Breitbart - By: Sen. Ted Cruz
Has President Obama Launched A Political Campaign Against Prime Minister Netanyahu?
WASHINGTON D.C. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz R-Texas penned the following op-ed for
Breitbart regarding reports that the Obama Administration is using U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund efforts to influence the upcoming election in Israel. Sen. Cruz along with Congressman Lee Zeldin sent a
letter to Sec. Kerry yesterday requesting an investigation to verify these reports.
The Obama Administrations actions towards Israel become more intolerable each day carrying with their insults deeply damaging national security implications for our country.
Earlier this week Americans opened the newspapers to discover that the Obama campaign team has deployed operatives including 2012 Field Director Jeremy Bird to Tel Aviv to try to unseat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through an organization that receives taxpayer grants from the U.S. Department of State.
This follows a long string of hostile behavior that has only escalated with time.
In
The Atlantic unnamed senior administration officials" have called Mr. Netanyahu a chicken****" and bragged that it was now too late" for him to take action to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons capability.
Last week more anonymous sources vented to the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz that Netanyahu spat in our face" and vowing
there will be a price" for the Prime Ministers accepting House Speaker John Boehners invitation to come address Congress on the subject of Irans nuclear program.
An Obama campaign foreign policy advisor Daniel Kurtzer suggested to the
New York Times that the Israeli ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer should be reprimanded or removed" for passing along the speaking invitation from Speaker Boehner.
And let us not forget how eager the Obama Administration was to impose an unprecedented flight ban against Israel last year during its military operation against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
At the time I asked the simple question whether the Obama Administration was using the Federal Aviation Authority to launch an economic boycott against Israel. After their actions were questioned they quickly lifted the ban.
Now it is time for another simple question:
Has President Obama launched a political campaign against Prime Minister Netanyahu and his allies?
Prime Minister Netanyahu is a courageous leader a symbol of Israels strength in the face of continued threats from Iran and Americans who support Israel deserve to know whether their President is actively working to remove him from office.
And even more troubling whether U.S. tax dollars are being used to fund the campaign.
Specifically the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz has reported that a U.S. taxpayer-funded non-profit organization called
OneVoice is actively working with a campaign operation called Victory 2015 (V15)working hand-in-hand with Obama field director Jeremy Birdin an effort to influence the upcoming elections in Israel on March 17 2015.
Today I along with Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY) sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry to request an investigation into this funding and the propriety of U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to exert undue influence over a foreign election and to destabilize a long-standing ally.
In our letter we asked questions such as: How much funding has the U.S. Government provided to OneVoice PeaceWorks Network Foundation and any connected initiatives projects or subsidiaries?" and Who approved providing such funds?"
What were the specific reasons and terms for providing funds and how are these funds specifically being spent?" we asked.
And Can the Department of State guarantee that none of these funds have been or will be used in the endeavor detailed above namely the partnership with V15 or any similar effort to exert undue influence over the Israeli political process?"
All of this is even more perilous given the imminent threat posed by Irans active effort to acquire nuclear weapons capability.
The Administration should be crystal clear that we support the nation of Israel and we should do everything necessary to prevent a nuclear Iran.
Full article may be viewed at
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/01/30/ted-cruz-has-president-obama-launched-a-political-campaign-against-prime-minister-netanyahu/
