Bloomberg tells AIPAC conference Sanders 'dead wrong' to boycott event
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg blasted 2020 rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for skipping the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) annual policy conference, as the former New York mayor addressed the gathering Monday.
Sanders had accused AIPAC of providing a platform "for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights," although the organization swiftly responded by pointing out that he has never been to one of their conferences.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Unfortunately, not all of my fellow Democrats in this race have attended an AIPAC conference," Bloomberg said. "One of them, Senator Sanders, has spent 30 years boycotting this event. And as you’ve heard by now, he called AIPAC a racist platform. Well let me tell you, he’s dead wrong.”
The former New York City mayor pointed out that the AIPAC conference is a gathering of people from a diverse group of religions, races, sexual identities and political parties.
“Calling it a racist platform is an attempt to discredit those voices, intimidate people from coming here, and weaken the U.S.-Israel relationship," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sanders’ campaign has been criticized for its association with polarizing figures such as Linda Sarsour and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who have faced accusations of anti-Semitism for their vocal criticism of Israel. Both Sanders and Bloomberg are Jewish.
Earlier in his address, Bloomberg criticized another Sanders talking point about Israel, without mentioning him by name. Sanders has in the past suggested that the U.S. use its substantial aid to Israel as leverage to push it to change its policies regarding the Palestinians.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I will never impose conditions on military aid, no matter what government is in power," he said, pointing out that Israel “is on the front lines, countering American enemies in the region and sharing valuable intelligence and experience" with the U.S.
“So conditioning foreign aid wouldn’t only impair Israel’s ability to keep itself safe, but our ability to keep ourselves safe as well," he said.
Bloomberg said if he is elected he "will always have Israel's back," and noted the importance of maintaining bipartisan support for Israel, as anti-Semitic attacks have been on the rise in the U.S., and rejected attempts to make support for Israel a partisan issue for either side.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Israel should never be a football that American politicians kick around in an effort to score points," he said.
Bloomberg also flatly opposed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement supported by Israel's opponents, and called out the "double standard" Israel is held to by the United Nations.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Regarding two of President Trump's major actions that affect Israel, Bloomberg took issue with how they were done but ultimately supported the ideas behind them.
In discussing Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, Bloomberg said he would have preferred to do this as part of peace negotiations, but said he has always supported moving it there and would leave it there as president "because that's where it belongs."
Bloomberg said that he opposed Trump's unilateral departure from the Iran nuclear deal because it was "tantamount to giving permission to relaunch its nuclear program." At the same time, he acknowledged that he was against the deal entered into by President Barack Obama from the beginning due to a number of flaws.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bloomberg pointed to the deal's failure to address Iranian ballistic missiles, the unfreezing of funds without the requirement that the Islamic nation cease funding terrorism and the expiration date on a number of its restrictions.
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"Let me be clear, our commitment to Israel must never sunset," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bloomberg's address came a day before Super Tuesday, which features primary elections in 14 states and the first time that he will appear on the ballot.