Trump questions Israel’s commitment to peace

Almost the entirety of the Republican presidential field appeared in Washington on Thursday to court some of the nation’s most powerful Jewish conservatives, as the candidates hone their messages less than two months before the first votes are cast.

Donald Trump seemed to fail at both.

The outspoken billionaire gave a long-winded answer when asked to address comments he made during a recent interview with the Associated Press.

There were boos when Trump declined to commit to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. And he suggested to the influential group simply wanted to install a puppet in the White House.

“You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money”, Trump told members of the Sheldon Adelson-funded hardline pro-Israel lobbying organization. “That’s why you don’t want to give me money, OK, but that’s OK, you want to control your own politician”.

“Do you want to renegotiate deals?”

Since mid-September, 19 people have been killed on the Israeli side in Palestinian stabbings, shootings and attacks in which cars or other vehicles are used to run down people or plow into groups of pedestrians. As a result, Rubio’s reception was more muted than the repeated cheers and standing ovations that Cruz and Trump garnered with their more incendiary rhetoric.

The Republican Jewish Coalition isn’t representative of Jewish voters nationally.

After having a lot to do with all the candidates showing up at the RJC event, the Adelsons chose to go to South Africa instead. By (vaguely) interjecting the idea that without a peace deal Israel will continue its occupation of the West Bank and its growing Palestinian population, Trump is echoing the frequent admonishments of President Obama and John Kerry (as well as other Democrats, and a number of Israeli leaders), who continue to warn that without a comprehensive peace deal, Israel will cease to be a Jewish and democratic state.

“I said you have to have the commitment to make it. I don’t know that Israel has the commitment to make it, and I don’t know that the other side has the commitment to make it….”

“We have to be engaged in this in a meaningful way”, Bush said, “and our friends need to know we have their back”.

Trump criticized some of his fellow GOP rivals, though none of the high-polling ones. “Do me a favor, just relax”, he told one of the people booing.

The memo also warns candidates to distance themselves from Trump’s comments about women.

Yet he hasn’t ignored donors altogether. He’s a good man, he’s worked very hard, he has absolutely no support from President Obama.

Trump, who is leading in opinion polls, predicted he would be the Republican presidential nominee. Several candidates blasted him from the stage. “Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals?” he said later.

He continued: “Israel stands on the front lines of our civilizational struggle against radical, apocalyptic Islam”. “Look, I’m a negotiator like you folks”, he said to the auditorium of Jewish Republicans.

Many of them are political donors, just not to Trump.

Separately, Trump said at a rally in Virginia on Wednesday night that he plans to visit Israel “soon”.

“There’s plenty of evidence of Israel’s repeated attempts at peace”, he said. Trump insisted that he’s self-funding his presidential campaign, though most of his campaign money has in fact come from donations. “For someone who claims to be so smart, he should know better than to reinforce and legitimize this history old anti-Semitic canard”. He also said the attendees wouldn’t support him because “I don’t want your money”.