Miami – As the US presidential election heats up, a new ad featuring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to hit the airwaves in the crucial swing-state of Florida on Thursday, Politico reported.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The ad features footage of Netanyahu at a recent press conference saying, “The fact is that every day that passes, Iran gets closer and closer to a nuclear bomb. The world tells Israel wait, there’s still time. And I say wait for what? Wait until when?” followed by a voice-over saying “The world needs American strength, not apologies.” While not naming either candidate explicitly, Republicans have accused US President Barack Obama of “apologizing for America.”
According to Politico’s report, a million dollars worth of ad-space will target the clip in the Miami, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, areas with large Jewish populations.
The ad may cause headaches for Netanyahu, who has faced criticism at home and abroad for saying, “Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel,” during the same press conference. Critics, including a pro-Israel US senator, accused Netanyahu of interfering in the US election with his sharp critique of the current administration.
In an interview with the Post, Netanyahu dismissed the allegations as “completely groundless,” saying his words on Iran have “nothing to do with the American elections, because the Iranian nuclear program doesn’t care about the American political calendar.”
The company behind the ad is a 501(c)4 non-profit advocacy group called Secure America Now, which aims to “unite security hawks of all political persuasions to foster and support strong national security policies.” Because of its tax status, the group does not have to disclose its donors, but it was founded by Republican pollsters John McLaughlin and Pat Caddell.
In the 2009 Israeli elections, Netanyahu hired McLaughlin as a Likud campaign adviser.
In 2011, McLaughlin and Pat Caddell received wide-spread criticism from the Washington Post, JTA and the Washington Jewish Week, among others, for a questionable poll sponsored by Secure America Now claiming that Jewish support for Obama was down to 43 percent. A Gallup poll released the same week cited a 60% approval rating for the president among Jews.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
I think its high time for Natanyahu to close his פי האתון, it won’t help him much anyway if this is howObama made his mind up, that’s not to say that the US President is right in HIS way,
!סנהדרין ק”ה: חוצפה כלפי שמיא מהני, אבל לא כלפי ארצות הברית
If they keep this up, Netanyahu will destroy the good will of the American people towards EY. A small hard core of Republican right wingers seem intent on inserting the U.S. -Israel relationship as a litmus test on on Obama. The reality is he will win, EY will LOSE and the next administration will have no warm feelings towards Netanyahu. The Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, has warned Netanyahu that he is burning bridges but is being ignored.
we need to keep Israel out of this election. this kind of retoric just invokes Sinas Yisroel
This is just run-of-the-mill politics. Jews in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California have absolutely no impact on the outcome of this election for the obvious reasons that these states are certain to go to Hussein. But the Jews in Florida, as well as Ohio, Virginia and maybe, maybe even Pennsylvania, just might. Thus, pull out all the stops campaigning for Jewish votes in these states. What did you expect?
Didn’t The Satmar Rebbe Z’L foresee and warn that Israel will never have peace with the Arabs/Muslims?
If the unthinkable happens (G-D forbid), did it pay to have a Medinah?
If President Nixon would not have saved Israel (as the obvious “Shliach” of Hashem) and Israel would have ceased to exist in 1973, would it have been a “good idea” to have the State of Israel?
(I ask this while setting aside the debate of the Halachic permissibility of a Jewish state before Moshiach.)
I’m sure some will reply “yes” and some will reply “no”.
It’s something to consider…
Netanyahu is right for a change.
Israel is not the 51st State of America! Or in Obama’s case the 58th State!
Levi Eshkol was dealing with a similar situation in 1967. His level-headed, non-confrontational approach is what is called for today. Eshkol resisted the call from all the generals and politicans to go to war right away. Instead, Eshkol worked through the diplomatic channels to try to avoid a conflict and only went to war when he was certain he would have the support of America. He did NOT publicly lecture President Johnson on what Israel will do. He (Eshkol) understood that he needed the support of Johson and the USA and so did not provoke a confrontation. His type of leadership is missed.