Matthew Kassel (jewishinsider.com)
“I’ve always thought we should be more willing to help Israel. We should recognize that it’s sort of an island of shared values in a sea of really despotic regimes, and that’s important.”
"Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), the newly minted running mate of former President Donald Trump, is embracing a hawkish approach to American engagement in the Middle East.
"Speaking with Fox News on Monday evening, the vice presidential hopeful laid out an aggressive path to countering Iran, arguing that Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020 had “actually brought peace” to the region rather than instability, as critics had warned.
"'If you’re going to punch the Iranians, you punch them hard,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention began on Monday.
"Reiterating his commitment to expanding the Abraham Accords, which he described as “maybe the most important diplomatic breakthrough of the Trump administration,” Vance expressed support for creating conditions to “enable the Israelis and the Sunni Arab states to work together and actually provide a counterbalance to Iran.”
"The Biden administration, he claimed, “has done nothing” to advance such efforts, even as it has long worked to strike a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which Vance has backed.
"Vance also criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, alleging that his administration has “prolonged” the conflict and has “made it harder for us to really move towards a sustainable peace.”
"Echoing Trump, Vance, 39, called for ending the war “as quickly as possible” to help “reinvigorate” the “peace process between” Israel and the Saudis." . . .
UPDATE: Eric Trump defends female Secret Service agent after father’s shooting (Washington Examiner ) "Eric Trump is defending the Secret Service agents who protected his father during the attempted assassination of the former president on Saturday, including the female agent who was onstage with Donald Trump when the shots first broke out.
"During an interview with MSNBC’s Katy Tur at the Republican National Convention, the younger Trump expressed his respect for the agents.
“ 'The female that is in the picture, she’s been with me for a very long time,” Eric Trump said. “I’d do anything for her. She’s one of the greatest human beings you’ll ever meet. I’d do anything for her.”
"Eric Trump said he doesn’t put any fault on his father’s Secret Service detail.
“ 'I applaud them for their courageousness and being heroes that day,” the former president's son said. “They could have easily gotten killed."
"Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has faced criticism for the failure of the security detail to secure the rooftop where suspected shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was perched. The agency has also, to a far less significant degree, been criticized for its hiring of female agents, such as the woman who Eric Trump defended, with some Republicans arguing they were only hired due to diversity, equity, and inclusion mandates." . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment