Barack Obama
Democratic Incumbent
President Obama attempted to broker a new round of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians in September 2010, but negotiations stalled (Reuters) when Israel declined to renew a moratorium on the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
In his May 2011 speech on the Middle East President Obama described the U.S. commitment to Israel's security as "unshakeable," but said the "status quo is unsustainable." He supports negotiations that will result in a two-state solution--a "viable" Palestine and a "secure" Israel--with borders based on 1967 lines, with mutually agreed land swaps. Negotiations over territory and security, he says, should provide the basis from which to begin discussions over the future of Jerusalem and the potential return of Palestinian refugees.
The Obama administration objects to the 2011 Palestinian statehood bid at the UN as premature and damaging to the negotiating process. In his address to the UN, the president said, "One year ago, I stood at this podium and I called for an independent Palestine. I believed then, and I believe now, that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. But what I also said is that a genuine peace can only be realized between the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves."
For FY2011, the Obama administration requested $3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (PDF) for Israel, the highest level since 2003. According to the State Department, the assistance is aimed at maintaining Israel's "qualitative military edge" and ensuring "the security it requires to make concessions necessary for comprehensive regional peace."
For the same period, the Obama administration requested $400 million in foreign aid for the Palestinians (PDF)--assistance intended to prevent terrorism against Israel, create stability in the West Bank, and meet humanitarian needs.
Ron Paul
Republican Candidate
Representative Paul's (R-TX) non-interventionist platform calls for a reduced U.S. diplomatic role in Arab-Israeli affairs, including cutting off foreign aid to Israel and other countries in the region. "Foreign aid does not help Israel," he says. "It is a net disadvantage."
Speaking at a Republican candidates' debate in November 2011, Paul said the United States "interferes" with Israel, adding that "we need to get out of their way." He says the United States "buys" Israel's allegiance and "they sacrifice their sovereignty to us." Paul contends Israelis are "quite capable of taking care of themselves" and has supported their right to self defense in the past. Following Israel's bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear plant (NYT) in 1981, Paul was one of few members in Congress to defend Israel's actions.
But Paul has also been critical, referring to the 2009 Israeli invasion of Gaza as a "sad day" that demonstrated the "unfortunate" spread of preemptive war. He has described conditions in Gaza as a "tragedy" similar to that of a concentration camp. He opposed House Resolution 34, a 2009 congressional motion formalizing U.S. support for Israel's actions in Gaza. Paul said he was "appalled by the longstanding Israeli blockade of Gaza--a cruel act of war--and the tremendous loss of life that has resulted from the latest Israeli attack."
Mitt Romney
Republican Candidate
In his white paper (PDF) titled An American Century, which outlines his foreign policy strategy, Romney describes Israel as the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East, and said he will work to maintain Israel's "strategic military edge." As for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Romney has criticized the Obama administration for distancing the United States from Israel, and said, "The key to negotiating a lasting peace is an Israel that knows it will be secure."
Romney said he will oppose "any measure," such as a moratorium on Jewish settlements, "that would frustrate direct negotiations" between the two parties." He also vowed to reduce financial assistance to the Palestinians if they continued to push statehood at the UN or formed a unity government that included Hamas.
In the November 22, 2011, foreign policy debate, Romney said, "My first foreign trip will be to Israel, to show the world we care about that country and that region."
Newt Gingrich (*withdrew)
Editor's Note: Gingrich withdrew his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on May 2, 2012.
In his remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition in December 2011, former speaker of the House Gingrich said the greatest obstacle to an Israeli-Palestinian peace is "an inability on the part of the Obama administration and certain other world leaders to tell the truth about terrorism, be honest about the publicly stated goals of our common enemies, and devise policies appropriate to an honest accounting of reality." He says Israel should not be expected to negotiate with any Palestinian coalition that includes Hamas, "an organization dedicated to its destruction." The Obama administration's stance on pre-1967 borders as a basis for negotiations, Gingrich says, is "a suicidal step for Israel."
Gingrich supports the recognition of Jerusalem as the "undivided capital of a Jewish state," a city where all faiths would have access to the holy sites. He has also vowed, if elected, to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (CBS).
In an August op-ed for Yisrael Hayom, Gingrich described the Palestinian bid for UN statehood as an "existential threat to the state of Israel," and called on the Obama administration to "reject actions that reward terrorist groups." He says the peace process "must start with negotiations," but faults the Palestinian leadership for refusing to start talks until Israel agrees to its border demands.
In a December 2011 interview with the Jewish Channel (WashPost), Gingrich questioned the historical basis of a distinct Palestinian people, stating "remember there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community."
Rick Santorum (*withdrew)
Editor's Note: Santorum withdrew his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on April 10, 2012.
Santorum has condemned the Obama administration's endorsement of a peace settlement that would include a return to pre-1967 borders (with land swaps), saying the stance "deliberately put Israel in a vulnerable position." In a November campaign stop, Santorum denied the existence of a Palestinian people (JPost), stating that "All the people who live in the West Bank are Israelis, they are not Palestinians. There is no Palestinian. This is Israeli land."
Santorum also strongly condemned the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, describing the move as "an embarrassment to this country," and "an offense to the state of Israel."
In the National Review Online in May 2011, Santorum wrote that Israel "has never been in more danger of disappearing" and described it as "surrounded by an armed alliance of Jihadist fundamentalists and nationalists." He said President Obama was "rewarding terrorism" by renewing his call for an independent Palestinian state after Fatah agreed to merge with the militant extremist group Hamas.
Santorum also criticized Obama's support for a contiguous future Palestinian state, writing that this "means transecting Israel in two, further weakening Israel's possible defenses from terrorism, missile launches, or invasion."
Michele Bachmann (*withdrew)
Editor's Note: Rep. Bachmann withdrew her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on January 4, 2012.
Representative Bachmann (R-MN) cites her Christian upbringing as the foundation of her support for Israel, saying, "Israel is not merely the cradle of my faith, it's the greatest strategic asset the United States has in the region." She says the United States should ensure that Israel gets "stronger and stronger" so that it is able to defend itself "at all times and under all circumstances."
Speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition Forum, in December 2011, Bachmann voiced her opposition to the Palestinian UN statehood bid and said the Obama administration's current policy has "confused engagement with appeasement and has inspired Israel's enemies."
In the same speech, she criticized the Obama administration for abandoning Bush-era policy supporting Israel's retention of large West Bank settlement blocks and no right-of-return for Palestinian refugees. She says a Palestinian right-of-return "would demographically destroy Israel by swamping it with millions of Arabs who never lived in Israel, thereby turning the world's only Jewish state into the world's twenty-third Arab state."
Bachmann would "fully recognize Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital, and will be the first administration to finally implement the laws passed by Congress requiring the State Department to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem."
Jon Huntsman (*withdrew)
Editor's Note: Huntsman withdrew his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on January 16, 2012.
Huntsman believes "the foundation of a successful U.S. policy in the Middle East rests upon a strong U.S.-Israel relationship." He says that while a peaceful two-state solution "may be an appropriate aspiration," the process to achieve that goal should "advance Israel's security, not threaten it." Huntsman says the "best chance for peace is for Israel to know that America stands shoulder-to-shoulder beside her and for the Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate with each other."
Writing in the National Review Online, Huntsman referred to the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN as a "cynical, counterproductive ploy," adding that the Obama administration's "misguided Middle East policies directly contributed to a breakdown of the peace process."
He says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is attempting to isolate Israel from the international community and is, thus, "undermining the peace process." In the short term, he says, "We must work to regain the confidence of our friends in Israel so that meaningful work toward an enduring peace can begin. Only then will a productive, Madrid-framework negotiation [1991] have a chance to succeed."
Rick Perry (*withdrew)
Editor's Note: Perry withdrew his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on January 19, 2012.
Texas Governor Perry is a strong advocate of U.S.-Israeli relations, describing the latter as a special partner and our "oldest and strongest ally in the Middle East."
Perry condemned the White House for suggesting the 1967 borders as the starting point for negotiations, and described the Palestinian insistence on the "right of return" of refugees as "a disturbing sign that the ultimate Palestinian 'solution' remains the destruction of the Jewish state."
Perry denounced the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations, describing the group's leadership as "intent on trashing the possibility of a negotiated settlement of the conflict." He says the Obama administration has encouraged Palestinians to "take steps backward" from the peace process by demanding an Israeli settlement freeze in late 2010.
Speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition Forum in December 2011, Perry said, "I support the goal of a Palestinian state, but it should be the Palestinians who meet certain preconditions," These preconditions include a statehood "directly negotiated between Israeli and the Palestinian leaders; second, a Palestinian recognition of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state; and third, Palestinian leaders must renounce the terrorist activities of Hamas."
During the November GOP debate, Perry said he would start all U.S. foreign aid budget decisions at zero dollars, including to the state of Israel. However, he added, "my bet is that we would be funding them at some substantial level."
Campaign 2012
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