At AIPAC, Donald Trump says he'll never treat 'Israel like a second-class citizen'

(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 22 March 2016

Saying he wasn't there to "pander" for votes, Donald Trump told attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference on Monday that he is a friend and lifelong supporter of Israel who views the country as "America's unbreakable cultural brother."

Instead of giving one of his usual off-the-cuff speeches, Trump used a teleprompter for his talk to the pro-Israel lobbying group, and said his "No. 1 priority" as president would be "to dismantle the nuclear deal with Iran." Trump said he studied the deal "more than anyone else," and finds it "catastrophic for America, for Israel, and for the whole of the Middle East." The United Nations, he continued, is weak, and "not a friend of democracy, not a friend of freedom, not a friend even to the United States of America where, as you know, it has its home. It surely is not a friend to Israel."

Trump called Obama the "worst thing to ever happen to Israel," and said on "day one" of his presidency, "the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end." He would immediately meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and "veto any attempt by the U.N. to impose its will on the Jewish state. It will be vetoed 100 percent." Trump saved some of his harshest words for the Palestinians, saying they have rebuffed peace treaties and foster a society where "the heroes are those who murder Jews. We can't let this continue, we can't let this happen any longer." The 25-minute speech concluded with a reminder that Trump loves Israel and that his daughter, Ivanka, is "about to have a beautiful Jewish baby."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.