s “… a disappointment, but we clearly understand. It’s unfortunate.”

Rahm Emanuel Denies that there is Less Support for Israel.

Emanuel said before the Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America “there are those who have questioned how this administration is involving itself in the region” and that “some suggest that this implies a decrease in the level of support for Israel.” He added that “the truth is the exact opposite” and that “only through dialogue can we achieve the enduring peace that Israel searches for.” In addition, he maintains that Obama considers there to be an “unbreakable” bond between the United States and the Jewish state.

During the opening of the assembly, the second highest-ranking republican in the House of Representatives, Eric Cantor, said that support for Israel in the U.S. Congress could be diminishing. The legislative member said that “There have been incidences of late that do indicate that we have challenges on that front, and I’m very committed to doing everything I can to make sure that Congress remains Israel’s strongest ally in the quest for what it needs in terms of its security.” To this he added “I have a lot of concerns about what I have seen lately, about the continued desire to try to engage with Iran and about pressure being applied to Israel in terms of concessions in the name of peace.”