Just a few days ago, Congress passed and president Obama signed the law granting the president fast track authority in trade negotiations. That bill was battled in the House and Senate by an odd coalition. As I said many times on this blog, I support free trade, but I was against giving any more power to Barack Obama because he simply cannot be trusted. Now, just a few days after signing the bill into law, Obama has already demonstrated that fact: he really cannot be trusted.
The issue this time is the BDS movement. BDS is a movement that falsely characterizes Israel as an apartheid state and then demands that companies and governments stop dealing with Israeli companies and, in particular, those companies that operate in the West Bank, territory that Israel occupied in 1967 during the Six Day War when Egypt, Jordan and Syria attacked Israel. I could write a long article about BDS and the phony and anti-Semitic claims that the movement pushes, but the point is the trade bill. In that bill, Congress mandated that American trade representatives take the position of fighting the BDS movement. The law specifically requires out trade representatives to encourage the European Union to continue doing business with companies and individuals in Israel and in "territories occupied by Israel". That's extremely clear.
So what does Obama do? Two days ago he has the State Department announce that the law really couldn't mean that American policy about the "occupied territories" has been affected. There's no problem with the Europeans stopping trade with that area.
It's another of those laws that Obama is choosing to ignore. Two days after he signed it, he ignores it. TWO DAYS!!!!!
As laws go, this is far from the most important one. What is important, however, is that once again Obama has violated his oath to carry out the laws of the country. Once again he has violated the Constitution. Once again, he has demonstrated that he simply cannot be trusted.
The issue this time is the BDS movement. BDS is a movement that falsely characterizes Israel as an apartheid state and then demands that companies and governments stop dealing with Israeli companies and, in particular, those companies that operate in the West Bank, territory that Israel occupied in 1967 during the Six Day War when Egypt, Jordan and Syria attacked Israel. I could write a long article about BDS and the phony and anti-Semitic claims that the movement pushes, but the point is the trade bill. In that bill, Congress mandated that American trade representatives take the position of fighting the BDS movement. The law specifically requires out trade representatives to encourage the European Union to continue doing business with companies and individuals in Israel and in "territories occupied by Israel". That's extremely clear.
So what does Obama do? Two days ago he has the State Department announce that the law really couldn't mean that American policy about the "occupied territories" has been affected. There's no problem with the Europeans stopping trade with that area.
It's another of those laws that Obama is choosing to ignore. Two days after he signed it, he ignores it. TWO DAYS!!!!!
As laws go, this is far from the most important one. What is important, however, is that once again Obama has violated his oath to carry out the laws of the country. Once again he has violated the Constitution. Once again, he has demonstrated that he simply cannot be trusted.
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