United States Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew was booed Sunday as he spoke at the annual Jerusalem Post annual conference in New York about the Iran nuclear deal and how it relates to Israel’s security.
During the speech, Lew mentioned that keeping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon has always been a priority of the Obama administration and was backed up by action. His comments were quickly met with boos and continued throughout his speech.
Lew went on to talk about how the Treasury Department had worked with Congress, different federal agencies within the federal government, and partners across the world to build an international sanctions regime against Iran.
"Because of the aggressive sanctions that have been put in place for over a decade, Iran has been completely cut off the international financial system," Lew said to light applause.
In an April Gallup poll 54 percent of American Jews approved of Obama’s job performance, a decline from the 61 percent approval rating he received in January.
When Lew mentioned Iran’s crippling economy and election of a president who campaigned on ending Iran’s isolation, this did not sit well with conference attendees who vocally shared their disgust with the claim.
They did not stop there and continued loudly throughout the remainder of Lew’s speech. The most notable disagreement came when Lew said the administration had done more for the security of Israel than any previous White House.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continually warned of making a bad deal that leads to a nuclear Iran, which would constitute a direct threat to the Jewish state.