'White House Israel policies must be unambiguous'

New Jersey governor Christie in interview with 'Jerusalem Post' hints he will be 2016 candidate if Obama re-elected.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Chris Christie visits Yad Veshem museum (photo credit: Courtesy Governor Christie’s Office)
Chris Christie visits Yad Veshem museum
(photo credit: Courtesy Governor Christie’s Office)
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie criticized US President Barack Obama’s handling of Israel and the Middle East in an interview on Tuesday with The Jerusalem Post.
Christie has been mentioned as a possible running mate of the presumed Republican candidate for president, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. He came to Israel to boost his foreign policy credentials, as well as boost economic trade between the Garden State and the State of Israel.
“There should be unambiguous policies standing for Israel,” Christie said. “The problems Israel is facing cannot be solved without unambiguous American commitment to Israeli security and prosperity.
Our partnership with Israel is not based on generosity but because they have earned our support.
“Rather than use cute words and phrases, our commitment to Israel should be unambiguous and easily understood. If the world shows that solidarity, peace will be easier to achieve, not harder.”
Christie met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday and President Shimon Peres Tuesday. When asked what specific advice he would give them on diplomatic and security issues, he deferred to those more knowledgeable on key issues.
“It’s very important for you to know what you don’t know,” Christie said. “I am not going to stand here and pretend I have answers to questions that people with more experience than me don’t know. But there are general principles that our country stands for – our country was founded on pluralism, liberty and freedom and we should be standing with those in the world who stand for those principles.”
Christie made news in America this week when he spoke to talk show host Oprah Winfrey about his presidential ambitions.
Christie said Winfrey took his quote out of context and made him look disloyal to Romney.
“I said I hoped we will be reelecting ‘President Romney’ in 2016,” he explained. “But I said that of course I would be better prepared to run in 2016 after doing this job for a while. It would be helpful if you could put that out there.”
Speaking following a visit to Yad Vashem, Christie called the museum “an overwhelming reminder for me of how much work we have to do as human beings in terms of the way we treat each other.”
Peres called Christie “a friend of Israel” and poked fun at New Jersey.
“For us, New Jersey is like New York without the same fanfare but with the same connections for Israelis and the Jewish people,” Peres said. “I will never forget one year when our finance minister was told on April 1 that he needed a visa to go from New York to New Jersey.”