Western North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows is criticizing National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster's comment at a White House press briefing regarding the Western Wall, which is located in the city of Jerusalem. McMaster declined to tell reporters whether President Trump believes the wall is part of the state of Israel, calling it a "policy decision." The Western Wall is one of the holiest sites in Judiasm, and is part of land Israel seized during the Six-Day War in 1967.
In a statement, Meadows called on McMaster to "retract his remarks swiftly", adding the United States has "an obligation to stand by (Israel) and defend their rightful claim to one of the holiest sites in the nation." The issue of the ownership of the Western Wall came up as President Trump prepares a to visit Israel later this month, including a stop at the Western Wall.
Meadows, a three-term Republican who chairs the powerful Freedom Caucus made up of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives, published his full statement on the Western Wall matter through his Twitter account. On that account or through press release, Meadows has yet to comment on President Trump's sharing of intelligence with Russian officials on ISIS - intelligence that reportedly came from Israel.
