Re: Ron Paul Tells Newsmax: I Support Israel

This ought to ruffle a few feathers off of one of our readers.
---
I think RP is spot on.

Does anyone know which pledge he's referring to when he says:
"We should honor our pledge to refuse any arms sales that would
undermine Israel's qualitative military edge in the region.'
Who gave them this pledge?

taking israel's side is like pulling a snake off a rabbit barehanded

On Dec 8, 3:27 pm, Coach <coachl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> This ought to ruffle a few feathers off of one of our readers.  I
> know, I'll get a response highlighting non intervention, blah blah
> blah, but it still reads Mr. Paul supports Israel.
>
> In an exclusive Newsmax interview, Congressman and Republican
> presidential candidate Ron Paul confirmed his support for Israel, but
> cautioned that while the United States should be a "friend" of the
> Jewish state, America should not be the "master" of Israel.
>
> Paul also says the United States should not dictate Israel's borders
> or try to "buy her allegiance" with massive amounts of foreign aid. He
> argued that foreign aid has actually hurt – not helped – the Jewish
> state.
>
> The interview was conducted by Newsmax contributor Doug Wead, a
> presidential historian and New York Times best-selling author.
>
> Paul has recently come under fire from some Jewish groups in America.
> The Republican Jewish Coalition banned Paul from a debate on Jewish
> issues in Washington this week because of his "misguided and extreme
> views," according to the group's executive director, Matt Brooks.
>
> Newsmax chatted with Paul to get his side of the issue as the Texas
> Republican is surging in some presidential polls.
>
> A new Washington Post-ABC News survey in Iowa shows him threatening
> Mitt Romney as the second-leading candidate behind Newt Gingrich. Paul
> is now tied with Romney in the early caucus state with 18 percent of
> the vote, behind Gingrich's 33 percent.
>
> Rep. Paul's interview with Newsmax follows:
>
> Newsmax: What should our relationship be with Israel?
>
> Ron Paul: We should be their friend and their trading partner. They
> are a democracy and we share many values with them. But we should not
> be their master. We should not dictate where their borders will be nor
> should we have veto power over their foreign policy.
>
> This is not just about Israel, by the way, this is about how we should
> conduct ourselves with other countries around the world.
>
> Newsmax: But Israel is not like other countries. We have a large
> Jewish population in America. What do you say to those who criticize
> your policy toward Israel?
>
> Ron Paul: I think that some not only misunderstand the American
> Constitution and the role we should have in the world, they also
> misunderstand Zionism. Part of the original idea of Zionism, as I
> understand it, was that there should be Jewish independence and Jewish
> self-reliance. Today, America doesn't want anyone to be self-reliant.
> We want to rule the world and be the saviors of the world and we are
> going broke in the process.
>
> Newsmax: Some object to your policy of cutting foreign aid to Israel.
>
> Ron Paul: I have objected to all foreign aid. I define foreign aid as
> taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich
> people in poor countries. We just can't keep doing this. We don't have
> the money anymore.
>
> Stop and consider America's policy: We give $3 billion a year to
> Israel in loans; and we give $12 billion or more in assistance to
> Israel's self-declared enemies. Some of these are countries that say
> they will drive Israel into the sea.
>
> Newsmax: What do you say to evangelical Christians who want that aid
> to continue?
>
> Ron Paul: I say to them that our aid in the region is out of balance
> and it is wrong. Foreign aid does not help Israel. It is a net
> disadvantage. I say to them that "the borrower is servant to the
> lender" and America should never be the master of Israel and its fate.
> We should be her friend.
>
> In October, 1981, most of the world and most of the Congress voiced
> outrage over Israel's attack on Iraq and their nuclear development. I
> was one of the few who defended her right to make her own decisions on
> foreign policy and to act in her own self-interest.
>
> Newsmax: What then, if anything, should we do for Israel?
>
> Ron Paul: We should share intelligence for mutually agreed-upon goals.
> We should honor our pledge to refuse any arms sales that would
> undermine Israel's qualitative military edge in the region.
>
> But we should stop interfering with them. We should not announce
> bargaining positions even before she begins her negotiations. We
> should not dictate what she can and cannot do. We should stop trying
> to buy her allegiance. And Israel should stop sacrificing their
> sovereignty as an independent state to us or anybody else, no matter
> how well-intentioned.
>
> Read more on Newsmax.com: Ron Paul Tells Newsmax: I Support Israel
> Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

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