Cantor says Obama not ‘true friend’ to Israel; Dems respond

The only Jewish Republican in Congress said President Obama doesn’t seem to be a "true friend" to Israel, and Democrats are already fighting back.

First, the interview House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) did with Politico in which he made the comment about Obama:

The only Jewish Republican in Congress and one of Israel’s staunchest defenders on the Hill, Cantor said he was heartened by Tuesday’s meeting between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

But he continued to express his opposition to Obama’s “disproportionate focus” on halting the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank instead of adopting a policy geared toward eliminating the “existential threat” posed to Israel by Iran’s nuclear program.

“If you look at the policy that this White House has followed, it certainly does not seem as if we are dealing with a true friend” of Israel, Cantor said.

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to respond to Cantor’s comments but said that securing a lasting two-state peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians was “how you can be a true friend to Israel.”

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Apprpropriations State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, responded by calling on Cantor to apologize:

"Mr. Cantor should apologize for stating President Obama is not a “true friend” to Israel. 

“The last time Mr. Cantor criticized the Administration’s Middle East policies, he did it from foreign soil – in Israel.  This time he did it the very day President Obama hosted a trilateral meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas, an important step on the road to peace negotiations.  These criticisms appear to be timed deliberately to weaken the Administration’s ability to lay the foundations for peace negotiations. 

“Questioning the motives of our President and his team as they work to solve one of the world’s longest and most difficult conflicts does nothing to facilitate a lasting peace, which is integral to Israel’s long-term security.”

And National Jewish Democratic Council CEO Ira Forman also quickly reacted, saying Cantor was engaging in "the cheapest kind of partisan politics" and was wrong:

Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA) has decided to position himself as the arbiter of who is and who isn’t pro-Israel in this country. Setting aside Cantor’s lack of sterling professional foreign policy credentials, is it wise for him to set himself up as such a figure? This is a particularly salient question considering the fact that President Barack Obama is on the record repeatedly praising Israel and committing himself to its security needs throughout his administration. Moreover, Cantor should understand that these types of partisan attacks damage the longstanding tradition of bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.

At least one columnist has speculated that Cantor wants to modify his extreme partisan image to reveal a "newly civil Cantor." Cantor’s insulting characterization of Speaker Nancy Pelosi as well as his willingness to play the cheapest kind of partisan politics with the U.S.-Israel relationship call into question whether Cantor wants to turn over a more "civil" leaf.