The United States staying out of the civil war in Syria and not intervening to topple Assad is shared by Israel, America’s closest ally in the region, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Thursday.
Speaking at the Heritage Foundation Thursday morning, Cruz explained that his anti-interventionist policy on Syria is identical to Netanyahu’s policy on Syria. “I would note that my view that we don’t have a side in the Syrian civil war is shared by at least one other world leader with a cleared eye and a direct vision of what’s happening – Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Cruz stated. “[Netanyahu] was asked when he visited Washington last month why he didn’t intervene in this Syrian civil war? And he responded, simply, that he would only do so if he had a clear side, which at this point he did not.”
Cruz further quoted Netanyahu as saying, “When two of your enemies are fighting each other, I don’t say strengthen one or the other, I say weaken both, or at least don’t intervene.”
The Republican presidential hopeful said he was guided by the Israeli premier’s comments. “At a time of great parallel, we need the Churchillian clarity and vision that Prime Minister Netanyahu provides because he doesn’t have the time for the political correctness that so hamstrings the Obama administration,” he stressed. “I think we should listen to our closest ally in the region. And in the absence of a viable alternative to Assad, that isn’t ISIS, I think we should focus on the immediate and unambiguous challenge to our security which is, utterly, destroying ISIS.”
Cruz also addressed his fondness of Netanyahu during a Q-and-A session. “He’s a leader who understand, full well, the threats that are facing both his nation but also facing American,” he said. “He’s a leader who has a clarity of vision that I think this nation desperately needs.”
Echoing his GOP hopefuls on the matter, Cruz said that President Obama refusing to meet Netanyahu during his controversial visit to address a joint session of Congress in March was “one of the most shameful aspects” of the administration that shows “how bad American Foreign Policy has gotten” towards Israel. “And that is something that will change if I’m elected president.”
