Trump tells Jewish group that, like ‘you folks,’ he’s a negotiator

Trump wasn’t the only Republican candidate to give an unpredictable barnburner at Thursday’s event.

Since the start of October, 104 people have been killed on the Palestinian side, including an Arab Israeli, while 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean have also died.

Still, the prospect of Adelson’s nod looms large for the GOP field.

Donald Trump said if president, he would know within six months whether or not his administration could achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

Trump spoke about Wednesday’s shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., saying it “probably was related” to “radical Islamic terrorism”. “This room perhaps more than any room I’ve ever spoken to”.

“If you can make that deal, you can make any deal”, he said. “The person I rely on the most as it relates to U.S.-Israeli policy is my brother”, he said, to loud cheering.

“Radical Islamic terrorism”, he added.

The US state department condemned the “vicious terrorist attack” in “the strongest possible terms”, urging Israel to “apprehend the murderers” and calling on both sides to “avoid escalating tensions”. “He refuses to say it. There’s something going on with him that we don’t know about”, he said to applause.

The crowd of a few hundred laughed often at Trump’s schtick, though at times it seemed more as if they were laughing at Trump himself, rather than his jokes. He noted that his wall was covered with awards he received from Jewish organizations and pointed out that his daughter Ivanka is devout practitioner of Judaism.

“Let me be crystal clear: There is no moral equivalence between Israel and its enemies”, Rubio said.

“Very soon I’m going to Israel”, Trump said. At one moment, the laughter became uncomfortable when Trump made a comment about the ” interesting friends” Hillary Clinton was emailing with, moving his hand back and forth in a way that suggested something about the relationship with those friends was odd.

And Ari Fleischer, who served as President George W. Bush’s press secretary and is a member of the coalition’s board of directors, attacked Trump’s comments about donors.

The moderator tried to pin Trump down on the litmus-test issue of whether Jerusalem should be the undivided capital of Israel. But many Jewish conservatives, who were heavily represented in the audience, see it as a priority.

But Rubio was followed later in the morning by Trump, whose remarks nearly had the quality of a stand-up comedy routine, with jokes and asides aplenty but little of real substance.

“A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal – whether or not Israel’s willing to sacrifice certain things”, Trump told AP.

“It was in jest”, said Andrew Friedman, a Los Angeles attorney who is president of his synagogue.

“Some in our own party – in the news today – have actually questioned Israel’s commitment to peace”, Florida Sen.

A legal representative of one suspect held over the arson appeared in court in the Israeli city of Lod on Thursday to request access to speak with his client, but was refused, he said.