Senator Marco Rubio said the Obama administration should stop blaming Israel for the Palestinian terror attacks. Photo: Youtube.

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the Obama administration needs to stop finding Israel at fault for the massive wave of Palestinian terror attacks in the Jewish state.

The Florida senator wrote in a blog post that the Obama administration is “spreading malicious falsehoods” about the terror attacks. He criticized the administration’s spokespeople for continuously blaming “both sides” for the violence in Israel and portraying Israeli victims as somehow culpable. He also accused U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of lying during his address at Harvard University on Tuesday, when he linked the wave of terrorism in Israel to an increase in Israeli settlements.

“By lying about the true causes of the violence and falsely blaming the Israelis, Kerry brings dishonor on the United States,” Rubio wrote. “By providing a Palestinian leadership with cover for its support for terrorism, he rewards incitement.”

The presidential hopeful said he considers Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “no better” than Kerry. He called out the former secretary of state for what he asserted was her refusal to say the words “Palestinian terrorism,” and her failure to “identify those guilty of stabbing women and children.” Rubio believes Clinton “avoids criticizing those who for weeks have exhorted Palestinians to murder and wound Israeli civilians  —  namely, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, his Fatah Party, and Hamas.”

The Republican candidate said the U.S. must defend Israel’s right to combat terrorism, adding that the U.S.’s own rights depend on it. He explained: “History shows that the excuses for terror that are hurled at Israel today will be hurled at us tomorrow. Speaking the truth about Israel under siege is our first line of defense.”