The White House slammed a full-page ad Sunday that appeared in The New York Times attacking National Security Adviser Susan Rice.
The ad, claiming “Susan Rice has a blind spot: Genocide,” appeared in Saturday’s paper promoting a talk by American Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. He claims Rice has sought to silence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his address to Congress.
A senior administration official at the White House cited criticism from a number of Jewish advocacy groups in reaction to the ad, saying it has been met with “revulsion.”
“This ad is being widely met with the revulsion that it deserves. Frankly, the ad says more about those who supported it than it says about Susan Rice,” the official told CNN.
The administration official declined to elaborate on those comments or to provide an on-the-record defense of Rice.
The Anti-Defamation League called the ad “perverse and incendiary.”
“Has Boteach helped the pro-Israel community, which, presumably, was the object of the exercise? Absolutely not. To the contrary, he has made our collective task more difficult,” the American Jewish Committee said.
Boteach defended the ad, saying Rice has sought to marginalize a leader whose people have experienced a genocide and who is defending his country from a hostile neighbor: Iran.
With Netanyahu’s plane set to land in Washington on Sunday evening, tensions are high surrounding the speech.
Earlier in the week Rice said on PBS that the way House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to speak was handled by both the speaker and Netanyahu, two weeks before Netanyahu faces re-election, has “injected a degree of partisanship which is not only unfortunate but it’s destructive of the fabric of the relationship.”
Rice has been a key adviser to both Presidents Clinton and Obama on matters of foreign policy, and Jewish advocacy groups have praised her commitment to Israel.
The international Jewish organization The Rabbinical Assembly issued a statement on the ad standing up for Rice.
“Regardless of how you feel about Iran negotiations or Iran sanctions, today’s ad attacking National Security Adviser Susan Rice is beyond the pale. Susan Rice has long been a friend of Israel’s and a friend of the Jewish people,” the group said. “Today’s attack ad is despicable.”
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tweeted her support: “Anyone watching history can see @AmbassadorRice is a patriotic public servant, conscientious voice vs genocide, & staunch ally of #Israel”
Asked Sunday morning about the ongoing tensions, Boehner said he believes it is important for American to hear from Netanyahu on the threat from Iran, and that he has no regrets about the invitation.
“The animosity between the White House and the prime minister is no secret here in this town, but they certainly made it worse over the last five or six weeks,” Boehner said on CBS. “[The] only conflict here is between the White House and Israel.”