THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Hope you guys are all staying cool. Well, listen, I just wanted to welcome these outstanding leaders to the Oval Office. I want to in particular acknowledge Congressman Howard Berman and Senator Barbara Boxer, who have done outstanding work in shepherding through this bipartisan piece of legislation that underscores our unshakeable commitment to Israel.
As many of you know, I have made it a top priority for my administration to deepen cooperation with Israel across the whole spectrum of security issues — intelligence, military, technology. And, in many ways, what this legislation does is bring together all the outstanding cooperation that we have seen, really, at an unprecedented level between our two countries that underscore our unshakeable commitment to Israel security.
I’m also very pleased that this week we are going to be able to announce $70 million in additional spending — $70 billion [million]*, excuse me, in additional spending for Iron Dome. This is a program that has been critical in terms of providing security and safety for the Israeli families. It is a program that has been tested and has prevented missile strikes inside of Israel. And it is testimony to the leadership of the folks sitting here that we’re going to be able to lock in that fund to assure that that program continues and that we are standing by our friends in Israel when it comes to these kinds of attacks.
Let me just close by saying that the tragic events that we saw in Bulgaria emphasize the degree to which this continues to be a challenge not just for Israel, but for the entire world — preventing terrorist attacks and making sure the people of Israel are not targeted.
And I hope that, as I sign as this bill, once again everybody understands how committed all of us are — Republicans and Democrats — as Americans to our friends in making sure that Israel is safe and secure.
Leon Panetta, our Secretary of Defense, will be traveling to Israel to further consult and find additional ways that we can ensure such cooperation at a time when, frankly, the region is experiencing heightened tensions.
So, with that, let me sign this bill. Again, I want to thank all who are standing beside me for their outstanding leadership and their outstanding work on this issue.
(The bill is signed.)
Let me make sure I’m using enough pens. (Laughter.) There you go. Thank you.
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President Barack Obama signed a bill on Friday to strengthen U.S.-Israeli military ties, Reuters reported.
Obama used a White Houseceremony to announce the United States would soon provide Israel with an additional $70 million in funding for the Iron Dome short-range rocket shield.
As Obama signed the bill at his desk in the Oval Office, he said it underscored his administration's "unshakeable commitment" to Israel's security. Congress passed the legislation last week with broad support from Republicans and Obama's Democrats.
“I have made it a top priority for my administration to deepen cooperation with Israel across a whole spectrum of security issues,” Obama was quoted as having said in the Oval Office.
The new bill calls for enhanced cooperation with Israel on missile defense and intelligence, and increased access to advanced weapons.
It is believed that Obama’s focus on strengthening cooperation with Israel was timed to try to upstage his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, who has accused the president of undermining Washington's relationship with its number one partner in the Middle East. Romney will travel to Israel on Saturday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres.
Obama, criticized by some of Israel's U.S. supporters for being too tough on a close ally, wants to shore up his support among Jewish voters, who could prove critical in battleground states like Florida and Pennsylvania in the November 6 election.
Obama received 78 percent of the Jewish vote in the 2008 election, but a nationwide Gallup poll in June showed him down to 64 percent backing versus Romney's 29 percent.
He angered many Israelis and their U.S. supporters last year when he insisted any negotiations on the borders of a future Palestinian state begin on the basis of lines that existed before 1967, when Israel liberated Judea and Samaria during the Six Day War.
Obama visited Israel as a candidate in the 2008 campaign but has not done so as president. Colin Kahl, an Obama aide, said this week Americans can “expect”Obama to visit Israel during his second term.
Romney, meanwhile, criticized Obama’s attitude towards Israel on Friday, telling theYisrael Hayom newspaper that Israel deserves better treatment than it has received from Obama.
Romney told the daily paper that he, unlike Obama, would not make disputes with Israel’s leaders a public affair. “I cannot imagine going to the United Nations, as Obama did, and criticizing Israel in front of the world,” he said. “You don’t criticize your allies in public to achieve the applause of your foes.”
If he were to disagree with Israel, differences would be discussed “in private conversations, not public forums,” he added.
