WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is seeking to reassure Jewish donors that he strongly supports Israel, pledging to devote all his administration's "creative powers" to bringing about peace in the Middle East.
Obama made the comments at a high-dollar fundraiser at a Washington hotel Monday night hosted by Americans in Support of a Strong U.S.-Israel Relationship.
The appearance came a month after he clashed publicly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the road to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. That handed ammunition to Republican presidential hopefuls who accused Obama of insufficient support for Israel.
Obama assured donors that his goals are the same as theirs — a secure Jewish state living in peace with its neighbors — even if there might be what he called "tactical disagreements" along the way.
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