Rand Paul, on His Visit to Israel, Makes a Sharp Contrast With Biden

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

What a contrast with Joseph Biden.

On his 2010 trip to Israel, the vice president erupted in a bitter denunciation of the government in Jerusalem because of its settlement policies. But when Sen. Rand Paul, whom the Left likes to accuse of being the most anti-Israel figure in the Senate, was in Israel last week, there was nothing but sweetness and light on the settlements — not even much quarreling over foreign aid.

Paul is less libertarian than his dad, Ron, the congressman also often accused of being anti-Israel because he doesn’t want to become entangled in the Middle East or elsewhere overseas and believes foreign aid is unconstitutional. But Rand, who’s positioning himself for a 2016 presidential run, is also leery of foreign aid.

His trip was an important moment for those who have a weather eye out for whether libertarians can make common cause with foreign-policy conservatives, who tend to be strong supporters of the Jewish state.

If liberty is your cause, after all, then Israel is the best bet there is in the Middle East. But will Sen. Paul reach that conclusion?

For the rest of this column from the New York Post, please click here.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use