“I’m proud to stand with the President, who stands with our most important ally, the Jewish State of Israel,” Pence declared.
By: Barney Breen-Portnoy, The Algemeiner and United with Israel Staff
During the Donald Trump era, America “will stand with Israel,” Vice President Mike Pence vowed on Thursday, during his address to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.
“Israel’s fight is our fight, her cause is our cause and her values are our values,” Pence said, prompting a standing ovation. “I’m proud to stand with the President, who stands with our most important ally, the Jewish State of Israel.”
Pence’s CPAC appearance came a day after he stopped at a recently vandalized Jewish cemetery in Missouri and lent a helping hand in the cleanup effort.
One panel discussion at CPAC on Thursday was titled, “Is BDS BS? The Left’s Attack on Israel.” It was moderated by Ned Ryun, the CEO of the American Majority organization.
“BDS isn’t about taking Israel out of business,” Lisa Daftari — Editor-in-Chief of The Foreign Desk — said, according to the Legal Insurrection blog. “It’s about taking Israel off the map.”
Sander Gerber — a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs think tank — said attention must be brought to the Palestinian Authority’s support for terrorism, “Expose the PA and it will change the view on Israel,” he said.
Erielle Davidson — a research assistant at the Hoover Institution think tank — said education was key to fighting BDS.
“It’ll be better that truth is known,” she said. “Follow the money. Look at all charities you contribute to and see who is sending money to the PA.” She also noted that the PA and Hamas were, “equally terrible.”
Addressing the Jewish Republicans Coalition on Friday, Pence condemned a string of anti-Semitic acts of vandalism across the country, saying that such acts had “no place” in the country.
“Let me be very clear: We condemn these acts of vandalism and the people that perpetrated these acts in the strongest possible terms,” Pence said. “Hatred and anti-Semitism have no place in American society.”
On US-Israel relations, Pence said, “If the world knows nothing else, the world will know this: America stands with Israel.”
He added that the Trump administration is “assessing” whether to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he said.