U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was heckled and booed at a Jewish Post event where he spoke on U.S.-Israeli negotiations to a pro-Israel audience.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was reportedly booed at a Jewish conference in New York last Sunday. In his remarks Lew clarified the Obama administration’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, and promised that the White House continues its allegiance to Israel.
Lew was heckled and booed throughout his speech at the annual Jerusalem Post conference. The audience’s reactions were remarkably striking, even for political speech of such a high ranking official. The audience was decidedly pro-Israel and against a lot of the opinions Lew was sharing. At some points, audience members even shouted “nonsense” during the speech.
U.S. – Israeli relations have been strained recently because of the negotiations for an interim nuclear agreement with Iran. The ongoing negotiations between the two nations and Jack Lew’s stressing for America’s continued support for Israel that prompted the most hostile reactions from the largely Jewish-American crowd. Many simply did not trust Lew and his commentary about America’s relations with Israel.
Jack Lew pointed out the costs of sanctions Iran has already suffered, and that the sanctions will be reimposed automatically if Iran cheats. He said that the United States is still developing the exact mechanism by which sanctions would be reimposed, but stressed that the measures won’t be subject to a veto, not even by China or Russia. Lew also stated that the possible nuclear agreement has to include international inspections by the IAEA at military sites and others.
The conference was held now for the fourth time. Speakers included Rep. Nita Lowley (D-N.Y.). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the audience by video, speaking for a strong U.S. – Israel alliance and pushing for a better deal with Iran.