Trump To Jewish Republicans: ‘I’m A Negotiator Like You Folks’

He said that making such an assertion would remove his ability to negotiate a deal between the Palestinians and Israel if he becomes president.

– “I think you as business people will feel pretty good about this, and respect it”, he said, about how relatively little he was spending on his campaign. Graham asked. Referring to the common phenomenon of American-born citizens with parents in the US illegally, Graham asked, “Is the Marine Corps American citizen going to vote for a party that’s going to deport his mother?”

The Republican Jewish Coalition, which claims more than 40,000 members in 45 chapters nationwide, will also hear from Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, two candidates who are moving up in GOP polls. “I don’t know if Israel has the commitment to make it”, he said.

“Some in our own party actually call for more sacrifice from the Israeli people”, he said.

Later in the morning came GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, who said that Israel was a priority for him, but that those in the audience, who he called “negotiators”, like him, probably would not support him because he does not take campaign donations. He was loudly booed when he refused to say whether he supports Israel’s position that Jerusalem is its undivided capital.

“I don’t believe that gun control is going to fix this”, he said. Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino mogul and GOP mega-donor, wasn’t in attendance on Thursday, but the influential Jewish Republican is deciding whether to use his considerable wealth to support Rubio or Cruz. Trump even sent Adelson a booklet of photos of himself winning an award at the Algemeiner Jewish 100 dinner in February. But for Trump to note this truth and to stray from the Israeli government’s narrative that it wants peace but doesn’t have a willing partner was anathema in the room in which he was speaking.

The New York Times reported some of the comments were met with displeased silence, with the most tense moment coming when Trump seemed to imply that the status of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital should be up for bargaining. It would a great thing for both sides if a real deal could be made. Fundraising records show that supporters have handed over $4 million, enough to cover his presidential efforts in recent months.

“Last night, I was watching Schindler’s List”, he said.

Trump praised Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and criticized the nuclear deal with Iran, and he got a laugh out of the crowd when he said, “Look, I’m a negotiator like you folks; we’re negotiators”.

“No President of the United States should pressure Israel to give up land God gave them the original deed to”, he said. “In one worldwide forum after another, Israel is attacked by despotic regimes and even free nations throughout Europe that should know better given their histories”, Rubio complained, accusing both Obama and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton of “taking the past of least resistance” and “throw[ing] up hands and say[ing] in essence “not our problem”.

In the face of such criticism, authorities had earlier suggested that some of the suspects may be now held under Israel’s controversial administrative detention policy, under which they can be held without trial for six-month renewable periods.

The rest of his answer, about a planned post-Christmas trip to Israel, was interrupted by scattered jeering.

Nickolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said Wednesday that the lack of charges was troubling. At the same time, he added that he didn’t know “if Israel has the commitment to make [a deal with the Palestinians]” or “if the other side has the commitment to make it”. Later, he asserted that the audience wasn’t going to support him “because I don’t want your money”.