by The Palestine Center Interns
This autumn marks the beginning of the 2016 U.S. presidential election cycle, in which a multitude of candidates will compete for their party’s support through a series of primary polls and debates. This year, there is a wide array of candidates on both sides of the ticket. The Republican candidates alone are so numerous that Fox News was forced to broadcast two separate debates. As corporate commitment and campaign spending begin to increase, we present here the presidential candidates by party and their views on Palestine and the broader Middle East.
Republican Presidential Candidates
Donald Trump– T.V. personality and real estate tycoon
Donald Trump is one of the Republicans most popular candidates. Even though he isolates himself from the rest of the Republican Party, often attacking and slandering other candidates, Trump has shown great resilience and steadfastness in early polling. His brash nature and refusal to be “politically correct” have a good deal of Republicans rooting for the businessman.
On the Issues
Israel-Palestine: “I love Israel!” Trump has shown his unbridled support for Israel and the current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2013 during the Israeli campaign, Trump released a short video endorsing Netanyahu claiming, “Terrific guy, terrific leader, great for Israel.”
Middle East: The issues facing the Middle East today are primarily ISIS, the Syrian refugee crisis, and the Iran deal. Trump’s foreign policy is to “bomb the hell out of Iraqi oil fields” in order to cut the flow of capital to ISIS. This would, of course, require troops on the ground to secure the oil fields, a decision that Trump deems necessary in the fight against the group.
As for Iran, Trump does not fall into the Republican stereotype. Trump says that the deal is a “poorly negotiated deal” that only makes Iran wealthy and powerful. However, he claims that as president, he would not “rip up the deal,” but rather monitor Iran with the utmost scrutiny.
Jeb Bush– Former Florida Governor, Brother of former president G.W. Bush
Jeb Bush is a member of the Bush political dynasty that begins with his father George H.W. Bush and continues through his brother George W. Bush. Among Bush family members, Jeb is the middle ground. He shares similarities with both his father and his brother. Jeb represents a part of the old political party in a race against new and younger faces.
On the Issues
Israel-Palestine: “We’ve got your back.” Jeb strongly supports the American tie to Israel and believes that the relationship has been strained as of late. He offers reassurance that America will make clear who its friends are and who are its enemies. “Governor Bush’s support for Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu is unwavering, and he believes it’s critically important our two nations work seamlessly to achieve peace in the region.”
Middle East: Jeb is very aware of his brother’s failed campaign in Iraq, but is willing to reopen the possibility of deploying troops to combat ISIS. He thinks that widespread coordination with Middle East governments, especially Iraq, is crucial to bringing down ISIS.
Ben Carson– Neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Ben Carson is a candidate who is largely a surprise on the list of candidates for the 2016 GOP nomination. He has no political background, but gained a great deal of celebrity due to his skill as a neurosurgeon. His humble background and Christian roots are appealing to many supporters, but his lack of experience is a concern to many.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: “I would make it very clear that Israel and the United States have a long, cordial relationship, and I don’t think we should ever leave the Israelis in a position of wondering whether we support them.” Carson has also offered an alternative to the two-state solution by relocating the Palestinians to Egypt so that Israel will be free of Hamas rockets.
Middle East: “I would not hesitate to put boots on the ground [in Syria].” Dr. Carson says that it is necessary to eradicate ISIS while we still can, using all available resources. Quoting Winston Churchill, Dr. Carson says we must, “fight our enemies when we can beat them.”
Marco Rubio– Florida Senator
Marco Rubio is the youngest candidate (age 44) for the nomination in both parties. His experience with foreign policy in the Senate and his youthful energy will be his ticket to combatting other candidates, however, in a crowded race he will need more than just a foreign policy background to succeed against household names.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: “The conditions simply don’t exist” [for peace between Israel-Palestine]. Rubio stands firmly with many other GOP candidates, holding strong support for the Israel. “Israel is everything we want that region of the world to be.”
Middle East: Rubio’s foreign policy requires bolstering U.S. armed forces and taking a more forceful position on both Iran and ISIS. “We should also work with our allies, particularly with neighboring states such as Jordan and Turkey, to set up safe zones in border regions of Syria, where the moderate opposition can begin to govern free of the threat of regime (or Islamic State) attacks.”
Ted Cruz– Texas Senator
Ted Cruz is another young candidate (44) for the GOP. As a senator, Cruz will aim to use his foreign policy experience against other, less experienced candidates. His connection to the Tea Party makes him an attractive candidate for many young Republicans who want to move away from the party’s old policies and stances.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: “Unapologetically for Israel.” “The principal impediment to peace is that, to date, the Palestinians have refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and have refused to renounce terror.”
Middle East: “I don’t think it’s the job of our military to engage in nation-building.” “If need be,” Cruz says he would deploy U.S. troops to combat ISIS, but his first steps are to “arm the Peshmerga,” and “bomb ISIS back to the Stone Age.”
Rand Paul– Kentucky Senator
Rand Paul, a Tea Party candidate and current senator from Kentucky is an anomaly in the GOP nomination race. He was the only senator of either party to vote against a bill that would take containment of Iran off the table, though last year he backtracked on this stance saying, I am unequivocally not for containing Iran.” Paul is also less inclined to resolve crises through military means, but rather chooses to pursue diplomacy.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: “We cannot give away money we don’t have” Paul says, on cutting surplus foreign aid to Israel. He also states that, “Israeli cafes and buses are bombed, towns are victimized by hundreds of rockets, and its citizens are attacked by Palestinian terrorists. It’s time we took a stand for Israel by standing up to the enemies of Israel, the enemies that murder Israeli citizens.”
Middle East: In 2012, Rand Paul is the only senator between both parties to vote against a bill that would take containment of Iran off the table. In the same year, he voted to increase sanctions on Iran to bring them to negotiations. On Iraq, Paul states, “I vow to explore all diplomatic options before sending our armed forces into battle. Finally, if and when we choose to fight, we will empower our military to fight to win.”
Chris Christie– New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie has held the position of Governor of New Jersey from 2009 until the present. He has played a significant role in the Republican Party, most notably as a keynote speaker at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Despite his prowess among Republicans, early polls show his support is mediocre at best.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: “A threat to Israel is a threat to America. A threat to the Israeli way of life is a threat to the American way of life. Christie, after visiting Israel, claims, “I took a helicopter ride from the occupied territories across and just felt personally how extraordinary that was to understand, the military risk that Israel faces every day.”
Middle East: On Iran Christie says, “Stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear-weapons capability must be a top priority of the United States of America. Any president, Republican or Democrat, who allows such a thing to occur on his watch, would be acting in a way that is profoundly against the national security interests of the United States and the security interests of our friends in Israel.”
Mike Huckabee– Arkansas Governor
The former governor from Arkansas is not the poll leader, but he can always be counted on to make a strong run within the GOP. Although his international experience is limited, Huckabee’s resume as a governor gives him an edge over other more popular candidates like Carly Fiorina or Ben Carson.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: In a trip to Israel in 2014 he said, “I don’t think the [peace] talks are going anywhere at all. Nothing has been asked of the Palestinians, nothing, not one thing. And until there’s an understanding of the Jewish state’s right to exist, I’m not sure there’s anything to negotiate.”
Middle East: Mike Huckabee is more of a hawk than many of his counterparts. When asked about his strategy on ISIS he said, the key is to “arm the Kurds” and “bomb the daylights out of ISIS.” He would go on later to say that he would do “whatever it takes” to defeat ISIS including putting U.S. troops on the ground.
Carly Fiorina– Businesswoman
Carly Fiorina has experienced a recent surge in the polls and has moved from a lower-middle candidate to the top three. Like Trump, Fiorina has no political background but has made her name as the first female CEO of a Fortune 100 company at Hewlett Packard as well as HP’s first female CEO.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: Fiorina shows her unequivocal support for Israel by stating, “My first phone call [as president] would be to my good friend, Bibi Netanyahu, to reassure him that we will stand with the state of Israel.”
Middle East: On Syria and the humanitarian crisis Fiorina says, “I think the United States, honestly, sadly, cannot relax our entrance criteria. We have to be very careful about who we let enter this country from these war-torn regions to ensure that terrorists are not coming here.”
Democratic Presidential Candidates
Hilary Rodham Clinton– Former Secretary of State, New York Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton is currently the poll leader for the Democratic nomination and arguably the strongest of the five candidates. Her political history and her extensive experience in foreign policy gives her authority over every other candidate on both sides of the ticket.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: “If anyone challenges Israel’s security, they challenge America’s security.” Clinton has a long record of staunch support for Israel and the Israeli lobby in the U.S.; she has repeatedly condemned the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, UN recognition of a Palestinian state, and “structural bias against Israel” in international organizations. She also says that, “We share bedrock beliefs in freedom, equality, democracy, and the right to live without fear.”
Middle East: Clinton voted for the Iraq war in 2003 and now believes a more forceful presence in Syria is necessary. She has said, “You know, ISIS is a phenomenon and ISIS came out of the terrible turmoil in Syria. I personally had advocated that we do more to help the rebels against Assad because I worried that terrorists would take and occupy territory, and that has come to pass, not only with ISIS but other Al-Qaeda affiliates and terrorist networks.”
Bernie Sanders– Vermont Senator
Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, announced his candidacy on April 23, 2015. While his entry was received with ambivalence, he has quickly gained popularity over the course of the past six months and is currently Hillary Clinton’s main contender in the Democratic primary race. In the most recent poll conducted by NBC/WSJ, Sanders was the first choice candidate of 35 percent of primary voters, second to Clinton’s 42 percent.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: Sanders differs slightly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict compared to other candidates. While he supports Israel, he is among the first to take a stance against Israeli settlements and blockade of Gaza. He has said, “The Palestinians must unequivocally recognize Israel’s right to exist, and hold accountable those who have committed terrorist acts. The Israelis must end the blockade of Gaza, and cease developing settlements on Palestinian land.”
Middle East: Sanders’ voting record on the Middle East shows he takes a clear non-interventionist approach to foreign policy. He voted against the first Gulf War and the second Gulf War in 2003. On ISIS Sanders says, “While we must be relentless in combating terrorists who would do us harm, we cannot and should not be policeman of the world, nor bear the burden of fighting terrorism alone. The United States should be part of an international coalition, led and sustained by nations in the region that have the means to protect themselves. That is the only way to defeat ISIS and to begin the process of creating the conditions for a lasting peace in the region.”
Martin O’Malley– Former Maryland Governor
Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, has been consistently polling in the single digits for the Democratic presidential nomination since he announced in May. O’Malley, like Sanders, has positioned himself as a more progressive alternative to Hillary Clinton. With regards to foreign policy, O’Malley often sees American engagement with the rest of the world through an economic lens.
On the issues
Israel-Palestine: “I think the relationship between the United States and Israel is strong, will remain strong, and must be strong for our own security,” O’Malley said. “But also, we have to continue to wage peace, and in this context, waging peace means pushing for a two-state solution.”
Middle East: O’Malley believes in “containing, degrading, and defeating ISIS,” which includes “an integrated approach…focused not only on military power, but on political solutions. We will not be successful in degrading ISIS if the number of militants taken off the battlefield is exceeded by the number of new recruits replacing them.”
Jim Webb– Former Virginia Senator
As a former Democratic Senator from Virginia with a lengthy military background (and a former Republican), Webb is a more centrist candidate compared to the increasingly left-leaning campaigns of O’Malley, Sanders and Clinton. As a former military man, his campaign has attempted to frame him as strong on foreign policy.
On the Issues
Israel-Palestine: In 2009 Webb responded to the escalating violence in Gaza saying, “Israel indeed has a right to defend itself from Hamas rocket attacks, but in my view a meaningful ceasefire must be brokered to stop the escalation of violence, followed by a serious conflict resolution process that involves all parties in the region. To state the obvious, a lasting solution to the conflict in the Middle East is critical to global peace and security.”
Middle East: Webb appears to be in strong support of military intervention as needed. In regards to the “war on terror,” he says, “We will act vigorously against terrorist organizations if they are international in nature and are a direct threat to our national security. This includes the right to conduct military operations in foreign countries if that country is unwilling or unable to address the threat.”
The views expressed by speakers, writers, and others do not necessarily reflect those of the Palestine Center or The Jerusalem Fund.
The Palestine Center is a non-political, educational forum and does not take positions on issues.
