Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker heads to Israel for the first time this weekend, where he hopes to augment his foreign policy credentials in advance of formally launching his presidential campaign. The governor has become a conservative darling for his stances on domestic issues, but doesn’t have a lot of international experience.
Touring Israel is very nearly a requirement for Republicans looking to compete in the presidential race, as many GOP primary voters believe the United States’ relationship with Israel is critical. An unflattering GQ profile painted Ben Carson, a newly minted presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon, as unable to grasp Israel’s system of government. While waiting for his flight to Israel, Carson peppered his guide with questions about the Jewish state, before reportedly remarking, “It sounds complex; why don’t they just adopt the system we have?”
Walker appears to have adopted a different approach designed at minimizing attention to his trip. The Walker campaign describes the trip as a “listening tour,” and he does not seem to have scheduled any public appearances overseas. Walker told reporters in Milwaukee that he only plans to bring staff and advisers with him to the Middle East, and would not travel with donors.
Ford O’Connell, a GOP strategist and veteran of the McCain-Palin 2008 campaign, said Walker made the right choice to watch and listen. “Frankly, he doesn’t know much about foreign policy and the best place to start, if you’re going to understand the fine points of foreign policy, is starting with Israel and the Middle East,” he said. “He’s really starting at a lower rung than a lot of the others [on foreign policy].”
The Walker team has kept quiet about the governor’s itinerary, but Walker has acknowledged he plans to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Matthew Brooks, the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, is traveling with Walker to Israel and has helped organize the trip. Brooks said the governor will tour Israel on the ground and via helicopter.
“The governor’s going to receive briefings from leading Israeli officials on a variety of policy matters,” Brooks said. “We’ll have an opportunity to do some sight seeing and go to some of the historic and religious spots, such as the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, meaningful places for him as a devout Christian.”
Walker is the son of a Baptist minister.
Ari Morgenstern, communications director for Christians United for Israel, said voters look at a candidate’s attitude toward Israel because it is often a good indicator of a politician’s larger foreign policy and shows whether the candidate espouses the Judeo-Christian values both societies share.
Omri Ceren, The Israel Project’s managing director for press, said the Israel issue is not a litmus test, but a gut check for conservative candidates’ chances of electoral success. “If you’re on the wrong side of the Israel issue, Americans — and especially American conservatives — think that you’re not like them,” Ceren said in a statement. “Then you have to go the extra, extra, extra, extra mile to try to convince Republicans that you’re one of them, that you think like they do. It’s a cultural issue as much as it is a security issue.”
As Walker seeks to get a better grasp on foreign affairs, he has increased his overseas travel, having already made multiple trade missions throughout Europe this year. Unlike the trade trips, however, taxpayers will not pay for Walker’s trip to Israel. The Republican Jewish Coalition and Our American Revival, Walker’s political group, will be paying for his visit. Walker leaves Saturday from South Carolina, where he will speak at the South Carolina Freedom Summit hosted by Citizens United, and he will return stateside on Thursday, May 14.
