1 of 3 | Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton denounced Republican rival Donald Trump's stance on United States-Israel relations at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
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WASHINGTON, March 21 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton took direct aim at Republican rival Donald Trump's stance on United States-Israel relations, saying the U.S. cannot be "neutral" in Israel's peace talks as the business mogul has suggested.
Clinton, speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, took several thinly veiled swipes at Trump, who is scheduled to speak to the pro-Israel lobby Monday evening. Without naming Trump, Clinton implied Trump's views on Israel is "dangerously wrong" and said the next president must fully support Israel.
In February, Trump said he'd be "sort of a neutral guy" in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, a marked departure from most Republican and Democratic rivals who pledge unyielding support to Israel. Trump later said he was pro-Israel and only referenced neutrality to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The next president will sit down at that desk and start making decisions that will affect both the lives and livelihoods of every American and the security of our friends around the world. So we have to get this right," Clinton said. "Candidates for president who think the United States can outsource Middle East security to dictators or that America no longer has vital national interests at stake in this region are dangerously wrong."
The conference in Washington, D.C., with some 18,000 attendees, marks the first time both candidates will address the same group, offering a glimpse into the possible general election battle.
"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. "Israel's security is non-negotiable."
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus blasted Clinton's comments as an "attempt to whitewash a record of undermining Israel's interests when she was secretary of state."
"As the chief architect of the Obama administration's foreign policy, her support for policies like the disastrous Iran nuclear deal and her boasting of being called the Obama administration's 'designated yeller' for Israel calls into question her commitment to our closest ally in the world's most tumultuous region," he said on Facebook. "One speech cannot mask her fervent criticism of Israeli policy which has eroded diplomatic relations and left our ally further isolated and under threat. Only a Republican president will reverse this administration's break with Israel and renew a steadfast commitment which has characterized American foreign policy for decade."
Republicans Ted Cruz and John Kasich are expected to address the conference later Monday, but Trump's address is bound to draw the most attention not just because of his comments on Israel but also his anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant comments.
