Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight told a pro-Israel rally in Las Vegas on Tuesday that President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry do not have Israel’s back in the conflict with Gaza and Hamas.
Voight said the Obama administration is inaccurately portraying Israel as the aggressor.
“Our President Obama said he would transform America, he certainly has for the worse, not for the better,” Voight said outside of the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas to boos from the audience.
“President Obama and Secretary Kerry are sending the wrong messages to the entire world. They do not really have Israel’s back covered as they say they do. Instead of telling Hamas to stop sending rockets into Israel aimed at its civilian population, they say Israel has to stop killing civilians. What a travesty of justice,” he added.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, Hamas and other Palestinian militants have fired more than 1,840 rockets toward Israel since July 8.
“We have serious concerns about the rising number of Palestinian and civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives,” Obama said on Monday. “That is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the international community to bring about a cease-fire that ends that fighting and that can stop the deaths of innocent civilians, both in Gaza and in Israel.”
Obama sent Kerry to the region to negotiate a deal to end the fighting. Kerry met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.
Voight encouraged “every patriotic American,” Jewish or not, to show their outrage with the Obama administration’s reaction to the situation.
“We will not tolerate propaganda, lies about Israel being the aggressors and suppressors of the Palestinians and Hamas must understand they cannot keep sending missles into Israel year after year,” he said at the “We Stand With Israel” rally, sponsored by the Israeli American Council.
Voight, who is nominated for an Emmy award this season for his role on Showtime’s Ray Donovan, told the large crowd that it seems anti-Semitism is very much alive.
“The Jewish people have been the scapegoat for a thousand years and today we find attacks on the Christian communities as well all over the world,” Voight said.
“To his credit, Prime Minister David Cameron called on the people of Britain to stand up against persecution of Christian and other religious groups wherever, whenever they can and should be unashamed in doing so, he said. Good for him.”
Voight said his heart goes out to the 32 Israeli soldiers who have lost their lives.
“May their souls find peace and understanding and their sacrifice will be remembered for eternity. May God bless Israel and America,” he concluded.
Representatives from the offices of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) and Nevada Sen. Dean Heller (R) told the crowd the senators support Israel.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, an independent, also delivered remarks at the rally.
“It’s absolutely appalling to me that we are standing here today again defending the state of Israel and their right to live, survive and be free,” Goodman said.
“While you’ve said it’s not about money, it’s always about money and the time will come when we will be asked to step to the plate and send dollars to protect the great state of Israel and everybody who has given their lives over hundreds of years to keep the Jewish people free and to take care of all of us,” she said.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member