Cruz chides Trump for ‘Palestine’ references as they vie for pro-Israel support

ed note–for the record, as disgusting as it was and as nauseating as it was to endure, there were no surprises with Trump’s speech to AIPAC. I predicted that he would go up there and do his political dance of the 7 veils and he did, although I was somewhat surprised about the ‘Jerusalem eternal capital’ biz..

One thing that seems to have escaped the notice of otherwise seasoned political watchers was his use of the word ‘Palestine’ 3 times.

Not ‘Palestinians’, but ‘Palestine’, in the present tense, as a political/geographical entity, as well as referencing that it will be the US that will ‘impose’ a peace deal.

In other words, what Trump said last night, when saying the word ‘Palestine’ 3 times, was that as far as he and his future administration are concerned, the entire ‘Greater I$rael’ dream is over, dead in the water, kaput, finito, and that the US will be the one to make it happen.

The entire mission behind last night’s speech was to neutralize the Judaic black magic being used against him in the media with the whole ‘Hitler’ thing and he achieved it. How far are they going to go now trying to rouse the rabble against him as a ‘Jew-hater’ when just said all the right stuff last night at the most Jewish of gatherings.

trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com

WASHINGTON – Ted Cruz and Donald Trump courted support at an influential pro-Israel gathering on Monday, with Cruz showing an easy familiarity and Trump trying – awkwardly, at times – to tamp down lingering doubts about his policies.

Cruz took head-on Trump’s vow of neutrality in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, a distressing stance for many supporters of the Jewish state.

Trump wove references to “Palestine” throughout his own speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee gathering, suggesting an embrace of a two-state solution that hasn’t been hammered out and handing the senator another huge opening to exploit.

“Perhaps to the surprise of the previous speaker, Palestine has not existed since 1948,” Cruz said as he took the stage, chiding the front-runner and provoking cheers from the 18,000 or so people filling the Verizon Center.

He quickly pivoted to Trump’s commitment to neutrality, a point he routinely makes in campaign appearances.

“Let me be very, very clear. As president I will not be neutral. America will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel,” Cruz said.

The Texan’s hard-line support for Israel made him a crowd favorite at the arena, home of the NBA Wizards. But Trump, too, enjoyed a warm welcome, despite his missteps.

Like Cruz, he talked tough on Iran. He never directly repudiated his neutrality stance. He did expand on his thinking to reassure pro-Israel activists.

“The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable,” he said. “President Obama thinks that applying pressure to Israel will force the issue, but it’s precisely the opposite…. What President Obama gets wrong about deal making is that he constantly applies pressure to our friends and rewards our enemies.”

Trump called himself “a lifelong supporter and true friend of Israel. I am a newcomer to politics but not to backing the Jewish state.”

Outside the arena, protesters held anti-Trump signs and chanted slogans denouncing the billionaire builder. Threats of a mass walkout never materialized, though. Trump emphasized that he’s the GOP front-runner, reminding the crowd they may have no choice but to work with him. And he won applause repeatedly, despite any misgivings among those seeking a more steadfast ally.

“My No. 1 priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran….I know deal-making and let me tell you, this deal is catastrophic – for America, for Israel, and for the whole Middle East,” Trump said. “When I become President, the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on Day One. And when I say something I mean it.”

He denounced Palestinians for making heroes of those who murder Jews, indoctrinating their children.

“You have rampant incitement and children being taught to hate Israel and to hate the Jews. It has to stop,” he said. “There is no moral equivalency. Israel does not name public squares after terrorists. Israel does not pay its children to stab random Palestinians.”

And Trump played on family ties to bond with the AIPAC crowd.

“My daughter Ivanka is about to have a beautiful Jewish baby. … It could be happening right now,” he said.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich talked of support for the Iron Dome missile defense system, vowed to cut off financial flows to Hamas, and called Jerusalem the “eternal capital” of Israel – all winning lines at AIPAC.

“I remain unwavering in my support for the Jewish state,” Kasich said. “My support for our strategic partner Israel has been strong and unwavering for 35 years.”

Unlike Cruz and Trump, Kasich has not promised to shred the Iran nuclear deal on his first day as president, but on Monday, he took a tough line, saying he would suspend that deal immediate, in response to Iran’s recent ballistic missile test.

“In a Kasich administration there will be no more delusional agreements with self-declared enemies. No more,” he said.