AIPAC ‘deeply sorry’ Obama was disrespected by Trump
The pro-Israeli lobbying group in the US has tacitly censured GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump for attacking President Barack Obama at the 2016 AIPAC policy conference earlier.
The president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee said on the final day of the annual conference on Tuesday that the group cannot be used as a podium to attack the US president.
The billionaire real estate mogul told the regime’s supporters a day earlier that Obama “may be the worst thing that ever happened to Israel,” adding that his administration has treated Tel Aviv “very, very badly.”
In remarks apparently directed towards Trump, AIPAC chief Lillian Pinkus claimed that “Last evening, something occurred which has the potential to drive us apart, to divide us.”
“We say, unequivocally, that we do not countenance ad hominem attacks, and we take great offense against those that are levied against the president of the United States of America from our stage,” she said.
Pinkus also voiced regret that the pro-Israelis cheered Trump while he made the comments at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
“We are disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.”
The AIPAC chief’s comments appeared to be part of efforts to make the group look like a nonpartisan one.
This was clearly demonstrated Monday when US presidential candidates, apart from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, voiced unconditional support for Israel in an apparent attempt to attract more campaign funding.
To get the green light, the hopefuls voiced support for Israel by attacking Iran and Palestine more than ever before.
However, some members of the biggest pro-Israeli group in the US had boycotted Trump’s speech.
Pinkus, on the other hand, admitted that there remained “differences” between Tel Aviv and the Obama administration.
“While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the United States and our president, Barack Obama,” Pinkus added. “There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night, and for that we are deeply sorry."
Ties between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been in tatters over the White House’s support for a nuclear deal with Iran, also involving five other major powers, the UK, Germany, Russia, China, and France.
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