Obama Will Visit Israel - For the First Time as President

As part of a Middle Eastern tour

Obama has discussed plans for a spring trip to Israel with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House revealed this morning. The trip will probably form part of a Middle Eastern tour encompassing Turkey, Egypt, and other countries.

Obama has not yet visited Israel as president, a fact that drew stinging criticism from Romney during the 2012 race. If he failed to visit Israel at all during both terms, it would be a major departure from other recent presidents, as Politico points out. Bush visited Israel twice - both times in his final year as president - and Clinton visited 4 times. Obama last went to Israel in summer 2008, during his first presidential campaign.

Via Politico.

Are you pleased to see Obama planning a visit to Israel?

[twinertia]

An "op" and a "sop".....

[DARSB]

This should be interesting, especially since Israel has moved to a more centrist governing coalition.

[Dan_Tien]

He was criticized for not visiting Israel as President, but now his visit will be criticized as an insincere gesture by those who accuse him of supporting Islamic fundamentalists and also criticized by Islamic fundamentalists as support for Israel and tacit approval of their airstrike into Syria and threats to bomb Iran.

[AtheistStand]

Yes even in a "free" country that prides itself on freedom from and freedom of religion Obama must visit Israel to pay homage to the christian "god" and his zombie sun......jeebus.(the Jim Jones of Galilee)

Blah blah blah freakin blah.

[zeke]

I know the moderator removed my previous post, so i will try to make this more civil and to the point than the last. From your post there's no doubt how you feel about god, fine could care less,but why do you feel the need to denigrate others about their feelings and beliefs? I know you aren't the only atheist on this site, i don't have a problem with that either, just like i'm not the only person of faith on this site. But your post is offensive too me and i'm sure others also, maybe the moderator should take a look at your post with an open mind! " live and let live, how bout it"!

[bsking]

@zeke now you have to far, sir.... ;-)

[bsking]

@zeke dont offend the athiests...they're a "touchy"bunch...kind a like the ron paul fans.
;-o

[mwr]

i would think he would be afraid of all those armed "civilians" in Israel. Maybe he is going to tell the the IDF should not carry assault rifles.

[RobertJHarsh]

I got nothing....:shrug:

[kathyparsell]

I agree, why bother now.

[bsking]

He's only going to see if he can split the Mount of Olives with his toe

[marine1]

Think if we all chipped in, we could get them to keep him?

[bsking]

@marine1 he's probably going over there to ask them to surrender to Iran... you know to avoid any trouble

:-o

[AlexMIA]

@marine1 Are you kidding? They will probably actually give up some of their money for us to take him back!

[marine1]

@AlexMIA why can't we ever get a break?

[AlexMIA]

@marine1 What do you mean by that? LOL! Are you asking as an American or as a Jew?

[No_Bama]

Will he and Netanyahu be skeet shooting too?

[AlexMIA]

Tells you everything you need to know about our president when this is the first time he's visited one of our best allies, also tells you everything you need to know about all the Jewish voters that voted for him.

[Vance1]

Obama planning a visit to Israel? really now! why?
Radicals like him, shouldnt ever go there, He is just a Fake POTUS anyway
He could truly care less about those people, He is handing out Fighter planes and tanks to their enemies like its candy.
This Obama is against that little jewish country, and it shows

[artjeb]

It is just a political move tho he really doesn't give a darn about the jews.
just another bunch of his B S

[Buckfan4life2]

Oh Please! After stabbing them in the back he should be ashamed to show his face in Israel.What an insult.

[jessejaymes]

there you have it. they're putting off dealing with the deficit yet again and the road show continues. If it's not religion, abortion, guns, gays or illegals our govt has no interest.

[commonsense51]

What kind of an American president would have not visited our ally Israel in his first term? An Arab loving Socialist.

[DARSB]

President George H. W. Bush never visited Israel. http://goo.gl/jWuJE President George W Bush did visit Israel twice, but not until his second term began in 2008. http://goo.gl/efMb1

Remarkable how many "Arab loving Socialist(s)" are also Republican Presidents, huh? ;)

[commonsense51]

@DARSB No there is only one Socialist president we've ever had and his name is Obama. If Bush did not visit Israel, there was no problem because everyone knew he supported Israel. Obama supports their enemies.

[DARSB]

@commonsense51 And that "whoooshing" noise we hear is a set of goalposts being rapidly moved down the field. LOL!

[commonsense51]

@DARSB You are right, i did not know that Bush had not visited Israel his first term so my remarks sounded pretty lame but i stand by my beliefs he is pro Arabs more so than pro Israel. One thing for sure, the goal posts have not moved an inch on every prediction I made the very first time Obama was elected. He is a text book Liberal with goals of Socialism in his world of transforming America. The GOP said when he becomes a lame duck president his Liberal activism will surface to even more. They have and he now is showing us his idea of a Transformed America. He hardly mentioned gun control before his re election even though we had mass killings before that. All of a sudden he can't stop talking about Gun control, Global warming, Gay marriage and the first president to single out Gays in his Inaugural speech. Forget all the other groups of people who have been bullied or disrespected or refused the right to have ten wives. Only gays get special mention. The goal posts are very secure and America is the worse off for it.

[DARSB]

@commonsense51 I guess you can believe whatever you like but judging by the money we send to Israel versus every other country in the world it's pretty clear Israel is the favorite. By a lot. http://goo.gl/Y07Ax

[SignifiedNBlue]

With Hamas one of his financial supporters? LMFAO!!

[KyleMFb]

Who cares if any president visits Israel their nothing but a bunch of liars

[kathyparsell]

Duh, like Iran, Pakistan, Afganistan, have been truthful for the millions we sent them. Isreal has been the only that has been honest, honest in saying they would blow the centerfuges Iran is working on off the map, backing by the US or not.

[KyleMFb]

@kathyparsell Israel has been far from honest you need to check your history

[kathyparsell]

@KyleMFb
Perhaps you would like to give me some examples of Isreal lying to the United States in contrast to Afganistan and Pakistan or Iran telling us the truth.

[KyleMFb]

@kathyparsell ok I'll only take about modern lies when Israel's PM stood in front of the UN and said Iran is going to Possess WMDs b4 the end of the year....flat out lie they said they have proof iran is Pursuing nuclear weapons all though they probably are they have no proof of it....if multiple top level officials say the Israelis lie about everything then I'm going to tend to believe them. it's true what they say about Jews and Israel they only care about themselves

[kathyparsell]

@KyleMFb Former Ambassador John Bolton said much the same thing about Iran a week ago. Maybe he is Jewish, don't know or care, however no one can dispute that Isreal is the closest thing to a friend The USA has in that region and the President has been overlooking that.

[seedtick]

He has to do something....But, I'll bet he is gonna sit in their house and try to give them a lesson about how to get along with Muslim extremists.

[texas_cutie75]

You never know, we might get lucky and he'll stay over there.... :-)

[WattheTyler]

So he's going to visit Israel, a country that continues to keep the people of Gaza in a concentration camp. That continues to build settlements in the West Bank. And watch as Obama continues to kiss the Israeli butts so he can continue to get over 70% of the Jewish vote. I don't like Israel. I don't like how our tax payer dollars to going to fund this little apartheid regime over there.

[ConserveUSA]

This is simply a publicity stunt in trying to make a name for himself.