NOVANEWS
Backing Israel isn’t just good policy, the GOP presidential front-runner said Tuesday. It’s also a religious duty—one Barack Obama isn’t fulfilling.
motherjones.com
In the past, Perry’s friends and advisers have argued that defending Israel is not just sound geopolitical strategy—it’s also a religious imperative for Christian politicians. On Tuesday, the Texas governor and GOP presidential front-runner vigorously affirmed both views. When Mother Jones asked if he believes America’s continued support for Israel is a theological priority, Perry answered: “As a Christian, I have a clear directive to support Israel. So from my perspective, it’s pretty easy. Both as an American, and as a Christian, I am going to stand with Israel.”
Perry’s position mirrors that of Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, who exhorted attendees at Perry’s massive evangelical prayer rally last month to defend the Holy Land as a matter of sacred duty. And Barack Obama, Perry argued, is not fulfilling this duty. In prepared remarks, Perry accused the administration of “isolating and undermining Israel,” adopting a “policy of appeasement toward Palestinians,” and casting its lot with “the Arab street, at the expense of our national security interests.”
“Neither adversaries nor allies know where America stands,” Perry said. “Our muddle of a foreign policy has created greater uncertainty in the midst of this Arab Spring.” Perry seemed to scoff a bit as he enunciated the term “Arab Spring,” and moments after chastising the administration for its acquiescence to “the Arab street,” he declared that Obama had been insufficiently resolute in backing Iranian street protesters two years ago when internal unrest shook the country. Perry also weighed in on the Palestinian push for a UN vote on statehood. “Apologists at the [United Nations],” he said, “are exploiting the unrest in the Middle East” to advance Palestinian interests. He called on authorities to shut down the PLO’s offices in Washington if the vote goes forward. (The Obama administration has vowed to veto any measure recognizing a Palestinian state.)
