America wants the whole Middle East to learn from Israel
(Baonghean.vn) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently declared that Israel is the example that the US wants the entire Middle East region to follow, while criticizing the Obama administration's approach to Iran.
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| US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Photo: AP |
Speaking at the annual dinner hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security Studies (JINSA) in Washington, Mr. Pompeo said that Israel “is a democratic and prosperous country, a peace-loving country, where freedom of speech and a thriving economy exist.”
He asserted that Israel today “is what America wants the entire Middle East to be in the future.” In addition, Mr. Pompeo criticized Iran, Israel’s number one enemy, which has “corrupt leaders,” “destroys the human rights of its own people, and sponsors terrorism in every corner of the Middle East.”
He also criticized the Obama administration for trying to resolve the Iran issue peacefully. Secretary Pompeo said: “President Obama thinks that if he makes dangerous concessions, lifts economic sanctions and brings money to Tehran, he can get the Iranian leadership to behave, but these people are not characters from Disney cartoons. They are murderers and terrorist financiers.”
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| A road sign in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Photo: Reuters |
After several US presidents tried to organize negotiations between Israel and neighboring Arab countries, the Trump administration has now tilted heavily toward Israel. The US embassy has been moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that shows US support for Israeli sovereignty in the city despite the decision violating UN resolutions and angering many Muslim countries.
Washington also decided to cut funding for UN agencies helping Palestinian refugees, as well as aid to the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army may have killed nearly 200 Palestinians and injured 20,000 others as they protested along the border between Gaza and Israel.
The Trump administration has also shown open hostility toward Iran, announcing a few months ago that it was withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposing new sanctions on Tehran. Washington has even threatened to punish any country that does business with Iran.