Let’s Be Honest—a guide to the unfounded attacks on President Obama’s support for Israel — Barack Obama

Let's be honest:
Fact-Checking the Unfounded Distortions on President Obama’s Support for Israel

Some candidates for President have a record of misrepresenting and ignoring the facts about President Obama’s unwavering commitment to the Jewish State of Israel and to stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. These distortions are dishonest, disingenuous,
and dangerous.

We should never let anyone manipulate the U.S.-Israel relationship for political gain. And as long as leaders try to hide or distort the truth about President Obama’s record of standing squarely by Israel, we will make the facts known.

Download the “Let’s Be Honest” guide and share the facts today.

Myth: President Obama has isolated Israel internationally

Mitt Romney has accused President Obama of isolating Israel internationally, saying, “Over the past three years, President Obama has instead chastened Israel.”
THE TRUTH is that President Obama has repeatedly stood up for Israel in the international community.

Myth: President Obama is cutting funding for Israel's security

Mitt Romney and others have launched misleading attacks claiming President Obama’s proposed 2013 budget request undermines Israel’s security.
THE TRUTH is that President Obama has increased security cooperation with Israel every year and sent record levels of security assistance as President.

Myth: President Obama has not been there for Israel

Mitt Romney has attacked President Obama as a “fair-weather friend of Israel.”
THE TRUTH is that President Obama has stood squarely by Israel.

Myth: President Obama called for Israel to return to its 1967 borders

Mitt Romney has accused President Obama of “[proposing] that Israel adopt indefensible borders.”
THE TRUTH is that President Obama believes Israel must remain a Jewish state and has called for defensible borders that are negotiated directly between Israel and the Palestinians.

Myth: President Obama has not pursued crippling sanctions on Iran

Mitt Romney has leveled repeated attacks about President Obama’s strong record on Iran, saying, “This President … could have gotten crippling sanctions against Iran. He did not.”
THE TRUTH is that President Obama has put in place the most severe sanctions Iran has ever faced, targeting Iran’s entire financial system.

Myth: President Obama has not condemned Hamas rocket attacks on Israelis

Mitt Romney has said President Obama went “before the United Nations. ... He said nothing about thousands of rockets being rained in on Israel from the Gaza Strip.”
THE TRUTH is that, in multiple speeches at the United Nations, President Obama has explicitly condemned rocket attacks against Israel.

Myth: President Obama has been disrespectful of Prime Minister Netanyahu

Mitt Romney has attacked President Obama by saying he “insulted Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.”
THE TRUTH is that President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu have met nine times since they took office in 2009, and they have worked together closely to achieve success in a number of areas.

Myth: President Obama has tried to push Israel into negotiations with Hamas

Mitt Romney has mischaracterized President Obama’s policy on Hamas, saying “The President was suggesting that Israel should negotiate with terrorists. And that’s why people like myself believe that he threw Israel under the bus.”
THE TRUTH is that President Obama has said that Hamas is not a partner for a “realistic peace process,” and his administration has clearly stated that it considers Hamas a terrorist organization.

Myth: President Obama canceled a joint exercise with Israel to avoid angering the Iranians

Newt Gingrich has accused President Obama of canceling a joint military exercise with Israel to avoid upsetting the Iranians, saying, “I believe this is the biggest act of weakness by any American president in my lifetime.”
THE TRUTH is that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said publicly that the exercise had been postponed at his own request.

Myth: President Obama does not respect the Jewish people's long historical ties to Israel

Some have criticized President Obama for not respecting the Jewish people’s long historical ties to Israel.
THE TRUTH is that President Obama has forcefully and repeatedly spoken of Israel as the historical homeland of the Jewish people.

Myth: President Obama did not condemn Iranian attacks on protestors

Mitt Romney is ignoring the facts when he says, “This president failed to speak out when the dissidents took the streets in Tehran. He had nothing to say.”
THE TRUTH is that President Obama “strongly condemned” the “unjust actions” of the Iranian government and said he was “appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments.”