US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday “Israel is everything we want the entire Middle East to look like going forward” and that US-Israel relations are “stronger than ever”.
Speaking at an award ceremony held by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America in Washington DC, Pompeo hailed Israel as “democratic and prosperous”, adding “it desires peace, it is a home to a free press and a thriving economy,” Arutz Sheva reported.
.@SecPompeo: In the entire Middle East, there is only one consistently pro-American, free enterprise, democratic nation. And that is the State of #Israel. Under @POTUS’ leadership, the U.S. is standing firmly on the side of Israel, and our relationship is stronger than ever. pic.twitter.com/oAIsbjrgXC
— US Embassy, Armenia (@usembarmenia) October 11, 2018
Pompeo then compared Israel to Iran, citing the latter’s “corrupt leaders [who] assault the human rights of their own people and finance terrorism in every corner of the Middle East”.
Pompeo lamented that the US administration under former President Barack Obama “had more respect for the leaders of Iran than it did for the State of Israel.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is standing where it should firmly be: On the side of Israel.”
Secretary of State Pompeo: US-Israel relations stronger than ever–says Israel "is everything we want the entire Middle East to look like." https://t.co/78Qg6Ma010
— GA-GA for Israel! (@GaGaforIsrael) October 11, 2018
Pompeo also discussed the long-awaited US peace initiative – dubbed the “deal of the century” – hailing it as a “truly historic” effort to reach an agreement.
Pompeo said that “we [the USA] are very hopeful that one day the Palestinian people will have the same kinds of things, the same material, the same opportunities that the people of Israel have,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
Pompeo added:
“We very much want you [the Palestinians] to have a space.”
10 Things You Need to Know about 'Deal of the Century' https://t.co/RBm56Rtmcu via @YouTube
— The Rights Forum (@TheRightsForum) July 7, 2018
Yet the Secretary of State also admitted that despite this “hope” for a Palestinian “space”, he had that same day denied a $165 million transfer of aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) citing the PA’s “funding of terror”.
Pompeo was referring to the PA’s refusal to adhere to US demands to cease so-called “martyr payments” to the families of those killed by Israeli occupation forces or those incarcerated in Israeli prisons.
Though US-Israel ties have historically been strong, under President Donald Trump’s administration these ties have reached new heights.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
