(1) Hillary criticizes Trump's neutral stance on Israel (2) Trump grovels to AIPAC, abandons Neutrality on Israel (3) Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Vow to Protect Israel but Differ on Means (4) Trump reads from prepared speech at AIPAC; Sanders did not attend (5) Trump no longer 'neutral' on Israel (1) Hillary criticizes Trump's neutral stance on Israel http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-idUSKCN0WN1NS  Mon Mar 21, 2016 1:55pm EDT Clinton criticizes Trump's neutral stance on Israel peace efforts WASHINGTON | By Steve Holland and Emily Flitter Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Conference's morning general session at the Verizon Center in Washington March 21, 2016. Reuters/Joshua Roberts Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton attacked Republican Donald Trump on Monday for taking a neutral stance toward Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, in a preview of a possible general election battle between them. On a day Trump was visiting Washington, Clinton told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference that Trump would undermine Israel's security by taking an evenhanded approach to negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. "America can't ever be neutral when it comes to Israel's security and survival," Clinton told the pro-Israel lobbying group, without mentioning Trump by name. "Anyone who doesn’t understand that has no business being our president." Trump, the Republican front-runner, was to address the AIPAC conference later in the day, along with his Republican rivals, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich. Clinton's Democratic challenger, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, was not appearing at the event. The former reality TV star, who has struggled to win Republican establishment support, held private talks with a group of Republican lawmakers. In a separate session with the Washington Post editorial board, Trump named some members of his foreign policy team. The team included Walid Phares, who Trump called a counterterrorism expert, George Papadopoulos, an oil and energy consultant, and Joe Schmitz, a former inspector general at the Department of Defense. Trump has drawn fire for his position on Middle East peace negotiations. The New York billionaire has described himself as extremely pro-Israel but has said he would take a "neutral" stance in trying to negotiate an elusive peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. Trump's critics have said he could harm long-standing U.S. support for Israel. Clinton said she would make it a priority if elected to preserve the U.S.-Israeli relationship, ensuring Israel has a qualitative military edge. "We need steady hands, not a president who says he’s neutral on Monday, pro-Israel on Tuesday, and who-knows-what on Wednesday because everything’s negotiable," she said. Clinton, a former secretary of state, also took aim at Trump's vow that, if elected, he would deport illegal immigrants and bar Muslims temporarily from entering the United States. She noted an incident during the 1930s, when the United States initially refused entry to a shipload of Jews trying to escape Nazi tyranny. "We've had dark chapters in our history before," Clinton said. "We remember the nearly 1,000 Jews aboard the St. Louis who were refused entry in 1939 and sent back to Europe. But America should be better than this. And I believe it is our responsibility to say so. "If you see bigotry, oppose it, if you see violence, condemn it, if you see a bully, stand up to him," she said. Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the New York-based organization representing roughly 1.5 million American Jews, praised Clinton for her command of the issues. He said he hoped Trump had prepared a speech that revealed specific policy goals as well as a coherent philosophy of the U.S. role in the Middle East. "It's as complex as neurosurgery," he said. "I will be listening very carefully to what he says and what he doesn't say. Can he put forward a very clear set of commitments that will help us understand him?" Trump was in Washington for closed-door talks with a variety of Republicans organized by his top backer in the capital, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. It represented his most overt bid yet to seek party unity at a time when many establishment Republicans bitterly oppose him. The meeting, at the law offices of Jones Day, included some Republican lawmakers who have backed him, such as U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers of North Carolina. None of the congressional Republican leadership attended. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich attended. "Donald Trump Is being discounted by the elites as a candidate for office, just like I was in 2010," Ellmers said in a statement. Trump also planned a news conference at the hotel he is building at the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump's rise has alarmed establishment Republicans who have tried in vain to stop him. Their best hope of derailing his insurgent candidacy is to stretch the contest out and deny him the 1,237 delegates needed to formally win the party's presidential nomination. Trump has 678 delegates to 423 for Cruz and 143 for Kasich, according to the Associated Press. If Trump does not win the 1,237 delegates, the nominee for the Nov. 8 election would be decided at the party's convention in Cleveland. Despite the possibility of turmoil at the July 18-21 event, Republican Party Committee Chairman Reince Preibus predicted a "fun" convention. Priebus, on CNN, shrugged off Trump's comment last week that riots would break out if he is denied the nomination. "It'll be fine, and I guarantee you we'll have a good time, and it'll be a fun convention in Cleveland," Priebus said. (Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Mohammed Zargham, Susan Cornwell, David Morgan and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) (2) Trump grovels to AIPAC, abandons Neutrality on Israel http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/03/21/trumps-five-most-important-declarations-at-aipac-speech/ Trump’s Five Most Important Declarations At AIPAC Speech by Aaron Klein21 Mar 2016773 TEL AVIV – Here are the five most important aspects of Donald Trump’s speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, on Monday. 1 – Trump said he will "dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran."     My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran. I have been in business a long time. I know deal-making and let me tell you, this deal is catastrophic – for America, for Israel, and for the whole Middle East. However, he stopped short of pledging to immediately nix the international nuclear accord signed in Vienna last year. He stated at AIPAC that "at the very least, we must hold Iran accountable by restructuring the terms of the previous deal." Channelling the sentiments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Iran should suffer immediate consequences for likely violating U.N. Security Council resolution 2231 by conducting a series of ballistic missile tests in recent days. Netanyahu last week called for Western powers to take "immediate punitive steps" against Iran for the missile tests. Trump stated:     The deal is silent on test missiles but those tests DO violate UN Security Council Resolutions. The problem is, no one has done anything about it. Which brings me to my next point – the utter weakness and incompetence of the United Nations. 2 – Trump declared he will check Iran’s growing regional dominance. The GOP frontrunner affirmed that as president he will "stand up to Iran’s aggressive push to destabilize and dominate the region." He outlined Iran’s support for terrorism worldwide, from Syria to the Gaza Strip to Lebanon and beyond. "They’ve got terror cells everywhere, including in the western hemisphere very close to home," he said. "Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism around the world and we will work to dismantle that reach." This policy of countering Iran’s regional influence stands in stark contrast to President Obama’s own coddling of Iran, and the president’s orientation away from America’s traditional Sunni Arab allies. 3 – Trump said he opposes the United Nations unilaterally declaring a Palestinian state.     An agreement imposed by the UN would be a total and complete disaster. The United States must oppose this resolution and use the power of our veto. Why? Because that’s not how you make a deal.     Deals are made when parties come to the table and negotiate. Each side must give up something it values in exchange for something it requires. A deal that imposes conditions on Israel and the Palestinian Authority will do nothing to bring peace. It will only further delegitimize Israel and it would reward Palestinian terrorism, because every day they are stabbing Israelis – and even Americans. He further threatened to veto "any attempt by the UN to impose its will on the Jewish state." 4 – Trump vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.     We will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem – and we will send a clear signal that there is no daylight between America and our most reliable ally, the state of Israel. 5 – Trump will treat Israel like an ally and not a "second-class citizen."     When I become President, the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on Day One. I will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately. I have known him for many years and we will be able to work closely together to help bring stability and peace to Israel and to the entire region. While this declaration may sound simplistic, it comes after seven years of Obama espousing policies some have argued are hostile to the Jewish state. And it comes on the heels of a turbulent relationship between Obama and Netanyahu, including a notorious May 2010 White House meeting in which Obama reportedly snubbed Netanyahu for dinner with Michelle and his daughters. Also, the Obama administration faced accusations it encouraged the activism of nongovernmental organizations working to defeat Netanyahu in the 2015 elections in Israel. Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, "Aaron Klein Investigative Radio." Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook. (3) Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Vow to Protect Israel but Differ on Means http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/us/politics/hillary-clinton-and-donald-trump-vow-to-protect-israel-but-differ-on-means.html By MARK LANDLER and MAGGIE HABERMANMARCH 21, 2016 WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump on Monday presented sharply different views on how the United States should deal with the Middle East and its relationship with Israel, previewing for an influential pro-Israel audience a debate on foreign policy that could play out this fall if they face each other in the general election. Mrs. Clinton promised she would stand unwaveringly with Israel while accusing her potential Republican rival, Mr. Trump, of being an unreliable partner for one of America’s closest allies. "We need steady hands," she said, "not a president who says he’s neutral on Monday, pro-Israel on Tuesday, and who-knows-what on Wednesday." Speaking to the same audience hours later, Mr. Trump swore his fealty to Israel and condemned President Obama’s policies. But Mr. Trump, who describes himself as a "master counterpuncher," declined to answer Mrs. Clinton’s criticisms, offering a standard appeal to a pro-Israel audience. "When I become president," he said, "the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on Day 1." Mr. Trump’s remarks, which came after he had sent a series of conflicting signals about Israel on the campaign trail in recent weeks, drew less sustained applause than Mrs. Clinton’s from the crowd of 18,000 people assembled by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the nation’s most influential pro-Israel lobbying group. The competing speeches not only made for rich political theater, but they also vaulted the presidential campaign into a new phase, in which Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton seemed to be turning from their primary battles to the general election. And they thrust America’s complicated relationship with Israel to the forefront of the campaign. Mrs. Clinton, the former secretary of state and the Democratic front-runner, wasted no time taking aim at Mr. Trump for declaring recently that he would be "neutral" when it came to negotiating a peace accord between the Israelis and Palestinians. While Mr. Trump’s remark did not stray far from traditional American policy, his blunt language rattled some in Israel, who worry that it might portend a less supportive United States. "America can’t ever be neutral when it comes to Israel’s security and survival," Mrs. Clinton declared. "My friends, Israel’s security is nonnegotiable." Mrs. Clinton offered a thunderous affirmation of American solidarity with Israel, with promises to buttress Israel’s military, combat anti-Semitism, press Iran to abide by its nuclear agreement with the West, crack down on Iranian proxies like Hezbollah and thwart efforts to boycott Israeli products. "We must repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate and impugn Israel and the Jewish people," she said. Mrs. Clinton also played up her credentials to be commander in chief and accused the Republican candidates of lacking either the experience or the will to extend American leadership in the Middle East. "We have to get this right," she said. Mr. Trump, ahead in the Republican race but opposed by many parts of the party, focused heavily on Iran, promising to dismantle the nuclear deal negotiated by Mr. Obama, thwart what he described as Iran’s efforts to destabilize the Middle East and punish Iran for testing ballistic missiles. "Nobody has done anything about it," he said to cheers. "We will. We will." Mr. Trump’s aides released text of the prepared remarks he used, something he almost never does on the campaign trail. They contained one tempered reference to Mrs. Clinton, but he ad-libbed another: "Hillary Clinton, who is a total disaster by the way, she and President Obama have treated Israel very, very badly," he said. But he raised eyebrows in the audience at the Verizon Center when he referred repeatedly to Palestine. Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who spoke after Mr. Trump, noted pointedly that "Palestine has not existed since 1948." [...] (4) Trump reads from prepared speech at AIPAC; Sanders did not attend http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/21/donald-trump-israel-aipac-hillary-clinton Trump tries his hand at foreign policy in speech to skeptical Aipac crowd Republican makes pledges to Israel in first foreign policy speech of election but gets mixed reaction after branding Hillary Clinton a ‘disaster’ as secretary of state Ben Jacobs and David Smith in Washington Tuesday 22 March 2016 11.43 AEDT Last modified on Tuesday 22 March 2016 12.03 AEDT Donald Trump vowed to stand with Israel and branded Hillary Clinton a "disaster" as he delivered the first detailed foreign policy speech of his presidential campaign. Sounding noticeably stilted, he read from a teleprompter and almost stuck to a script for the first time in his campaign during Monday night’s high stakes appearance at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). As the Republican frontrunner took the stage, he announced: "I didn’t come here to pander." And, of course, Trump then did precisely that, offering few policy specifics but instead delivering a series of pro-Israel bromides to a skeptical crowd, spiced with occasional attacks on Barack Obama. He received a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd at the Verizon Center as he branded Clinton a "total disaster" as secretary of state. Trump has previously earned criticism for suggesting he would be "sort of a neutral guy" on Israel and seek to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, describing himself as best placed to make "probably the toughest deal in the world right now". However, on Monday, in front of an influential and passionately Zionist audience, Trump tried to demonstrate his foreign policy chops and stand out in a field where he is the only candidate without Washington experience. He urged support for moving the US embassy to Jerusalem in a policy shift and demonstrated his credentials as a lifelong supporter of Israel, bragging about having once "taken the risk" to serve as grand marshal of New York’s Israel Day parade in 2004. Trump railed against the Iran deal that the Obama administration reached. He argued that he would both "restructure" and "dismantle" it, while also condemning the United Nations as "not a friend of democracy". The billionaire also claimed his deal-making ability would somehow help Israel and the Palestinians reach a peace accord. Trump, though, repeatedly referred to Palestine, which is not a country, and set himself up for an immediate riposte from Ted Cruz who immediately noted "Palestine has not existed since 1948" after taking the stage. Trump’s speech came shortly after the Republican frontrunner questioned the need for Nato and suggested that the US does not benefit from its involvement in east Asia in an interview with the Washington Post’s editorial board. Democratic congressman Brad Sherman, a stalwart supporter of the US-Israel alliance, said Trump "did sing some of the greatest hits of Aipac, he may have sang them a bit off key but he sang them with enthusiasm and he’s a great stadium performer." He noted: "This is not a room where you want to play acoustic. He brought his electric guitar, he brought his amps." In contrast, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton used her Aipac speech earlier in the day to go went after Trump. Without mentioning him by name, the former secretary of state left little doubt that she was challenging Trump’s qualifications to be commander-in-chief, portraying him as dangerously malleable and lacking firm convictions. Hillary Clinton to Aipac: Trump is dangerous for the security of Israel [...] The only remaining presidential candidate not to attend, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, instead expressed his support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians at a campaign stop in Utah. Sanders, who couldn’t appear remotely at Aipac, told attendees in Utah. "We as a nation are committed not just to guaranteeing Israel’s survival but also making sure it’s people have a right to live in peace and security." Sanders did criticize what he thought was Israel’s "disproportional response" to rocket launches and terrorist attacks from Hamas-occupied Gaza. (5) Trump no longer 'neutral' on Israel http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/03/candidates-israel-trump-clinton-cruz-aipac-iran.html WASHINGTON, DC — Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls competed March 21 to prove who is more pro-Israel at the annual convention of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in a show of political correctness that extended even to real estate magnate Donald Trump. Author Barbara Slavin Posted March 22, 2016 Trump, the Republican front-runner who has raised eyebrows in debates and interviews by asserting that he would be "neutral" in peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians and questioning US aid to the Jewish state, executed a 180-degree turn as he delivered what appeared to be his first prepared campaign speech before an enthusiastic crowd of 18,000 at a Washington sports arena. After asserting, "I didn’t come to pander," he ran through a series of positions that closely follow the policies of the current Israeli government on Iran, the Palestinians and recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He also vowed to "totally disband Iran’s global terrorist network" without defining it or specifying how he would accomplish that goal. Trump asserted that he was a "lifelong supporter and true friend of Israel," but the evidence he cited was thin. Trump said he lent his private plane to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to visit Israel after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and was grand marshal in the 2004 Israel Day parade in New York City. "Many people turned down this honor," Trump said, adding, "I took the risk and I’m glad that I did," although failing to explain what was risky about walking down Fifth Avenue in a city with a large Jewish population. On the Palestinian issue, Trump said, "To make a great deal, you need two willing participants," noting that Palestinians had turned down three prior Israeli and American offers. "The days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end from day one," should he be elected, Trump said. Trump, who has previously said he would keep the recently implemented nuclear agreement with Iran but "police that contract so tough that [the Iranians] don’t have a chance," hardened his position before AIPAC. He called the deal "catastrophic for America, Israel and the whole of the Middle East," and stated, "My first priority is to dismantle this disastrous deal on Iran." Along with fellow Republican contenders John Kasich and Ted Cruz, Trump vowed to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a "clear signal that there is no daylight between America and our most reliable ally." US candidates have frequently made this pledge, but no president has carried it out for fear of prejudicing peace talks in which the final status of Jerusalem would be a key issue. Cruz, a senator from Texas, noted that point and said that unlike other candidates, "I will do it," if elected president. Cruz has repeatedly said that he would tear up the Iran nuclear deal on the first day of his presidency. He warned the Islamic Republic to "shut down your nuclear program or we will shut it down for you." He added that if Iran were to conduct another ballistic missile test on his watch, "We will shoot that missile down." Kasich said he would suspend the nuclear deal because of the missile launches, although they do not violate the nuclear accord. Democrat Hillary Clinton, who began back channel talks with Iran when she was secretary of state, defended the nuclear agreement while blasting what she called "Iran’s aggression across the region." She promised to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, "with force if necessary," and to respond with more sanctions to the missile launches, which she called a "serious danger" that "demands a serious response." Clinton, who spoke in the morning, hours before the Republicans, gave a pre-rebuttal of her GOP rivals. "Tonight you will hear a lot of rhetoric from other candidates about Iran, but there’s a big difference between talking about holding Iran accountable and actually doing it," she said. "Our next president has to be able to hold together our global coalition and impose real consequences for even the smallest violations of this agreement." However, Clinton agreed with the Republicans that the United States should oppose any attempt by outside parties, including the UN Security Council, to impose a territorial compromise on Israel. Trump said he would veto such a resolution "100%" while Cruz said he would "fly to New York to personally veto it myself." All the candidates condemned Palestinian leaders for implicitly inciting attacks on Israeli civilians by glorifying dead Palestinian assailants as martyrs. Speaking two days before Jews celebrate Purim, a holiday that celebrates Jewish survival during the reign of a hostile Persian king, Clinton invoked both the biblical Queen Esther and modern Israel’s only female prime minister as apparent role models. "Some of us remember a woman, Golda Meir, leading Israel’s government decades ago and wonder what’s taking us so long here in America," Clinton said to laughter and applause. Clinton devoted much of her speech to skewering Trump without using his name. Over and over, she said that no responsible American politician could be "neutral" when it comes to Israel’s security. "We need steady hands, not a president who says he’s neutral on Monday, pro-Israel on Tuesday and who knows what on Wednesday, because everything’s negotiable," Clinton said. "Well, my friends, Israel’s security is non-negotiable." Clinton also inveighed against bigotry in a clear reference to Trump’s remarks against Muslims and Mexicans and seeming willingness to accept support from white supremacist groups. She reminded the audience of 1939, when a ship carrying 1,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany was denied entry to the United States and sent back to Europe. "Americans should be better than this," Clinton said. "If you see a bully, stand up to him." J Street, a rival Jewish organization to AIPAC, also criticized Trump in a statement. "Sadly, Mr. Trump’s campaign to date, characterized as it has been by outrageous and alarming attacks on immigrants, Hispanics, women and other groups as well as his call for a total ban on Muslims entering the United States, runs diametrically counter to the values J Street espouses," the statement said. A group of 40 rabbis boycotted Trump’s speech and decried the racial and ethnic hatred stirred up by the New Yorker’s campaign. The Anti-Defamation League did so as well and announced that it was "redirecting" donations from Trump to anti-bullying and anti-discrimination efforts. All the candidates got rousing receptions from the AIPAC audience. While about 200 people demonstrated against Trump outside the conference, there were no visible protests inside the arena, where security was tight. Clinton’s sole competitor for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, skipped the AIPAC meeting so he could campaign in western states that hold primaries March 22. He outlined his views on the Middle East in a lengthy statement. The only Jewish candidate in the race, Sanders, who spent time on an Israeli kibbutz in his youth, said that "real friendship" with Israel requires friends "to speak the truth as we see it … especially in difficult times." He promised to "work tirelessly to advance the cause of peace" not only by being a friend to Israel, "but to the Palestinian people, where in Gaza, they suffer from an unemployment rate of 44% — the highest in the world — and a poverty rate nearly equal to that." On Iran, he expressed support for the nuclear deal but added, "If Iran does not live up to the agreement, we should re-impose sanctions and all options are back on the table." Sanders was the only candidate to mention Iran’s recent elections, which he called "a small step in the right direction," saying, "I was heartened by the results of the recent parliamentary elections in which Iranian voters elected moderates in what was, in part, a referendum on the nuclear deal." Sanders was also alone among the contenders in suggesting "a more balanced approach toward Iran" in regional diplomacy. "We have serious concerns about the nature of the Iranian government," he said, "but we have to be honest enough to say that Saudi Arabia — a repressive regime in its own right — is hardly an example of Jeffersonian democracy." -- Peter Myers Australia website: http://mailstar.net/index.html |
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