Washington, Sept 21: Texas Governor and leading Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has slammed US President Barack Obama's Middle East foreign policy, describing it as “naive, arrogant, misguided and dangerous”. 

“We would not be here today at the precipice of such a dangerous move if the Obama Policy in the Middle East wasn't naive, arrogant, misguided and dangerous,” Perry in his first major foreign policy address in New York since emerging as the top Republican White House hopeful.

“We are indignant that certain Middle Eastern leaders have discarded the principle of direct negotiations between the sovereign nation of Israel and the Palestinian leadership, and we are equally indignant that the Obama Administration's Middle East policy of appeasement has encouraged such an ominous act of bad faith,” he said.

Television commentators said that this was the strongest ever criticism of Obama's foreign policy.  Perry's remarks came as US and other Western diplomats were engaged in “intensive” last minute discussions to avoid a showdown over Palestinian leaders' bid to gain recognition for their country at the UN.

“The Obama Policy of moral equivalency, which gives equal standing to the grievances of Israelis and Palestinians, including the orchestrators of terrorism, is a dangerous insult,” Perry said.

“America should not be ambivalent between the terrorist tactics of Hamas and the security tactics of the legitimate and free state of Israel. By proposing indirect talks through the US rather than between Palestinian leaders and Israel, this administration encouraged the Palestinians to shun direct talks,” Perry alleged. PTI