U.S. President Barack Obama recently treated Afghan president Hamid Karzai to a gala lunch at the White House and showed the kind of respect that should be displayed to Israel, “our staunchest ally in the Middle East,” John Bolton told supporters of Ateret Cohanim.

Speaking at the Ateret Cohanim annual dinner in New York Thursday night, the former American ambassador to the United Nations sharply condemned President Obama’s adoption of Palestinian Authority demands to stop a Jewish presence in areas of Jerusalem. "No country has the right to determine another country's capital and whether they can build in it."

“People should be able to buy and sell property in Jerusalem, as in any other country and clearly peace in the region is not dependent on Israel making territorial concessions,” he maintained.

Following Israel’s announcement two months ago of progress in plans for building more homes for Jews in the Ramat Shlomo Jewish neighborhood, President Obama gave Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a chilly reception at the White House, and their discussions took place without the usual lunch or dinner for visiting dignitaries.

Bolton also said that the Obama administration is missing the boat, as it has all but ruled out the military option to deal with the potential of Iran to produce a nuclear weapon, which it apparently is accepting as a fact, leaving Israel to deal with it by itself. He implied that the U.S. would probably not supply weapons parts in such a case, but that Israel has its back to the wall.

He said Iran is the “cradle of terrorism, [and] has been developing nuclear weapons for the last 20 years and neither diplomacy nor economic sanctions will be effective deterrents against them.”

Unless the Iranian regime is toppled, it “cannot be contained or deterred,” according to Bolton.

Regarding the Palestinian Authority, Bolton declared, “The Palestinians are being exploited by their own leaders and the United States should not force either proximity or direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians because there is no legitimate Palestinian entity to negotiate with.

“The United States needs to stop digging the hole that they are in because undertaking this huge diplomatic task that will result in failed negotiations will leave [it] in a much weaker position.”

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, also speaking at the dinner, said that an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran may be necessary to prevent a worse situation in the future. “The Obama administration has been a disaster for Israel and the United States,” he stated.” This administration has done everything in its power to undermine Israel’s security and thus, the ultimate security of the United States.”

Bolton thanked Ateret Cohanim and their Jerusalem Reclamation Project for their support in building Jerusalem, which he referred to as the “heart and soul” of the Jewish State. He will be accompanying Ateret Cohanim supporters on their coming mission to Jerusalem.

Philanthropists Joseph and Helen Mermelstein were this year’s recipients of the Jerusalem Chai award and were praised for their “tireless work on behalf of Jews around the world.”  Dr. Joseph Frager, one of the founders of Arutz Sheva, and Mel Wadler were Guests of Honor.   Bonei (Builders of)  Yerushalayim honorees were Mark and Galina Moerdler and Mr. Moe Tawil.

For a detailed report on Mr. Bolton's speech, see Fern Sidman's article at: http://noisyroom.net/blog/2010/05/14/hon-john-bolton-keynotes-at-jrpateret-cohanim-dinner/