Thread: Donald Trump’s Speech to Aipac Prompts Protests

Donald Trump’s Speech to Aipac Prompts Protests

Discourse, not policy, targeted as Republican presidential front-runner slated to speak to pro-Israel lobby in Washington on Monday
By Beth Reinhard
March 20, 2016 6:00 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—Protests of Donald Trump’s address to the country’s leading pro-Israel lobby on Monday notably have little to do with his foreign policy, although that raises concerns, too.

The opposition to the GOP presidential front-runner’s speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington primarily focuses on his comments about women, immigrants, Muslims and the disabled.

“To be honest, I am not sure anyone is sure whether he has a clear, coherent policy regarding the Middle East,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. “We take deep offense over his discourse, which is at odds with our beliefs as a Jewish community and as Americans.”

The group is among several scattered Jewish organizations, synagogues and student associations denouncing Mr. Trump before Aipac’s conference. Hundreds of people are planning to either boycott Mr. Trump’s speech, walk out after he is introduced or rebuke him at the conference.

Mr. Trump’s Republican challengers, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton are also scheduled to address Aipac on Monday. Mrs. Clinton’s rival, Bernie Sanders, the only Jewish candidate, declined an invitation to speak and is campaigning on the West Coast.

An Aipac spokesman said all active presidential candidates were invited and declined to comment on security surrounding Mr. Trump’s speech or potential repercussions from any protests.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly defended his inflammatory rhetoric—including his description of Mexican immigrants as criminals and his call for a ban on Muslim immigrants—as grounded in national-security concerns.

He has also promoted himself as the most pro-Israel candidate in the Republican primary, an assertion disputed by Messrs. Cruz and Kasich. “If people want to hear about Mr. Trump’s vision to have strong relations with Israel, then they may want to stay and listen to his remarks at Aipac,” said Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. “Mr. Trump has a long record of supporting Israel.”

But the protests have more to do with what critics see as Mr. Trump’s xenophobia and bigotry. They also blame him for inciting violence at his rallies and threatening “riots” if he is denied the nomination at a contested convention.

One new group of rabbis and other Jewish leaders, Come Together Against Hate, condemns “the ugliness that Mr. Trump espouses” and plans to distribute stickers and fliers. The group is encouraging people to skip the speech or to quietly walk out.

Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin of Temple Solel in Hollywood, Fla., is urging people to simply avoid the speech so as not to be disruptive and risk being expelled from the lobbying group. “Walking out would mean being ejected from Aipac and it would add to Mr. Trump’s narrative,” he said.

The last time Mr. Trump spoke before a major Jewish group he drew heckles.

In that address, before the Republican Jewish Coalition in December, he was booed for refusing to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and questioning Israel’s commitment to a peace deal. Jerusalem’s status is a key sticking point in negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel proclaims Jerusalem as its capital but the U.S. and other countries have embassies in Tel Aviv.

Mr. Trump also played to Jewish stereotypes in his speech, suggesting his audience was wealthy and praising them for their presumed negotiating prowess. “This room negotiates deals, probably more than any group I’ve spoken to,” he said.

Mr. Trump has drawn praise from white supremacists, including former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. He hesitated in television interviews last month when asked about Mr. Duke but later said he disavowed his support.

At the Aipac conference, policy contrasts are expected between the Republican candidates. Mr. Trump’s rivals have criticized him for saying he plans to be “neutral” while trying to negotiate a peace deal in the Middle East.

“I don’t think we need a commander in chief who is neutral between the Palestinian terrorists and one of our strongest allies in the world, the nation of Israel,” Mr. Cruz said in the latest GOP debate.

Mr. Kasich said, “I don’t believe there is any long-term permanent peace solution. And I think pursuing that is the wrong thing to do.”

Mr. Trump said he was the most pro-Israel candidate on the debate stage.

“I was the grand marshal, not so long ago, of the Israeli Day parade down Fifth Avenue,” he said. “I’ve made massive contributions to Israel….I have tremendous love for Israel. I happen to have a son-in-law and a daughter that are Jewish, OK?”

Write to Beth Reinhard at beth.reinhard@wsj.com

http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-t...sts-1458511249

One would think that the Jewish community in the United States would be above the ignorance being shown with boycotting a speech at a convention it arranges of someone they invited to try to secure support and benefits should that person be elected President of the United States. One would also think that the Jewish community would be the last community on earth that would want to wrongfully judge, label, condemn, oppose, criticize, boycott or persecute someone based on false and misleading newspaper and media reports, otherwise known as propaganda least of all be participants in spreading propaganda.

One would have thought that of all the various "groups" operating within the United States, that Jewish groups would have taken the greatest care and caution to not behave in the very manner n our country to which they were subjected in other countries.

I think this is a sad and repulsive insult against the American People. Many Americans are trying to fix our country, a country ravaged, weakened, and bankrupted by foreign interests, foreign persons and foreign governments who have exploited our political system by buying up our politicians to destroy US from within.

Donald Trump is the only candidate in decades who understands what is going on and wants to fix it for our benefit. These problems are enormous, the issues at mass-critical stages, and while "Rome Burns", you stupid, ignorant, self-centered political wacko-birds want to whine and wail in the streets about some comments that were either never made in the first place, completely misquoted or taken out of context by his political opponents and even if the reports had been right, have no bearing at all on the important tasks at hand.

What many of you apparently fail to understand because of your own bias and stupidity is that whatever it is you want or think you want, you have to go through the American People from now on to get. Michael Goodwin summed it up in a recent article, the Trump Movement is a political revolution of and by the American People. So what you try to do to Donald Trump will be viewed by most of US who support him, as something done to US.

An Elephant never forgets. That's why it's such a great symbol for the Real Republican Party.

And of course, whoever came up with the Jack Ass for the Democrats deserves a Pulitzer Prize for accuracy.

Middle easterners have a contrary mindset whatever the religion. I trust Trump's plan, he is a negotiator. It will not be easy though.

AIPAC has been in bed with the DNC for a long time. JMO