During an interview on the Glenn Beck show on the Fox News Channel Wednesday afternoon, Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton called President Obama's address to the United Nations today, "one of the most anti-Israel" speeches he has ever heard given by a U.S. President.
Earlier on Wednesday Bolton told Fox News the speech just put Israel "on the chopping block".
Despite Obama's earlier call for an end to Iraeli settlements as a pre-condition for Middle East peace talks, Obama said that it is time for Middle East peace "without preconditions".
"America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements," the president said.
During the speech Obama called for "a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory.jpg)
that ends the occupation that began in 1967."
A contiguous Palestinian state would mean dividing Israel.
Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights during the 1967 clash between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, known as the Six-Day War. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria also contributed troops and arms in the fight against Israel.
"The United States does Israel no favors when we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians," the president said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently doesn't agree with Bolton's assessment of President Obama's speech.
In an AP report by Roni Sofer published this afternoon, Netanyahu was quoted as saying, "I commend this important speech of Obama's and his call to renew the peace process without preconditions. I commend his unequivocal support of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people."
Netanyahu did not address Obama's comments about Israeli settlements.
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