During a live webcast, President Obama sympathized with the persecution of the Jewish people, suggesting he was able to understand their plight because he was an African-American.
Obama held a conversation with the leaders of American Jewish organizations, in order to defend his nuclear deal with Iran.
He explained that he understood why the Israelis were upset that America was negotiating with Iran when rockets were raining down on their cities and Iranian leaders were denying the Holocaust.
“I understand it, it’s loathsome,” he said. “I think as an African-American I understand – history teaches that man can be very cruel to man and you have to take threats seriously.”
Obama added that Iran’s hatred of Israel was precisely why they needed to negotiate with the extreme regime.
“What history also teaches us is that sometimes the best security is to enter into negations with your enemies,” he said, pointing to United States negotiations with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.