As he builds his national profile ahead of a potential run for the presidency in 2016, Sen. Rand Paul faces a central dilemma: How can he expand his appeal to a broader constituency without totally alienating his father’s energetic supporters? One issue that’s particularly difficult to bridge is America’s relationship with Israel. During his two runs for the White House, Ron Paul attracted passionate support for his foreign policy views. But those views – which included harsh criticism of Israel – also turned off a large portion of the staunchly pro-Israel GOP base. In 2011, I used the term “Zionist non-interventionism” to describe how Rand Paul was trying to thread the needle by making non-interventionist arguments and framing them as being beneficial to Israel. This approach continues to evolve.

Fresh off a visit to Israel, Paul held a conference call with reporters this afternoon to discuss his trip. In two key areas, Paul took a non-interventionist stance that he framed as pro-Israel.