Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg will be speaking live at the 2020 AIPAC Policy Conference.
On Tuesday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee confirmed that Bloomberg will attend the event in person. The conference will occur on the eve of Super Tuesday – the first primary the former NYC Mayor will compete in, and therefore a major moment in his campaign.
CONFIRMED ✔️: @MikeBloomberg will speak live at #AIPAC2020. @Mike2020 #AIPACProud https://t.co/HmvBzGOT2G pic.twitter.com/5Mn7oReQAo
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) February 25, 2020
On Sunday, Senator Bernie Sanders, the other Jewish presidential candidate, said he would boycott the conference.
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“The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security. So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference,” Sanders announced via Twitter.
“The toxic culture the president has created is harming our relationship with Israel,” Bloomberg said while speaking at a synagogue in Miami last month. “If I am elected, you will never have to choose between supporting Israel and supporting our values here at home.”
Bloomberg has a long history of support for the Jewish state; as a philanthropist, he has donated to build the Magen David Adom Blood Center and a wing of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital
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“So it’s with a personal attachment to Israel that I say: As president, I will always have Israel’s back,” Bloomberg continued. “I will never impose conditions on our military aid, including missile defense – no matter who is Prime Minister. And I will never walk away from our commitment to guarantee Israel’s security.”
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