Berkley: Obama must not forget our old friend Israel

By Lisa Mascaro

Thursday, June 4, 2009 | 2 a.m.

As President Barack Obama conducts his first Middle East visit, Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley has emerged as a vocal critic of his approach to Israel, and is among those pushing a tougher stand with Saudi Arabia.

When the president suggested a zero-growth policy for Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, Berkley voiced serious reservations with what she believes is a decisive policy shift coming from the White House.

As Air Force One touched down Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, Berkley was at a news conference denouncing anti-Semitic language found in Saudi government-issued school textbooks.

“I’m hoping the information contained in these textbooks will be part of the discussion President Obama has with the Saudi king and the royal family,” Berkley said. She and the other lawmakers called on the president to press Saudi Arabia to fulfill past promises to remove the offensive passages.

Berkley has been a pro-Israel activist since her high school days, and a student of international affairs ever since. She is serving a fifth term on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The congresswoman said that after eight years of the Bush administration, she believes a president needs loyal opposition.

“I’ve become a stronger advocate for the three branches of government having an equal voice and an equal role,” she said during a brief interview.

“Certainly the president has extraordinary power, extraordinary charisma — he’s an intelligent man,” she said. “But I have a role to play, too, as 435 of us have a role to play,” she said of the members of the House.

“It’s important that we do that and we’re just not a rubber stamp for the latest statement coming out of the White House.”

Berkley has been particularly concerned about Obama’s statements about freezing the natural population growth among the Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

During an interview with National Public Radio this week, Obama reiterated his position that “a freeze on settlements including natural growth” is part of obligations he expects from Israel.

Berkley said the White House’s stance is fundamentally different from those of the Bush and Clinton administrations.

“I just am concerned that he not lose sight of the fact that Israel is our strongest ally and the only democracy in a very dangerous part of the world,” Berkley said.

“He ought not keep Israel’s feet to the fire without a commensurate action on the part of our administration with the Arabs and the Palestinians,” she said. “Making a major issue out of natural growth of the settlements seems to me that we’re concentrating our power and our focus on the wrong issues.”

Berkley insists that she is not opposing the president. “Quite the contrary, I’m a great admirer,” she said. “I’m sure he will make the United States very proud in the next few days. I just want to make sure there aren’t concessions made that are detrimental.”