On Israel
Few issues have the staying power of Israel in American foreign policy. As the AIPAC conference approaches (and the cable news channels set their sights on different politically-charged committee rooms in Washington DC hotels), Jeffrey Goldberg offers some required preparation reading.
Having conducted interviews with both Barack Obama and John McCain, Goldberg uncovers some of the most focused discussion of the candidates’ Middle East policies as and their relevance for Israel as an ally and the American Jewish community:
“The two candidates…have well-developed thoughts on the Middle East, and their differences are stark. Obama sees the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as one of America’s central challenges in the Middle East; McCain names Islamic extremism as the most formidable challenge. Obama sees Jewish settlements as “not helpful” to peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians; McCain does not offer a critique of the settlements, instead identifying Hamas’ rocket attacks on the Israeli town of Sderot as the most pressing problem. And both men take very different positions on the issue of Philip Roth.”