(Las Vegas) On the occasion of the meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), former US President Donald Trump promised on Saturday to reinstate his controversial migration decree targeting Muslim countries if he was elected again.
At the start of his mandate in 2017, he banned nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and, initially, also Iraq and Sudan).
The measure was quickly challenged in court until it was canceled by Joe Biden during his first week in office in 2021, but it remained popular with Donald Trump supporters.
“Remember the entry ban? One day, I will reinstate our entry ban,” Mr. Trump said, vowing to keep “radical Islamist terrorists” out of the United States.
The RJC meeting, an annual event where conservative contenders for the Oval Office traditionally seek financial support, is of particular importance for the American Jewish community, traumatized by the Hamas attack which left 1,400 dead in Israel on October 7.
A way of underlining the expectation of vocal and unequivocal support for Israel, at a time when the Israeli response on Gaza is intensifying: the bombings have left more than 8,000 Palestinians dead, mainly civilians, according to the ministry’s latest report. of Hamas Health.
The eight leading candidates for the Republican nomination are scheduled to speak over the weekend and those who have already done so have thrown their support behind Israel. Including Donald Trump, who is leading the polls, and his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“The United States is entirely with Israel,” said Mr. Trump, the most applauded candidate of the event, speaking of a “fight between civilization and barbarism”.
“The United States stands with the Israelis in their mission to ensure that Hamas is decimated and that all these atrocities are avenged,” he added, promising to defend Israel “like no one ever has.” did “.
In recent weeks, the ex-president has sparked controversy in particular by saying that Hezbollah, the bête noire of Israel in Lebanon and Islamist ally of Hamas, was “very intelligent”.
Major issue
Mr. Trump’s other competitors have also professed unwavering support for Israel.
At the RJC meeting, Ron DeSantis called the Hamas offensive “the deadliest attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
PHOTO STEVE MARCUS, REUTERS
Ron DeSantis
Earlier in the week, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, the only woman in the running, promised to act against anti-Semitism by focusing on the debates currently provoked by the conflict on American university campuses.
“As president, I will amend the official federal definition of anti-Semitism to include the denial of Israel’s right to exist, and I will strip schools of their tax exemption if they do not combat anti-Semitism in all its forms , in accordance with federal law,” she said.
“We need cultural chemotherapy to fight this cancer,” said senator and candidate Tim Scott during the RJC, while Mr. DeSantis promised to cancel the visas of students who demonstrate for Palestine.
Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced his arrival at the event. “His participation underlines his commitment to solidarity with the people of Israel and the American Jewish community,” welcomed the organizers on X (formerly Twitter).
Security around this weekend’s meeting has been increased, especially as organizers expect to welcome more participants than usual.
In addition to their speeches, the Republican candidates participated in prayers and tributes to Israeli victims of Hamas attacks.
Support for Israel is a major issue for both political parties in the United States, and a rare foreign policy issue capable of making a difference at the ballot box, thanks in part to the large number of Jewish voters.
It is also an important issue among evangelical Christian voters, for whom statehood for Jews is an essential precondition for the hoped-for “second coming” of Jesus Christ.