Two Republican presidential contenders denounced President Barack Obama’s foreign policy toward Israel and promised to put the US back on sound footing with its ally, as they spoke Saturday in Las Vegas at the Republican Jewish Coalition 's annual meeting.
Senator Ted Cruz and former Governor Rick Perry, both from Texas, looked to shore up support among some of the country's most well-connected Jewish Republicans who are anxious to elect a president who could reverse what they see as a bottoming out of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
An opportunity for both of them to redouble their long-running appeals to some of the most prominent Jewish donors in the country, in particular 81-year-old Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire casino magnate who sits on the Republican Jewish Coalition board.
"One of the tremendous things about the Jewish people — in America and Israel we share that experience of a nation that was formed in the aftermath of the Holocaust to have a place ... for the Jewish people, that there would always be a homeland, that 'never again' would mean never again," Cruz said in his speech, drawing a long, loud standing ovation.
Cruz also ran through several examples of his support for Israel in Congress, stressing the bipartisan cooperation they took and unanimous or near-unanimous votes to which they led. He specifically mentioned his legislation to bar Iran's ambassador to the United States from entering America and his call for Secretary of State John Kerry to resign following his use of the term "apartheid state" while discussing Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Perry, meanwhile, discussed what he would do as president to rescue what he described as the United States' flagging relationship with Israel, often putting his proposals in the context of a worldwide fight against anti-Semitism. He advocated moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to west Jerusalem and pushed for more construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. And he said the next president should send defense systems to Poland, one of Israel's top allies in Europe, along with a combat brigade.
Both Texans evoked President Obama's emerging deal with Iran.Cruz brought the audience to its feet for vowing to do "everything humanly possibly to stop a bad Iran deal," while Perry riled the crowd with a declaration of distrust in Tehran.
"How in the hell are we supposed to trust Iran on a nuclear deal when they're sending weapons to the Houthis?" Perry nearly shouted, referring to the rebels in Yemen.
But despite the efforts of the two Texans to woo the Jewish audiencze, one Republican presidential candidate,Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, has emerged as the clear front-runner, according to Politico.
‘’In recent weeks, Sheldon Adelson, who spent 100 million dollars on the 2012 campaign and could easily match that figure in 2016, has told friends that he views the Florida senator, whose hawkish defense views and unwavering support for Israel align with his own, as a fresh face who is the future of the Republican Party, wrote Politico.
Meawhile, US Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday that the first F-35 fighter jets will be delivered to Israel next year, reiterating the special US-Israel bond.
Speaking at an Independence Day event hosted by Israel’s Embassy in Washington, Biden acknowledged the recent differences between the two country’s leaders over the nascent nuclear deal with Iran, saying that such issues are “only natural for two democracies like ours.” He nonetheless added, “But we love each other. And we protect each other.”
Biden went on to clarify that “Next year, we will deliver to Israel the F-35.”
In another sign that the recent dispute over Iran’s nuclear development will not do lasting damage to US relations with Israel, the US Deputy National Security Adviser, Ben Rhodes told Israeli television yesterday that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to soon receive an invitation to the White House. Rhodes said, “We’d expect that once there’s an Israeli government formed, that there will certainly be occasion for the two of them (Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama) to meet in Washington going forward.”