Both US vice-presidential candidates vow to back Israel

Wednesday September 03, 2008 20:32 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Both Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for US Vice-President, and Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, have both met with pro-Israel groups in the US within days of their respective nominations, and have promised complete and unconditional support for the Jewish state.

Sarah Palin

Their positions on the issue are in line with both major Presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, who both spoke earlier this summer at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Conference to pledge support for Israel.

The only US presidential candidates that have expressed support for Palestinian human rights are from minor parties, and unlikely to win.  Cynthia McKinney, a former Congresswoman from Georgia, is running for US President on the Green Party ticket, and has taken a position that supports the human rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination and equality.  Ralph Nader, an Independent candidate for US President, has also expressed his support for the rights of the Palestinian people.

Some political analysts in the US have surmised that Democratic candidate Barack Obama may have picked Senator Joe Biden because of his blatant support for Israel, after pressure from Zionist groups considered him to be too soft on his pro-Israel stance.  Biden has stated in the past, "If I were a Jew, I would be a Zionist. I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist."  As head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden has taken an ardently anti-Palestinian stance for many years.

Sarah Palin, the current Governor of Alaska, was selected by Republican candidate John McCain to be his running mate during the Republican convention that is currently taking place.  Palin met with Israel lobbyists on Tuesday to assure them that her position on the issue would not support the Palestinian people's internationally-recognized right to self-determination, but would back Israel no matter what.  As Governor of Alaska, Palin displayed an Israeli flag in the window of her office, and belongs to a church, the Wasilla Assembly of God, that preaches a biblical prophecy interpretation of Christianity, in which Christians support the transfer of Jewish people to the state of Israel because they believe it will bring on the rapture.

Josh Block, a spokesman for AIPAC, stated Tuesday, “Now that both the Democrats and the Republicans have determined their respective tickets, AIPAC is pleased that both parties have selected four pro-Israel candidates.”

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