US Zionist organization slams McMaster for being anti-Israel, calls for removal
The criticism is the latest in a volley of attacks against Trump's pick for national security adviser
The Zionist Organization of America harshly criticized US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, saying US President Donald Trump’s pick supports policies that are hostile towards Israel, in a report released Wednesday.
The ZOA asserted that McMaster’s policies align with that of the Obama administration, opposing Trump’s pro-Israel stance.
“General McMaster has appointed officials who are holdovers from the Obama administration, who favor the Iran nuclear deal and are hostile to Israel – officials who are diametrically opposed to President Trump’s policies. “
The statement called upon the US president to strip McMaster of his title in order to prevent him from causing further damage to the region.
“The ZOA thus urges President Trump to remove General McMaster from his current position and reassign him to another position where he can do no further harm on these critical national security issues.”
The criticism is the latest in a volley of attacks from right-wing media and pro-Israel groups as McMaster has been accused of being anti-Israel, having a short temper and collaborating with Obama-era officials.
Trump pushed back last week against pressure from right-wing groups to oust McMaster, stressing the senior official is supportive of Israel.
"General McMaster and I are working very well together. He is a good man and very pro-Israel. I am grateful for the work he continues to do serving our country," Trump said in a statement.
The barrage of unflattering portrayals emerged as McMaster worked with new chief of staff John Kelly to purge the White House national security council of staffers from the nationalist wing of Trump's base.
A major plank of the invective directed at the White House's most senior national security expert has focused on his alleged bias against Israel.
Israeli journalist Caroline Glick wrote on Facebook that "McMaster ... is deeply hostile to Israel and to Trump. According to senior officials aware of his behavior, he constantly refers to Israel as the occupying power and insists falsely and constantly that a country named Palestine existed where Israel is located until 1948 when it was destroyed by the Jews."
Yet at the same time, criticism of McMaster has also taken on an anti-Semitic hue.
The US-based Anti-Defamation League wrote last week that the anti-McMaster campaign is spearheaded by "alt-lite" radio host Mike Cernovich, a supporter of Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon.
The ADL said that Cernovich appears to have commissioned a plainly anti-Semitic cartoon that shows McMaster being controlled on puppet strings by Jewish billionaire George Soros, who in turn is being puppeteered by a hand bearing the name "Rothschilds".
Last week, a few hours after Trump's statement, a senior Israeli military chief was quoted in Haaretz newspaper expressing support for McMaster.
"All on our side who has met McMaster and keeps contact with him are constantly impressed by how pro-Israel he is. The relationship with him is excellent, and we really appreciate him," the senior official was quoted as saying.