A new report confirms more White House woes with our ally Israel. A Politico exclusive reveals that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid confronted White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on two occasions to ask President Obama to reject a UN resolution that would grant Palestine statehood. Both times, Obama gave him the silent treatment.
While Reid has previously shown his support for Israel, his latest request may not exactly have been for the Middle Eastern country’s best interests. The timing suggested he was trying to secure passage for the Iran Deal:
The requests from Reid came as he was trying to line up Democratic support for the Iran nuclear agreement. If Obama explicitly sided with Israel against the possible U.N. resolution, Reid’s thinking went, it would give nervous Democrats cover to back the Iran deal, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vocally protested.
For years the United States has pledged to veto this Security Council resolution. Yet, the souring relationship between America and Israel has caused the White House to rethink its commitments. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has irked President Obama on numerous occasions, most notably perhaps when he addressed Congress in March to skewer the administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran.
As of Thursday afternoon, Netanyahu had clearly not changed his mind. In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the prime minister said the deal may have been drafted with “good intentions,” but the sanctions relief that comes attached will only embolden Iran to “go on the prowl, devouring more and more prey.”
These two power players will meet again this November at the White House. I’m guessing small talk is out of the question.