GOP 2024 presidential candidates traveling to the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference are facing a unique challenge this year: how to distinguish themselves from former President Donald Trump on their support and approach to defending Israel as the country’s war against Hamas rages on.
Trump remains extremely popular among Jewish conservatives, but some of his advisers privately have wondered whether there will be any fallout after the former president trashed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, once one of his closest foreign allies, over intelligence failures in the days after Hamas’ initial surprise terror attack on October 7 – a turn sparked in part by Trump’s belief that Netanyahu had been disloyal by recognizing President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.
Trump’s comments could provide an opening for his primary opponents to differentiate themselves from the field’s front-runner as they face pressure to establish themselves as strong supporters of Israeli security without alienating the former president’s supporters.
Interviews with a dozen Republican donors, RJC board members and attendees to this year’s conference yielded a strong sense that the fighting in the Middle East has put into full view the persistence of antisemitism across the globe and in the United States. Those interviewed by CNN said they hoped to hear an acknowledgement from candidates on this and also how each candidate would handle the crisis differently than President Joe Biden. Since the fighting started Biden has advocated for providing wartime aid aide to Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as denounced Hamas’ actions.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of focus and attention on the current state of affairs in Israel. And while there are many foreign policy concerns related to the conflict in Israel, there have also been impacts here…
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