President Barack Obama warned Wednesday against devolving into “tribalism” that pits faiths and races against each other, insisting during remarks at the Israeli Embassy in Washington that an “attack on any faith is an attack on all of our faiths.”
Obama’s visit to the embassy — the first for a sitting U.S. president, according to Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer — came as relations between the U.S. and Israel have shown new signs of improvement after deteriorating during negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Obama sought to relay a unifying message at the embassy Wednesday night, calling the U.S. steadfast in its commitment to Israel’s security and describing a “fundamental moral failing if America broke that bond.”
But he didn’t avoid alluding to remaining differences with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insisting that all Israelis — “Jewish or Arab” — be tolerated and accepted. He did not mention Israeli settlements or other specific policies during his speech.
But he did, at times, appear to be referencing themes that have been playing out on the U.S. campaign trail, including a proposal from Republican front-runner Donald Trump to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
“Too often, especially in times of change, especially in times of anxiety and uncertainty, we are too willing to give into a base desire to find someone else — someone different — to blame for our struggles,” Obama said in his speech, which was meant to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and pay special tribute to heroes from World War II.
“We’re called to live in a way that shows that we’ve actually learned from our past,” Obama said. “It means taking a stand against bigotry in all its forms, and rejecting our darkest impulses and guarding against tribalism as the only value in our communities and in our politics.”
It’s rare for a president to speak at a foreign embassy, and Wednesday’s visit comes after a bumpy several years in the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem, which soured amid negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
The relationship hit its nadir when Netanyahu traveled to Washington to lobby against the Iran deal, an effort that included a speech before a joint meeting of Congress. White House officials angrily rebuked the trip, saying it was a breach of protocol since they weren’t consulted.
The speech was largely orchestrated by Dermer, a former Republican operative who serves as Netanyahu’s envoy in Washington, and who White House officials privately blamed for fueling the breakdown in relations.
Dermer said Wednesday that Obama’s participation was a testament to the “unique relationship between Israel and the United States,” and in a video message aired before Obama spoke, Netanyahu thanked Obama for his “commitment to continue to work with us to bolster Israel’s security.”
An Israeli official said Obama’s visit to the embassy was deeply appreciated by Netanyahu’s government, and expressed optimism that it could help repair relations between the two countries. Both governments are working toward securing a new defense cooperation pact that provides $3 billion per year in aide to Israel.
Secretary of State John Kerry met with Netanyahu last week in Switzerland as sanctions were being lifted on Tehran in exchange for steps curbing its nuclear program. He said that during the meeting the Israeli leader appeared to accept the Iran deal was final.
“I think he recognized that the fight’s over and we can move on,” Kerry said.
A senior administration official said that Israeli president Reuven Rivlin invited Obama to participate in Wednesday’s event when he visited the White House in November. He’ll was introduced by film director Steven Spielberg, who called Obama a “good friend.”
The Americans Obama honored helped shield Jews from slaughter by the Nazis during World War II. Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, from Tennessee, refused to single out Jews while being held at gunpoint by German troops. Lois Gunden, a French teacher from Indiana, founded a children’s home on the French coast that acted as a safe house for Jewish families.