Marco Rubio: "There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians" https://t.co/QxqBj6oMmx #GOPDebate https://t.co/nPgNa39QqW
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 11, 2016
Donald Trump is standing by his commitment to remaining neutral in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
{mosads}At Thursday night’s GOP presidential debate in Miami, Trump was asked if he would continue not to pick sides even after a young American West Point graduate was murdered in a terrorist attack at the hands of the Palestinian Authority.
Trump said that the only way to reach a peace agreement between the two would be for him to enter as a neutral actor who could broker a deal.
“I will tell you, I think if we’re ever going to negotiate a peace settlement … I think it would be more helpful is as a negotiator, if I go in and say I’m pro-Israel, but at least have the other side know I’m somewhat neutral to them so that we can maybe get a deal done,” Trump said.
Trump immediately came under fire from Ted Cruz, who said that’s the same “moral relativism” displayed by Democrats like President Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“We need a president who understands the national security interests of this country,” Cruz said.
“The reason we’re friends and allies with Israel, they are a liberal democratic country that shares our values, our strongest ally in the region … and the Palestinian Authority that Donald and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama say they want to treat neutrally, the same as Israel, is in unity with Hamas, a terrorist organization that pays the families of terrorists who murder these people.”
Marco Rubio also fired back on Trump’s position.
“There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians at the moment. There just isn’t, because there’s no one to negotiate with. The Palestinian Authority is not interested in a serious deal, and they are now in union with Hamas, an organization whose specific purpose is the destruction of the Jewish state.”