The strength of support for Israel among Republican candidates for the White House will be closely scrutinized by donors and voters attending the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) meeting that began Friday in Las Vegas amid the Gaza conflict .
This annual event, where conservative contenders for the Oval Office traditionally appeal for financial support, is of particular importance to the American Jewish community, traumatized by the Hamas attack that killed 1,400 people in Israel on October 7.
“The world will be watching this meeting,” organizers warned on social media.
This is intended to emphasize the expectation of loud and unambiguous support for Israel at a time when the Israeli response to Gaza is intensifying: the bombings have killed more than 7,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the latest report from the Hamas Ministry of Health.
The top eight candidates for the Republican Party nomination are all scheduled to speak at the weekend rally. Donald Trump, who is leading in the polls, and his fiercest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are particularly expected.
In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has stirred controversy by calling Hezbollah, Israel’s bête noire in Lebanon and Islamist ally of Hamas, “very intelligent.”
His criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he accuses of “abandoning” the US shortly before an American drone strike on powerful Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani in 2020, has also caused controversy within the Grand Old Party.
“This is not the time to express personal grievances against an Israeli prime minister,” Mr. DeSantis particularly emphasized in mid-October. “Now is the time to support their right to self-defense to the end.”
Main problem
Mr Trump’s other rivals are also expected to express their unwavering support for Israel.
The only woman in the race, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, vowed this week to tackle anti-Semitism, focusing on the debates currently being sparked by the conflict on American college campuses.
“As president, I will change the official federal definition of anti-Semitism to include the denial of Israel’s right to exist, and I will strip schools of their tax exemption if they fail to combat anti-Semitism in all its forms, in accordance with federal law,” she said.
“Colleges are free to express themselves, but they are not free to spread hate that supports terrorism,” she said.
Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced his arrival. “His participation underscores his commitment to solidarity with the people of Israel and the American Jewish community,” organizers said on X (formerly Twitter).
Security has been increased around this weekend’s meeting, particularly as organizers expect to welcome more participants than usual.
In addition to their highly anticipated speeches, the Republican candidates will also participate in prayers and tributes to the Israeli victims of the Hamas attacks.
Support for Israel is an important issue for both political parties in the United States and a rare foreign policy issue that can make a difference at the ballot box, thanks in part to the large number of Jewish voters.
It is also an important issue among evangelical Christian voters, for whom Jewish statehood is an essential prerequisite for the hoped-for “second coming” of Jesus Christ.