Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. heavily lays into Pres. Barack Obama's foreign policy for Israel and Palestine in an op-ed piece the National Review Online published Thursday evening.
"Pres. Obama's misguided Middle East policies directly contributed to a breakdown of the peace process," Huntsman wrote. "The people of Israel have lost confidence in the Obama administration and no longer feel the president understands Israel's security needs. … It is (unlikely) that this administration can hit a 'reset' button. I suspect we cannot return to status quo ante on Pres. Obama's watch."
The Daily Beast revealed Friday that the Obama administration sold 55 special bunker-busting bombs to Israel in 2009.
"The military sale was arranged behind the scenes as Obama's demands for Israel to stop building settlements in disputed territories were fraying political relations between the two countries in public."
CBS News reports Palestine is expected to make its play at the United Nations on Friday for statehood.
"Nearly two decades after embarking on historic peace talks with Israel, Palestinians prepared to sidestep that troubled route on Friday to seek U.N. recognition of an independent state — hoping to leverage this dramatic move on the world stage to realize their dream of an independent homeland."
Reuters adds, "In what he may see as a date with destiny, (Palestinian president Mahmoud) Abbas, 76, will hand U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon an application for full U.N. membership, which the Security Council must then consider."
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