Thursday, January 5, 2017

Haim Saban ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Obama’s ‘Biased’ Actions Against Israel



Haim Saban ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Obama’s ‘Biased’ Actions Against Israel
by Daniel Nussbaum 4 Jan 2017
Billionaire media mogul Haim Saban, one of the Democratic Party’s biggest Hollywood donors, says he is “deeply disturbed” by the Obama administration’s recent actions on Israel, including allowing a “biased” resolution to pass in the United Nations Security Council.

The 72-year-old Israeli-American mogul — who donated more than $10 million to Hillary Clinton’s losing presidential campaign and hosted a fundraiser for her in August — issued a statement through his publicist on Wednesday sharply criticizing the Obama administration for the December move at the UN and for Secretary of State John Kerry’s subsequent speech, which he called “one-sided.”

“As a longstanding Democrat who has supported and defended President Obama on his treatment of Israel throughout his presidency, I am deeply disturbed by the Administration’s decision not to veto UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and Secretary Kerry’s subsequent one sided speech,” Saban said.

“These actions undermine our country’s long-standing support for Israel and harm any long-term prospects for peace, which is in our national interest,” he added. “Further, I urge the Obama Administration to stay true to our decades old policy by vetoing any additional biased UNSC resolutions that may be introduced at the Paris summit later this month, and refrain from issuing any other policy statements that would only make things worse.”

UNSC Resolution 2334 passed in December by a 14-0 vote, with the U.S. departing from longstanding Israel policy by abstaining from the vote. The resolution called for a halt to housing construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas it called “occupied Palestinian territory,” and deemed Israeli building a “major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”

Saban is hardly the only Democrat to have rebuked the Obama administration following the passage of the resolution. A group of six Democratic senators — including Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-VT) and Chris Coons (D-DE) — each issued condemnations of the resolution in the days following the vote.

In his statement Wednesday, Saban called the successful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a “core American interest” and urged the U.S. to “maintain its credibility as an intermediary between the parties.”

Saban has continued his political advocacy in the wake of Hillary Clinton’s loss in the presidential election. At a Brookings Institute event in December, the media mogul sharply criticized Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), calling him “clearly an anti-Semite, anti-Israel individual.” Ellison, one of the leading contenders to chair the Democratic National Committee, has previously expressed support for the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan.

“Words matter and actions matter more,” Saban said then. “Keith Ellison would be a disaster for the relationship between the Jewish community and the Democratic Party.”

Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan is the acting head for the Nation of Islam, and was awarded the 2007 Jeremiah Wright Jr. Trumpeter award from Trumpeter Newsmagazine.

Note: Trumpeter Newsmagazine is a publication for the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago).
Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. is a senior pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago), and was a member of the African American Religious Leadership Committee.
African American Religious Leadership Committee was an advisory group for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign.
Barack Obama was a parishioner at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago), the candidate for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, and an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Israel.
R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the president of the Crown Family Foundation.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).  
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the Economic Policy Institute.   
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Cameron F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and John F. Kerry’s brother.
Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Israel.
John F. Kerry is Cameron F. Kerry’s brother, the secretary at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration, and married to Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Teresa Heinz Kerry is married to John F. Kerry, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).  
Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a policy center at the Brookings Institution (think tank).  
Haim Saban is a benefactor for the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a board member for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, and was a friend of Shimon Peres.
Crown Family Foundation was a funder for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
Newton N. Minow is the president of the Crown Family Foundation, a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Israel.
Cameron F. Kerry is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and John F. Kerry’s brother.
Cass R. Sunstein is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), married to Samantha Power, and was an adviser for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign.
African American Religious Leadership Committee was an advisory group for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign.
Samantha Power is married to Cass R. Sunstein, and the U.S. ambassador for the United Nations.
United Nations is the body for the United Nations Security Council.
Richard Schifter was a deputy U.S. representative for the United Nations Security Council, and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger.
John C. Whitehead was a member of the Committee on the Present Danger, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).  
Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a policy center at the Brookings Institution (think tank).  
Haim Saban is a benefactor for the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a board member for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, and was a friend of Shimon Peres.
Shimon Peres was a friend of Haim Saban, and the president for Israel.
Crown Family Foundation was a funder for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
Lester Crown is the VP for the Crown Family Foundation, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).  
Andrew L. Stern was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a director at the Economic Policy Institute.
Keith Ellison is a director at the Economic Policy Institute, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
James S. Crown is the vice chairman for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Newton N. Minow is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Crown Family Foundation.
Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Israel.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP, the candidate for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, and a parishioner at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago).
Trumpeter Newsmagazine is a publication for the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago).
Louis Farrakhan was awarded the 2007 Jeremiah Wright Jr. Trumpeter award from Trumpeter Newsmagazine, and is the acting head for the Nation of Islam.

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