No line regarding foreign policy or fighting terrorism in Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s 2016 presidential stump speech at an Urbandale, Iowa, restaurant drew as much applause Saturday as, “We need a leader in the world who recognizes that Israel is our ally, not our adversary.”
Iowa may be as remote from the problems of the Middle East a place in America can be, but support for the Jewish nation is a must for Republican activists in the state. And Republican presidential hopefuls are uniformly on the same page.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio got his first round of strong applause at a multi-candidate event later that day hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition by slamming President Obama on his Israel policy. “How can it be that our president shows more respect to the Ayatollah in Iran than for our allies in Israel?”
Carly Fiorina, another Republican hopeful, drew one of the strongest applause lines after talking about meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his office.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, whose Texas congressman father Ron Paul argued that American policy was too deferential to Israel, drew cheers for discussing his Stand With Israel Act. The legislation would end foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority if it remained allied with Hamas and doesn’t publicly recognize Israel.
“There is support for one issue that rises above the divide and that is this,” said Mike Schreurs, spokesman for Iowans Supporting Israel, one of the most popular booths among the vendors at the event, which was held at a Christian Evangelical Church.
Schreurs, himself a Christian Evangelical, could not think of any candidate running this year who he thought was bad on the issue.
“Naturally, there are a few we’d like to see strengthen their stance, but that’s it,” he said.
