World First: American Jews Concerned over Trump State Pick

The American Jewish Committee, a non-profit group with income topping $73 million a year that works to “enhance the well-being of Jewish people” weighed in on President-Elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State.

While the group praised Tillerson’s indisputable business acumen, they expressed reservation with the pick due to what they don’t know about the ExxonMobil CEO.

The group called for exploring Tillerson’s views on the following:

  • U.S.-Israel relations: Would Mr. Tillerson continue the bipartisan tradition of support for and mutually beneficial cooperation with the State of Israel, America’s democratic and reliable Middle East ally, which faces profound security threats, ongoing attacks on its legitimacy in international forums, and repeated Palestinian refusals for an enduring two-state peace agreement?
  • Iran: Would Mr. Tillerson, recognizing the danger posed by Iran to U.S. interests and allies in the Middle East and around the world, including the terror threat posed by the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, intensify U.S. efforts to confront the theocratic regime’s hegemonic ambitions and seek to ensure that Iran does not violate any of its treaty obligations regarding its nuclear program?
  • Transatlantic relations: America’s allies, trading partners and sister democracies in Europe have expressed concern about the new Administration’s commitment to NATO, its policies toward an increasingly aggressive Russia that has violated Ukrainian sovereignty and challenged European cohesion, and its attitude toward the European Union as a defender of common values, common security concerns, and expanded trade. We look forward to hearing Mr. Tillerson’s thinking on these critical issues.
  • Alliances: America’s international relations are built on a series of partnerships with valued friends and allies that extend beyond Europe and the Middle East, including key nations in Asia, such as Japan and South Korea, with which we have security treaties, our immediate neighbors Canada and Mexico, and other democratic nations with long-standing strategic, diplomatic, economic, and cultural links to our own country. In his view of the world, how does Mr. Tillerson regard these nations and the importance of our relations with them?
  • Human rights: America’s essential and respected international leadership is a product not only of military might, but also its adherence to such core principles as the sanctity of universal human rights. American resolve, creativity, and moral force – in addition to other tools at our nation’s disposal – help shape a peaceful and lawful world able to stand up to oppressors and to promulgators of racism, anti-Semitism, and other bigotries. We will be eager to learn about Mr. Tillerson’s perspective on this important matter.
  • Extremism : Violent radical Islam, a perversion of one of the world’s great religious traditions, poses an urgent global threat. Confronting and defeating it requires a comprehensive strategy, close coordination with a wide range of countries and organizations, and, in particular, the active partnership of like-minded Muslim communities and Muslim-majority allies. We shall hope to better understand Mr. Tillerson’s views on this urgent security challenge.

The group, which receives significant funding from American’s, fails to list any concerns that have to do with safety or prosperity of Americans.

Instead, Israel, Japan, Canada and Europe appear to be a priority for the group.

Trump won the election campaigning on a bold, “America First” platform, which is the direction voters intend the President-Elect to take.

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Candice has almost 20 years of experience reporting for various conservative publications. When she's not writing, she enjoys being outdoors--especially camping, hiking, and hunting. She lives in Harrisburg, PA, with her husband.