Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 27 January 2020

Bloomberg vows steadfast

commitment to U.S. aid for Israel

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE ish candidate in the race, importance of protecting
AND ELANA SCHOR Bernie Sanders. all marginalized groups
NEW YORK (AP) — Mi- Bloomberg, at a speech from hatred and threats.
chael Bloomberg on Sun- announcing a coalition of "This time is a time of great
day made his case for the Jewish American support- anxiety in the Jewish com-
presidency to fellow Jewish ers in Florida, vowed he munity, both around the
Americans, vowing not to would "never impose con- world, and here at home
Democratic presidential candidate, former New York City May- revisit U.S. aid to Israel -- an ditions" on U.S. military aid — as ancient hatreds are
or Michael Bloomberg speaks to campaign workers and sup- approach that contrasts to Israel if elected. Sanders given fresh currency with
porters in Minneapolis Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, as he opens the
first field office in Minnesota and meets with local community Bloomberg with several of and rivals Elizabeth Warren new technologies," he
leaders and voters to share his vision for the country. his Democratic rivals, in- and Pete Buttigieg have said. "We are confronted
Associated Press cluding his only fellow Jew- all left open the option of by signs that we thought
leveraging that aid to dis- we would never see out-
suade the Israeli govern- side of old black-and-white
ment from annexation and newsreels: synagogues at-
settlement expansions in tacked, Jews murdered,
the West Bank. Nazis marching brazenly
"As president, I will always and openly by torchlight."
have Israel's back," said But Bloomberg made only
Bloomberg, who served passing reference to the
three terms as mayor of Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
New York. saying he "will not wait
It wasn't the only distinc- three years" to release a
tion Bloomberg drew with peace plan for the region.
Sanders, a U.S. senator Israeli Prime Minister Benja-
from Vermont. In a line that min Netanyahu, embattled
drew laughs from the audi- amid an indictment on cor-
ence, he said he was the ruption charges, and his
only Jewish candidate in political rival Benny Gantz
the race not looking to "turn were set to meet with
America into a kibbutz," re- Trump in Washington this
ferring to communal Jew- week as the U.S. adminis-
ish farming cooperatives. tration prepares to release
Sanders volunteered on a its long-in-the-works Middle
leftist kibbutz in the 1960s, East peace plan.
and has championed a Former Vice President Joe
democratic socialism that Biden, like Bloomberg, has
Bloomberg opposes. already ruled out the idea
Bloomberg's wide-ranging of leveraging U.S. military
speech touched on rising aid to Israel, which has ex-
acts of violence against panded settlements in the
American Jews, criticism of West Bank that the Trump
President Donald Trump for administration recently de-
withdrawing from the Ira- cided to no longer con-
nian nuclear deal, a strong sider a violation of interna-
defense of Israel and the tional law. q