Washington (CNN)As most of the Republican presidential candidates made their first public appearance since the deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, they took different approaches in their reaction – from offering prayers to declaring the U.S.is “at war”. He criticized Obama for not using the term. “I believe we need a president who is not afraid to call this out for what it is: anti-Semitism”. Authorities still aren’t sure what that means, though, or whether it relates to motive in the attack.
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The Anti-Defamation League also came out with a statement Thursday, defending Trump’s comments amid the litany of criticism.
“Trump doesn’t want our money, therefore we can’t-” he continued, launching into an imagined dramatic inner monologue of what the audience must be thinking, “Even though he’s better than all these guys, even though he’s gonna do more for Israel than anybody else, even though Bibi Netanyahu asked me to do a commercial for him and I did and he won his race, I was very happy”.
But he added, “I don’t know that Israel has the commitment to make it”. “Don’t forget that he says these things as part of a campaign in which, certainly, he is funding himself but there are candidates who have many wealthy Jews supporting them and there is a kind of intra-Republican debate going on”.
“I don’t know that Israel has the commitment to make it, and I don’t know the other side has the commitment to make it”, Trump said.
“I’m a negotiator like you folks: We are negotiators”, said real estate mogul and Republican front runner Donald Trump, referencing his long-ago bestseller “The Art of the Deal”. The retired neurosurgeon has long drawn questions about whether he has sufficient foreign policy experience to serve in the White House and recently took a trip to Jordan to burnish his credentials on the topic. “Is there anybody that doesn’t re-negotiate deals in this room?” he asked. “You know, I’m leaving for Israel in a very short while”. “I don’t like to, as a deal-maker, give away a lot of cards”, he said.
On this religious, personal basis, Huckabee made clear his opposition to a two-state solution and said that Jerusalem must belong wholly to Israel.
He also drew boos from the crowd for refusing to pledge to keep Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, saying during a question-and-answer session he wanted “to wait until I meet with” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They want to know what’s in their hearts and guts on these weighty issues”.
While the forum was underway, the rival National Jewish Democratic Council tweeted out reminders that Jews overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. Graham said the Cruz vision would lead to a certain Republican loss in a general election against Democrats.
Cruz said while details about the shooting in the wake of the Paris attacks were “still unclear”, it raised concerns of “radical Islamic terrorism here at home”.
“This horrific murder underscores that we are at a time of war”.
The Obama administration has hinted that it would be willing to allow Palestinians to seek full statehood recognition at the United Nations if Israel appeared unwilling to seriously pursue peace talks.
The candidate’s campaign has been somewhat quiet, but he ended his speech with a Hebrew phrase that drew him thunderous applause.
The ultraconservative Texas senator got off a few lines at the coalition meeting, describing President Obama as “an apologist for radical Islamic terrorists” and promising to “rip the Iranian nuclear deal to shreds”.
“I’m leading in every single poll in every single state, in every single national poll”, he said.
Trump’s comments also fell flat among many Thursday’s crowd.
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Michael Leventoff, a NY businessman and member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said Trump questioning Israel’s commitment to the peace process is another example of him “just getting it wrong”.
