Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton To Headline AIPAC Conference [View all]

[Purveyor]

Source: CNN

By Theodore Schleifer, CNN
Updated 3:07 PM ET, Fri March 11, 2016

Washington (CNN)Americans will see a preview of what could be the general election matchup when the Democratic and Republican front-runners make pitches to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee audience later this month.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are now scheduled to address the conference hosted by AIPAC, the leading pro-Israel lobby in Washington, from March 20 to March 22, the organization said Friday. AIPAC did not specify the dates on which the candidates will speak.

Trump and Clinton have rarely spoken to the same audiences so far in the campaign. But each candidate has tried to position themselves as a pro-Israel voice in their respective parties.

Trump's address will be watched particularly closely. Rivals have started targeting him for comments he made about pledging to be "neutral" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Republicans saying that it suggests Trump is not sufficiently pro-Israel.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/11/politics/aipac-hillary-clinton-donald-trump/index.html

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Petition urges Sanders to snub AIPAC, hotbed of Clintonism and neoconservatism



A petition has been started urging Bernie Sanders to reject the invitation from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, to speak at the leading rightwing Israel lobby group in ten days. Max Blumenthal writes:

AIPAC has invited Bernie Sanders to participate in its 2016 Policy Conference in Washington DC. Voice your support for justice and equality in Israel-Palestine and urge Bernie to reject this invitation. As the main arm of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States, AIPAC has sworn to promote the racist, militaristic, and anti-democratic policies of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. Its conference this year will feature Islamophobes, anti-immigrant activists, and religious extremists. With his promise to seek a “level playing field” on Israel-Palestine, Bernie does not belong on the same stage as these figures. Urge him to reject AIPAC’s invitation and support justice in the Holy Land.

This represents an effort to politicize Israel support inside the Democratic Party. The base cries out for such a discussion; but Bernie Sanders has not really picked up the ball.

Of course Hillary Clinton will be addressing the AIPAC policy conference, and her presence there alongside Benjamin Netanyahu’s demonstrates the intersectionality (we used to say overlap) of Clintonism and neoconservatism. Countless neocons will stud the office chairs at AIPAC, including Bill Kristol, who purged “the Arabists” from the Republican Party; Dan Senor, an adviser to Marco Rubio; and Bret Stephens, the Wall Street Journal’s flash columnist.

- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2016/03/petition-urges-sanders-to-snub-aipac-hotbed-of-clintonism-and-neoconservatism/#sthash.u35Dd3g0.dpuf