Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won Tuesday’s The New Hampshire primary, followed by former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. Both Sanders and Buttigieg won nine delegates, Klobuchar won six.
All three leading Democratic candidates have opposed President Donald Trump’s peace plan, but of the three, Senator Klobuchar is fully supportive of US military aid to Israel, regardless of her belief in the two-state solution. In a January 15 interview with the NY Times, she stressed her vote “for funding for Israel security. I still think that they are in a really tough neighborhood in a really dangerous position. And made worse by what Trump just did with Syria (his withdrawal of US troops) because now Iran has a foothold there.”
On November 13, 2019, Klobuchar tweeted: “Rocket attacks on Israel continue. My thoughts are with those living in fear and terror because of these attacks. The United States must continue to support Israel’s security.”
On September 25, 2019, a Klobuchar campaign spokesperson told VICE: “As President, Senator Klobuchar will get back to a meaningful peace process that combines—not separates—the political and economic tracks, has buy-in from Israelis, Palestinians, and the Arab world, and ultimately leads to direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians themselves that can lead to a two-state solution.”
In short, Klobuchar’s position on Israel is the traditional, Moderate-Democrat position of President Clinton’s administration.
See the Jewish Virtual Library’s Views on Israel of U.S. Presidential Candidates 2020:
Amy Klobuchar.
Buttigieg, who boycotted last year’s AIPAC conference, has said: “There is ample room for respectful disagreement and debate around the policies of the Israeli government, just as we encourage vigorous debate about policy of our US government. I have not hesitated to express my disagreement with right-wing political figures in Israel to the extent that their statements and policies are inconsistent with longstanding US policy and have undermined the prospects for achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as threats of annexation. Israel is an essential ally for America and, as I have said before, when we have disagreements, it is incumbent upon us to put our arm around our ally, as one would do with a friend, and offer wise and honest counsel.”
One can already feel that arm around Israel’s back…
See the Jewish Virtual Library’s Views on Israel of U.S. Presidential Candidates 2020:
Pete Buttigieg.
Speaking during the fifth Democratic debate last december, Sanders said, “Israel has — and I say this as somebody who lived in Israel as a kid, proudly Jewish – Israel has the right to exist, not only to exist but to exist in peace and security. But what US foreign policy must be about is not just being pro-Israel. We must be pro-Palestinian as well.
“We must understand that right now in Israel we have leadership under Netanyahu, who has recently, as you know, been indicted for bribery, who, in my view, is a racist. What we need is a level playing field in terms of the Middle East, which addresses the terrible crisis in Gaza, where 60 percent or 70% of the young people are unemployed.”
See the Jewish Virtual Library’s Views on Israel of U.S. Presidential Candidates 2020:
Bernie Sanders.
