Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Only Candidate Playing Politics With Israel Is Romney

Democratic Chair rejects House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s criticism of Obama.

Image by Warren Ruda / AP

Democratic Party Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney of playing politics with America’s relationship with Israel.

In a statement to BuzzFeed, the Florida congresswoman responded to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s criticism of the Obama campaign’s announcement that the president would visit Israel during a second term — a trip Cantor called “four years too late.”

“The only candidate in this race playing politics with America’s bipartisan support for Israel is Mitt Romney,” Wasserman Schultz said. “He recently pledged to ‘do the opposite’ of President Obama on Israel. If we take him at his word, that means a Romney Administration would slash security assistance funding, abandon Israel at the UN, de-fund the Iron Dome system protecting Israelis from terrorist rockets, and dismantle the hardest hitting sanctions Iran has ever faced. The American and Israeli people deserve to hear real ideas from Mitt Romney, not just cheap political rhetoric that’s completely devoid of facts. The bottom line is that President Obama has been a steadfast supporter of the Jewish State — and numerous Israeli leaders have spoken out publicly to agree.”

Cantor’s statement noted that Obama has visited dozens of other countries as president, saying Israel should be a priority.

Our relationship with Israel should be a priority, not a distraction. President Obama has found time to visit dozens of other nations – including some near to Israel in the Middle East – and his treatment of our closest ally in the region has been profoundly disappointing.”

Romney has pledged that, if elected, his first trip as president would be to Israel.