hoarder
23rd December 2012, 07:47 PM
rand paul planning campaign trip to israel
http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...al-speculation
In another sign that he may be considering a White House bid, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is planning a trip next year to Israel, accompanied by activists from Iowa and South Carolina — two key states in any Republican presidential campaign.
Paul — a Kentuckian who has said he is considering a 2016 presidential run but has made no decision — is looking to make his first trip to Israel and Jordan sometime in the new year, he said in an interview. He didn’t specify the date, citing security reasons.
He has confirmed meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Shimon Peres, as well as with several government ministers and members of the Knesset, according to the senator’s office. Paul also is arranging meetings with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, Jordan’s King Abdullah and others.
Paul said some critics have depicted him as anti-Israel because he favors cutting foreign aid, but he called that depiction a “misrepresentation.”
“It is not my position to be against Israel,” the senator said. “I’m appreciative of the fact that Israel is a democracy, one of the few true democracies in the Middle East, and I’m also appreciative that they’ve been a close friend and ally.”
Paul said that foreign aid cuts “should start with countries who have not been good allies. ... I wouldn’t start with Israel.
“Whether or not we can afford to continue aid to Israel over time? There needs to be discussion with Israel over them being more independent over time.”
Paul’s trip is being paid for by the American Family Association, a conservative Christian group based in Tupelo, Miss., that promotes what it calls “the biblical ethic of decency in American society.” The nonprofit also owns and operates almost 200 radio stations, according to its website.
“I want to know more about the issues ... (and) try to figure out why we don’t seem to be able to achieve peace over there,” Paul said of the trip. “If you want to be part of the national debate and hopefully part of the solution someday to what happens in the Middle East, having been there gives you more credibility with some folks.”
more at link....
http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...al-speculation
In another sign that he may be considering a White House bid, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is planning a trip next year to Israel, accompanied by activists from Iowa and South Carolina — two key states in any Republican presidential campaign.
Paul — a Kentuckian who has said he is considering a 2016 presidential run but has made no decision — is looking to make his first trip to Israel and Jordan sometime in the new year, he said in an interview. He didn’t specify the date, citing security reasons.
He has confirmed meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Shimon Peres, as well as with several government ministers and members of the Knesset, according to the senator’s office. Paul also is arranging meetings with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, Jordan’s King Abdullah and others.
Paul said some critics have depicted him as anti-Israel because he favors cutting foreign aid, but he called that depiction a “misrepresentation.”
“It is not my position to be against Israel,” the senator said. “I’m appreciative of the fact that Israel is a democracy, one of the few true democracies in the Middle East, and I’m also appreciative that they’ve been a close friend and ally.”
Paul said that foreign aid cuts “should start with countries who have not been good allies. ... I wouldn’t start with Israel.
“Whether or not we can afford to continue aid to Israel over time? There needs to be discussion with Israel over them being more independent over time.”
Paul’s trip is being paid for by the American Family Association, a conservative Christian group based in Tupelo, Miss., that promotes what it calls “the biblical ethic of decency in American society.” The nonprofit also owns and operates almost 200 radio stations, according to its website.
“I want to know more about the issues ... (and) try to figure out why we don’t seem to be able to achieve peace over there,” Paul said of the trip. “If you want to be part of the national debate and hopefully part of the solution someday to what happens in the Middle East, having been there gives you more credibility with some folks.”
more at link....