Cantor Responds to Obama

Cantor Statement on Israel & Middle East

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement after President Obama suggested that the Mideast peace process and our interests have been harmed by the failure of the United States to be “honest” with Israel, then that Iran might have a right to nuclear energy:

“As Palestinian terror shows no sign of abating, President Obama’s insistence that it is in America’s best interest to pressure Israel sends the wrong message to the region. Where is the outrage at the Palestinians’ continued refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state? Where is the concern for their failure to root out the terrorists in their midst?

“Palestinian terror and the refusal to recognize Israel stand directly in the way of peace, yet this is only one part of the process. It is misguided to assume that if we deal with the Israel-Palestinian question, somehow all the problems in the Middle East – including in Iran – will be solved.

“I strongly disagree with President Obama’s dangerous suggestion that Iran may have some right to nuclear energy. Iran forfeited any right to nuclear energy when it made the decision to illicitly enrich uranium to levels that can be used for nuclear weapons. Access to nuclear energy is an irreversible process, and the United States cannot trust the aspirations of the world’s foremost state-sponsor of terrorism.”

BACKGROUND: On Monday, President Obama told National Public Radio, “Part of being a good friend is being honest.” He went on to say, “I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests.”

The President later suggested to the BBC that Iran may have some right to nuclear energy, should it prove that its aspirations are peaceful.