Hillary Clinton Attacks Trump During Aggressive AIPAC Speech
Hillary Clinton, during an appearance at the pro-Israel AIPAC conference today, took on Donald Trump and his Israel policy, calling Trump “dangerously wrong.” Without actually speaking Trump’s name, Clinton took aim at Trump, referring to him as a bully, and calling his proposed Israel policy an “abdication” to Middle Eastern dictators.
“America can never be neutral when it comes to Israel security or survival. [Candidates] who think America no longer has vital national interests at stake in this region are dangerously wrong,” Clinton said, alluding to Trump during her AIPAC speech today.
Donald Trump has outlined his Israel policy in the past, by suggesting that he would be a “neutral broker” between Israelis and Palestinians, a position that Hillary Clinton attacked today during her AIPAC speech – a position which is at odds with the Obama administration’s Israel strategy. Commentators on CNN suggested that Clinton attacked Trump today, but also attacked the Obama administration in her pro-Israel remarks.
“Some things aren’t negotiable, and anyone who doesn’t understand that has no business being our president,” Clinton said at AIPAC today.
Trump pre-empted the attacks this weekend on ABC’s This Week, backpedaling his previous Israel comments, and referring to himself as “pro-Israel,” stating “There is nobody more pro-Israel than I am.” Despite Trump’s claims to the contrary, he has attracted no end of criticism from movers and shakers within the AIPAC community, who view his “bigotry” as a potential danger to the fragile and tenuous relationships Israel has with other powers in the Middle East.
“Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Let us never be neutral or silent in the face of bigotry,” Clinton said today during her AIPAC speech.
USA Today reports that Hillary Clinton’s renewed attacks against Trump are a result of her campaign taking a “hard pivot” toward the general election, another example of the Clinton campaign’s presumed victory against competitor Bernie Sanders, who conceded the primary in Missouri just last week. Trump wasn’t the only target of Clinton’s aggressive AIPAC speech today, the Obama administration’s recent policies came into sharp focus as her speech went on.
“This [Iran] deal must come with vigorous enforcement, with clear consequences for any violations,” Hillary Clinton said during her AIPAC speech, criticizing the controversial Iran nuclear deal.
Donald Trump’s appearance at AIPAC wasn’t criticized by Clinton alone, a group of prominent Rabbis will be protesting the real estate billionaire’s speech when he takes the stage later this week, but some in the pro-Israel community have recently warmed up to Trump. Notably, Las Vegas magnate Sheldon Adelson has suggested that he may be willing to support a Trump presidential run, reports USA Today.
“You’ll get a glimpse of a potential US foreign policy that would insult our allies, not engage them, and embolden our adversaries, not defeat them,” Clinton concluded during her AIPAC speech, criticizing Trump’s proposed Middle East policies.
During his appearance this weekend, Donald Trump, doubled down on his pro-Israel stance, speaking to ABC’s This Week. Trump’s Israel support has garnered serious skepticism from the powerful pro-Israel lobby, but he attempted to clarify his positions.
“I’ll tell you what, I don’t know one Jewish person that doesn’t want to have a deal, a good deal, a proper deal, but a really good deal, [peace] is probably one of the toughest deals,” Donald Trump said this weekend on ABC’s This Week.
Still, Hillary Clinton’s AIPAC speech today was aggressive, uncompromising, and called for specific and necessary action in Israel.
“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 at AIPAC today.
[Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images]
