Maggie Haberman Notes Praise For Biden — ‘Not Trump’ — From Jewish Republican Group
New York Times correspondent and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman noted praise for President Joe Biden — “not” ex-President Donald Trump — from the Republican Jewish Coalition over his support for Israel since the coordinated terrorist assault by Hamas and the violence that has followed.
While critics of the president have not been shy about attacking him over the attacks, current and former Israeli officials have offered profuse expressions of gratitude for the support Biden has given — both in the four sets of remarks he has given on the violence since Saturday and in his engagement behind the scenes.
Trump, meanwhile, has lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and praised Hezbollah as “very smart” in addition to attacking Biden.
On Friday morning, Haberman noted one telling contrast between the two approaches, writing on X/Twitter:
Of note: “This will sound surprising, but by and large, the president has shown tremendous support, unwavering support, for Israel at a critical time,” said Matt Brooks, head of the Republican Jewish Coalition, speaking not of Trump but of President Biden
Haberman shared a link to an article by Jonathan Weisman and Lisa Lerer entitled “Israeli Billboards Thanking the U.S. Have a New Face on Them: Biden’s” that contains the effusive quote, with a little extra on top:
“This will sound surprising, but by and large, the president has shown tremendous support, unwavering support, for Israel at a critical time,” said Matt Brooks, the longtime head of the Republican Jewish Coalition, a group with close institutional ties to the G.O.P. and to some of its biggest donors. “Can we quibble on aspects of policy differences, over Iran’s complicity, for instance? Sure. But by and large, the American people and the international community have seen a president who has stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel.”
No less than Mr. Trump’s hawkish former ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman, wrote online that while he remained a critic of the Biden administration, “the moral, tactical, diplomatic and military support that it has provided Israel over the past few days has been exceptional.”
The article goes on to note the billboard referenced in the headline, and Trump actions like his attacks on Netanyahu and infamous dinner with notorious anti-Semites that have “not helped his cause with Jews in either Israel or the United States.”
