Republicans: Obama has Thrown Israel Under a Bus

Just days after President Obama suggested that the relationship between The United States and Israel was stronger than it had ever been before; critics claim he has thrown Israel under a bus.

To be sure, Obama has taken some measures to aid Israel. According to Stewart Ain of The Jewish Week, he made a phone call to Egypt, in order to help rescue Israeli ambassadors who were trapped by a mob in that region. He also, says Ain, provided Israel with loans of $5.78 billion, bolstered the nation’s missile defense and traded heavily with Israel in face of a boycott.

But his treatment of Israel in recent days has not been so favorable. According to NBC, Officials in the Obama administration, under the condition of anonymity, confirmed allegations by Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei that Israel was training and funding terrorist groups in order to kill Iranian nuclear scientists.

Although NBC reports that such collaboration occurs, because Israel has no access to Iran, and because it is concerned about Iran developing nuclear weapons, confirming Iran’s report gives credence to Iran and hurts Israel, at a time when Israel needs the support of its ally the most.

This fact has not been lost on Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum, who declared on Thursday, The Obama Administration had “thrown Israel under a bus.” According to Santorum, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta hurt Israel by “divulging sensitive information about Israel’s plan to strike Iran.” This, he says, subjected Israel to criticism and scorn from the international community.

Santorum went so far as to accuse the president of actively seeking to help Iran obtain nuclear weapons. He said that while the president might give lip service to the idea of wanting Iran to stop its program, Obama was not taking any significant measures to stop it.

Santorum further alleged that the administration was looking the other way, because of its dependence on OPEC – group in which Iran is a key player. U.S. Representative Michelle Bachmann also criticized the president’s policy on Israel, saying that no other president had failed to stand by Israel.

The President continues to maintain that he strongly supports Israel, but, according to his critics, actions speak louder than words.