The Current Set of Republican Candidates are Slavishly Devoted to Israel
Jose Nino
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Thus far, Republican presidential candidates have manifested their full-fledged support for Israel in the wake of Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ attacks against Israel.
They have also criticized President Joe Biden’s policies in the Middle East. Former President Donald Trump said that if he were brought back to the White House he’d take forceful action by promising to retaliate overwhelmingly against enemy attacks.
“If you spill a drop of American blood, we spill a gallon of yours,” Trump declared at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas on October 28. “Joe Biden’s weakness caused the attack on Israel. His weakness provokes more death because as history shows evil only expects one thing: unyielding strength.”
The Jewish meeting brought together the top contenders for the GOP nomination as Israel’s war with Hamas has brought back foreign policy to the fore of public policy discussion.
Republican candidates have sought to attack the Biden regime, asserting his policies have strengthened Iran, which has reportedly backed Hamas.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized Biden’s policies with respect to Iran, calling for stiffer sanctions on the Iranian government to impede its proxies’ (Hezbollah, Shia militias in Iraq, Houthis in Yemen, etc.) ability to broaden the conflict in the region.
“I tell Joe Biden: stop playing footsie with Iran,” DeSantis stated. “Get tough on Iran, turn the screws on Iran, don’t give up oil revenues.”
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley expressed a similar view: “I’m glad Joe Biden is saying some of the right things. But his actions haven’t always matched his words. If you stand with Israel, you don’t cozy up to Iran.”
Iran’s proxies have launched a series of drone and rocket attacks on US military units in the Middle East, moves that the Biden regime has directly blamed Iran for. US forces responded in kind by launching strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria they alleged were used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and connected groups.
Republican candidates have also scuffled with each other following the Hamas attacks. Several of Trump’s Republican opponents rivals criticizing Trump’s comments about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his apparent praise of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for its astute political maneuvering.
Trump has tried to reassert his pro-Israel credentials by showcasing his policies as president and declaring he “fought for Israel like no president before.” He’s also promised to ban immigrants and travelers from Gaza from entering the country while also cracking down on pro-Palestine demonstrations if he makes a comeback to the White House.
The Biden regime has pressed for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza, which the Israeli government has been devastating it with retaliatory air strikes. Biden himself has stated that the US has taken precautionary measures to guarantee that the aid is not co-opted by Hamas. DeSantis and Haley have stated that humanitarian aid to Gaza will only strengthen Hamas when it’s all said and done.
Biden is currently looking for $106 billion in emergency spending for Israel, Ukraine, and other national security priorities and for allegedly bolstering security at the southern border. New House Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly said that the House will consider Israel aid but in a separate bill from Ukraine funding.
Overall, the GOP has an unhealthy obsession with Israel to the point that it’s clouding their better judgment. Israel is not a permanent ally of the US. Moreover, it has demonstrated behavior, such as spying on the US and selling US military technology to China, that makes allying with it a dangerous endeavor.
A real America First movement would recalibrate the US’s relations with Israel and stop sending military aid to it. From there, the US should have a normal relationship with it, just like it does with every other country.
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