Loading ...Where the Presidential Candidates Stand on Palestine and Israel
BY: Adrian Tafesh/Contributing Writer
A few months ago the Iran Nuclear Agreement was the U.S.-Israel policy issue that dominated the headlines, and was declared a barometer by which the public would judge candidates in the coming months. Well, a considerable amount has happened on the campaign trail since and the spotlight has largely fallen away from the nuclear deal.
Delinda C. Hanley, Executive Director and News Editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, expects that it will return to prominence in the general election. She seemed certain that the powerful lobbyists who were active during the Iran negotiations will continue to exert their influence, “they are going to keep it an issue in the campaign, they have a long memory.”Indeed Iran was mentioned persistently in last night’s debate but usually with a focus on regional military politics rather than the nuclear deal. Dale Sprusansky, Assistant Editor of Washington Report, believes that “the candidates have staked out their positions on Iran, and moved on to today’s Isis crisis”.
For now, the focus for many Arab Americans turns to the long-term position the candidates hold on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issue, especially as we draw closer to the primary elections. And as we get nearer to February, the Republican field refuses to whittle down despite very poor poll performance by the candidates outside of the top four. This includes the slow-burning collapse of the Bush campaign, once considered to be the frontrunner and now polling at less than five percent according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. However, what has been perceived by some, including CNN and the Washington Post, as a strong debate performance last night may be enough to pull him back into serious contention. The Democratic race remains a tense one between Clinton and Sanders, with Martin O’Malley nearly out of it. Here is where the highest polling candidates stand on the issue of Palestine/Israel:
Ted Cruz
Cruz was one of the only candidates to reference Israel in last night’s foreign policy debate, saying “You know whose view on Assad is the same as mine? Prime Minister Netanyahu.” He then went on to talk about the quagmire that Assad’s continued existence has put the Israeli government in. In the past, Ted Cruz has made his unabashed support for the Israeli right-wing quite clear, going so far as to blame Palestinians entirely for the failure of the peace process on his most recent trip to Israel, as reported by the Dallas Morning News. He also told the Jerusalem Post, “The question of settlements is a question for Israel as a sovereign nation to decide. I don’t believe an American president should be dictating to the nation of Israel where Israelis can choose to live. And the fact that Israelis choose to live in Judea and Samaria is not justification for terrorism or murder.”
Bernie Sanders
The candidate in the mix who is farthest to the left is also the only candidate who can be seen as having struck a balance on his support for a two-state solution. “Palestinians are entitled to a state of their own”, he said at a town hall meeting in August. “and the United States should do what it can to make sure that state has a strong economy. Israel is entitled to live in security.” Sanders was also among the many Democrats who did not attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to congress over the summer. In a field of candidates where the baseline opinion seems to be staunch support for Israel with little in the way of criticism, Sanders certainly provides a unique take. Although uniqueness must be measured relatively here as his position is only different from the other candidates running. In truth, his policy seems to line up exactly with both the Obama and Bush administration’s policies before him. Dale Sprusansky believes Sanders is likely to maintain a distance from the issue in general, “Bernie seems so focused on domestic policy, he’s most likely to steer clear.”
Donald Trump
Trump recently spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition, a group who’s Board of Directors includes Sheldon Adelson. He was criticized for remarks he had made to the AP about both the Palestinians and the Israelis not wanting peace enough. He was then later booed for not clarifying whether he believed that Jerusalem should be Israel’s capital, according to The Atlantic. However, it is clear that Trump is in line with Republican rhetoric. He called Obama “the worst thing that’s ever happened to Israel”, and assured that only he himself could broker a peace deal, after ensuring the crowd that “Israel has given a lot”.
Hillary Clinton
Clinton ranks among the most hawkish Israel-supporters in the field of candidates. Correctrecord.org is a Hillary website which exists as “a strategic research and rapid response team designed to defend Hillary Clinton from baseless attacks.” On it they claim the following: “Hillary Clinton has been a staunch supporter of Israel for her entire career…Hillary was an early supporter of Israel’s right to build a security barrier…Hillary joined Palestinian Media Watch in exposing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic biases in Palestinian schools.” And of Netanyahu she had this to say in her book, Hard Choices: “Despite our policy differences, Netanyahu and I worked together as partners and friends…But even when we disagreed, we maintained an unshakable commitment to the alliance between our countries.”
Marco Rubio
Rubio has been given a “minus 2” rating by the Arab American Institute, which indicates an Anti-Arab and Anti-Palestinian voting record. Among these votes were “Senate Resolution 138”, calling on the United Nations to rescind the Goldstone Report which accused the Israeli gov. of targeting Palestinian civilians. As well as, “S. Con. Resolution 23” which was against Israel returning occupied land and restoring 1967 borders. He has also spoken at length about his unwavering support for Netanyahu, and routinely pits him against Obama and Clinton.
Note: here is a fascinating recent Brookings Institute poll having to do with a number of Israel and Islam-related issues. https://www.arabamerica.com/american-attitudes-toward-the-middle-east-and-israel/