Obama budget shows how he values Israel

Vice President Biden has said “Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” With his budget submission today President Obama has shown how much (little) he values the relationship with Israel.

The Oslo II Agreement, Wye River Memo, and Sharm el-Sheikh Memo all prohibit either party from “chang[ing] the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip” prior to the completion of permanent status negotiations. The Palestinians broke this promise in 2011 when they sought recognition as a member state in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Current law prohibits providing U.S. funds to any U.N. entity that grants a Palestinian entity the same standing as a member state. When UNESCO granted statehood recognition to the Palestinians, those statutory prohibitions were triggered.

In today’s State Department budget request, President Obama has once again requested legislative authority to waive these restrictions and relieve UNESCO from the consequences of its actions. In once again also attempting to absolve the Palestinians of the consequences of breaking fundamental promises they made in the peace process, this budgetary request shows how much President Obama values the relationship with Israel, as Vice President Biden would say.