TEL AVIV – Donald Trump’s speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Monday was followed closely by the main Palestinian jihadist factions here. Those factions were eager to comment to Breitbart Jerusalem on the GOP frontrunner’s statements about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hamas official Ismail Radwan told Breitbart Jerusalem that Trump revealed himself as a complete and utter supporter of the so-called Israeli occupation. Hamas considers all of Israel to be “occupied” territory.
“We are hardly taken aback by what Trump, a controversial personality, says,” stated Radwan. “He has no consistent ideology, so in effect, what he said was pretty predictable.”
“Hamas never had hope for the American administrations, and we don’t expect this year’s election to change anything,” he added. “Trump and the American people are entirely biased in favor of the Israeli occupation.”
Speaking to Breitbart Jerusalem, Abu Ayaa Al-Ansari, a senior Salafi leader in Gaza allied with the Islamic State, responded to Trump’s statement that, if elected president, he will move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “We’re working on getting rid of Israel, so the whereabouts of the American embassy doesn’t really matter,” stated Ansari.
“Trump’s statements are meaningless, just like what every infidel says,” Ansari said. “As Muslims, we don’t believe in states, borders, and embassies, and most certainly not in Israel’s right to exist. We have to focus on imposing the rule of Islam wherever we are, to signal to the infidels that their support of the enemy is useless.”
“We are a nation that believes in Allah, and believes that Allah will keep his promise to free the world with the help of the mujahedeen and establish the Islamic caliphate,” Ansari added. “Even if it takes time, it is bound to happen as long as there are fighters who believe in Allah and his teachings.”
Dahoud Shihab, the main Islamic Jihad spokesperson, commented that Trump’s AIPAC speech attests to the influence of what he referred to as the “Jewish lobby” in America.
“Trump reflected what every American politician thinks, because they have no intention of confronting Israel over pursuing the Palestinian cause,” he told Breitbart Jerusalem.
“There isn’t a single Palestinian, not even in the Palestinian Authority, who thinks that Trump or any other candidate will make a positive impact for the Palestinians,” he added.
On Monday, Breitbart Jerusalem selected the five most important aspects of Trump’s speech to AIPAC.
That list reads as follows:
1 – Trump said he will “dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.”
My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran. I have been in business a long time. I know deal-making and let me tell you, this deal is catastrophic – for America, for Israel, and for the whole Middle East.
However, he stopped short of pledging to immediately nix the international nuclear accord signed in Vienna last year. He stated at AIPAC that “at the very least, we must hold Iran accountable by restructuring the terms of the previous deal.”
Channelling the sentiments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Iran should suffer immediate consequences for likely violating U.N. Security Council resolution 2231 by conducting a series of ballistic missile tests in recent days. Netanyahu last week called for Western powers to take “immediate punitive steps” against Iran for the missile tests.
Trump stated:
The deal is silent on test missiles but those tests do violate UN Security Council Resolutions. The problem is, no one has done anything about it. Which brings me to my next point – the utter weakness and incompetence of the United Nations.
2 – Trump declared he will check Iran’s growing regional dominance.
The GOP frontrunner affirmed that as president he will “stand up to Iran’s aggressive push to destabilize and dominate the region.”
He outlined Iran’s support for terrorism worldwide, from Syria to the Gaza Strip to Lebanon and beyond. “They’ve got terror cells everywhere, including in the western hemisphere very close to home,” he said. “Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism around the world and we will work to dismantle that reach.”
This policy of countering Iran’s regional influence stands in stark contrast to President Obama’s own coddling of Iran, and the president’s orientation away from America’s traditional Sunni Arab allies.
3 – Trump said he opposes the United Nations unilaterally declaring a Palestinian state.
An agreement imposed by the UN would be a total and complete disaster. The United States must oppose this resolution and use the power of our veto. Why? Because that’s not how you make a deal.
Deals are made when parties come to the table and negotiate. Each side must give up something it values in exchange for something it requires. A deal that imposes conditions on Israel and the Palestinian Authority will do nothing to bring peace. It will only further delegitimize Israel and it would reward Palestinian terrorism, because every day they are stabbing Israelis – and even Americans.
He further threatened to veto “any attempt by the UN to impose its will on the Jewish state.”
4 – Trump vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
We will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem – and we will send a clear signal that there is no daylight between America and our most reliable ally, the state of Israel.
5 – Trump will treat Israel like an ally and not a “second-class citizen.”
When I become President, the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on Day One. I will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately. I have known him for many years and we will be able to work closely together to help bring stability and peace to Israel and to the entire region.
While this declaration may sound simplistic, it comes after seven years of Obama espousing policies some have argued are hostile to the Jewish state. And it comes on the heels of a turbulent relationship between Obama and Netanyahu, including a notorious May 2010 White House meeting in which Obama reportedly snubbed Netanyahu for dinner with his wife and daughters. The Obama administration also faced accusations of encouraging nongovernmental organizations working to defeat Netanyahu in the 2015 Israeli elections.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.
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