Orthodox Jewish Leaders Worried About Obama's "Evenhandedness" Toward Israeli-Arab Conflict

One of the country's premiere Orthodox Jewish organizations, the Orthodox Union, says it is "deeply troubled" by President Obama's desire to play an "evenhanded" role in the Middle East.

"The Orthodox Union asks our President to recognize that there are no moral equivalencies between Israel, which has acted time and again to defend itself while actively seeking peace, and those who reject Israel’s legitimacy and make war against her," OU President Stephen Savitsky said in a statement following the White House meeting Monday in which he was one of 16 Jewish leaders to sit down with the president.

"We look to the United States to be Israel’s friend in a world of enemies and we support the view, expressed to the President in our meeting, that while allies may of course disagree on specifics, there ought not be significant 'daylight' between the United States and Israel that would give the nations’ mutual enemies comfort and encouragement." Tweet