Haim Saban, a Hollywood producer and Democratic Party megadonor, has lashed out at President Obama over the administration’s decision to abstain from a recent U.N. resolution condemning Israel, Variety magazine reported Wednesday.
“As a longstanding Democrat who has supported and defended President Obama on his treatment of Israel throughout his presidency, I am deeply disturbed by the Administration’s decision not to veto UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and Secretary Kerry’s subsequent one-sided speech,” said the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” creator in a statement, reported Variety. “These actions undermine our country’s long-standing support for Israel and harm any long-term prospects for peace, which is in our national interest.”
In October, WikiLeaks released emails from Mr. Saban to aides close to Hillary Clinton urging the Democratic presidential nominee to stake out a more robust defense of Israel, setting herself in contrast to President Obama’s approach to the Middle Eastern ally.
As the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Oct. 12, Mr. Saban said in an email that Mrs. Clinton should “speak strongly against anti-Semitism, and boycott” efforts and “reaffirm the US commitment to Israel’s security & anything else your research tells you the Jewish community is sensitive to.”
“This is NOT a NY or California issue, it is a Florida one. Pls LMK how I can help here,” he added, Haaretz reported.
Mr. Saban and his wife plunked millions into a pro-Clinton Super PAC in the waning days of the campaign. A fiercely loyal Democrat, he has a lengthy track record of donating to Democratic candidates and campaign committees and famously donated millions in “soft money” to the DNC in 2002, before the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law went into effect banning such contributions.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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