Donald Trump at AIPAC
Donald Trump at AIPACReuters

Responding to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's speech at AIPAC in Washington DC on Monday evening, AIPAC President Lillian Pinkus on Tuesday condemned him for criticizing President Barack Obama and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Trump in his speech had said that Obama "may be the worst thing to ever happen to Israel," in a remark that drew large applause from the AIPAC crowd. He also criticized the controversial nuclear deal with Israel, and accused Obama and Clinton in her previous role as Secretary of State of treating Israel "very, very badly."

Pinkus read a statement from the AIPAC podium on Tuesday condemning Trump, as reported by Politico and The Hill. Partially fueling the statement is the fact that AIPAC is a non-partisan policy conference.

“Last evening something occurred which has the potential to drive us apart, to divide us. We say unequivocally that we do not countenance ad hominem attacks, and we take great offense to those that are levied against the United States of America from our stage."

She continued, saying, "while we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the president of the United States and our president, Barack Obama."

"There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night, and for that, we are deeply sorry. We are disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone."

"Let us take this moment to pledge to each other that in this divisive and tension-filled political season, we will not allow those who wish to divide our movement from the left or from the right to succeed in doing so," she concluded.