Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz got into a heated discussion about Israel and peace efforts with the Palestinians at Thursday's big GOP debate, with each one trying to prove they were the most pro-Israel candidate on stage.
Trump said as president, "there's nothing I would rather do than bring peace to Israel and its neighbors, generally. I think it serves no purpose to say you have a good guy and a bad guy." Trump acknowledged he may not be successful ("it's probably the toughest negotiation anywhere in the world"), and said that while he is pro-Israel, "it doesn't do any good to start demeaning the neighbors." Cruz accused Trump of having the same stance as Hillary Clinton, with both wanting to be "neutral," and said he stands "unapologetically with the nation of Israel."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump shot back, telling Rubio he's not a negotiator and bringing up a previous back-and-forth between Rubio and former candidate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. "I watched him melt down and I tell ya, it was one of the saddest things I've ever seen," Trump said. "These people may even be tougher than Chris Christie." Rubio sputtered that "the Palestinians are not a real estate deal," but Trump stood firm: "A deal is a deal."
-
6 Broadway shows coming to a local theater near youThe Week Recommends Harry Potter makes an appearance. As do the wives of Henry VIII.
-
Judge rejects top state charges in Mangione caseSpeed Read If convicted, Mangione faces up to life in state prison
-
UN panel finds Israeli genocide in GazaSpeed Read The report found that Israeli leaders had committed ‘four of the five “genocidal acts”’ prohibited under the U.N. Genocide Convention
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
