United States: Republican Party candidates, led by Trump, express their support for Israel

 

Republican candidates vying for their party's nomination for the White House expressed their support for Israel to donors who attended a weekend Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas amid the conflict in Gaza. Among them, former President Donald Trump strongly expressed his support for Tel Aviv at a time when it faces increasing criticism from human rights groups over its intense bombing of densely populated Gaza.

The contenders vying for the Republican Party nomination in the US presidential election, most notably front-runner Donald Trump, expressed their unwavering support for Israel in fighting the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), during their speeches on Saturday to major Jewish donors in Las Vegas as part of their election campaigns.

The annual event, where candidates traditionally seek financial support, holds special significance this year for the American Jewish community, which was shocked by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,400 people.

A donor meeting held by the Republican Jewish Coalition earlier in the week has taken on increased importance as Israel prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza in response to a surprise Hamas attack on October 7, according to Israeli authorities, that killed more than 1,400 people. Gaza health authorities reported that more than 7,000 Palestinians were killed in retaliatory Israeli air strikes.

Support for Israel remains a hallmark of US Republican Party politics. Yet, some 1,500 donors gathered in Las Vegas were searching for clearer expressions of commitment at a time when Israel has faced growing criticism from human rights groups over its air strikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip.

Amid enthusiastic cheers, Trump said: "The United States will stand with Israel 100% - without hesitation, without conditions, without any apology. And we will not apologize." He then added that he would impose sanctions on Iran and limit pro-Palestinian protests at American universities.

Trump said: If one drop of American blood is shed, we will shed a gallon of your blood.

Candidate Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and a foreign policy hawk in her election campaign criticized the isolationist trend in the Republican Party. She pointed to the lukewarm support shown by some for Ukraine during its war with Russia.

"Mark my words: Those who abandon Ukraine today are likely to abandon Israel tomorrow," said Haley, who is competing with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to become Trump's primary alternative.

Haley significantly escalated her criticism of Trump, during whose term she served as US ambassador to the United Nations.

She stated: “We all know what Trump did in the past. The question is: What will he do in the future? We cannot afford four years of chaos, revenge, and drama.”

While DeSantis did not directly target Trump, he also pledged his support for Israel. DeSantis said: “Israel values life, while Hamas sanctifies death.”

The most prominent event was former Vice President Mike Pence's announcement of the end of his financially faltering presidential campaign. Pence did not endorse any of the other candidates.

While many Republican donors oppose Trump and seek an alternative, DeSantis and Haley are having difficulty convincing them to fund their campaigns. Trump, backed by smaller financiers, is the favorite to win the Republican nomination in the primaries that begin in Iowa on January 15.

“In 2020, we raised and spent more than $10 million to help Trump secure the largest share of the Jewish vote in history, and we plan to do so,” Matt Brooks, CEO of the Washington-based Republican Jewish Coalition, told Reuters in an interview. “The same, if not more so, with our candidate moving forward.”

Brooks said coalition donors separately spent $50 million to $60 million on the 2020 election cycle.