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Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is the most supportive of Israel
InfoIsrael.net ^ | June 11, 2007 | Anthony David Marks and Hannah Amit

Posted on 06/11/2007 2:02:54 PM EDT by Politicalmom

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is the most supportive of Israel out of a dozen or so politicians seeking to win the US presidential seat. The former actor, who has also served as a US senator, claims Israel has been too restrained in its responses to Palestinian terrorism.

“Israel is at war,” Thompson opined in a column for the conservative website Townhall.com. And the Jewish State has gone to “incredible lengths to stop the war against them without harming Palestinian non-combatants.”

Thompson is also recorded as supporting an Israeli military strike against Iran, should international boycotts and diplomacy fail to detour the Islamic Republic from its nuclear arms race.

Thompson is expected to make his first visit to Israel in the near future where he will meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and other senior officials.

Liberal political elements in Israel fear Thompson is too far-right in his opinions and may do eventual harm to Israel. There are many in Israel, however, who would welcome Thompson and his hard-line policy against terror onboard the US leadership team. (Sources: Israel Today/IHC)

http://www.infoisrael.net/cgi-local/text.pl?source=2/a/ix/110620074

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Speaking Out Against Iran and Syria. “The terror masters in Tehran and Damascus make only the most minor distinction between America and Israel. They say that America is the Great Satan, and Israel is the Little Satan, and both must be destroyed. The US must make it clear that we will not allow Iran to become a nuclear threatâ€¦.In addition to pursuing sanctions and other traditional means, we need to take other steps to reach out to the Iranian people and help them get rid of their hated regime. Our goal is peace and freedom. The US must willingly accept its accustomed role of leadership in this effort.” (Thompson Statement Before the Republican Jewish Coalition on 10/16/07)

Affirming U.S. Support of Israel. “During last night’s debate in New Hampshire, I was appalled that none of the leading Democrats would stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran—a country intent on acquiring nuclear weapons and whose leader has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. A Thompson Administration would stand by Israel and all of our friends in the region. We would not wait for U.N. permission to support an ally or defend our interests abroad. The U.N. has not shown sufficient resolve toward stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions.” (Thompson Press Release, 9/27/07)

Defending Israel’s Reaction To Missile Launches From Gaza. In defending Israel’s military response to these attacks he stated, “Let me ask you a hypothetical question. What do you think America would do if Canadian soldiers were firing dozens of missiles every day into Buffalo, NY? I can tell you, our response would look nothing like Israel’s restrained and pinpoint reactions to daily missile attacks from Gaza. We would use whatever means necessary to win the war.” (Haaretz, 9/12/07)

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Senate Record. Fred Thompson supports legislation that advances the United States’ and Israel’s security and interests. During his time in the U.S. Senate, Fred Thompson voted for a number of measures important to both countries, including-

* A Senate Resolution in 2002 Expressing Solidarity With Israel And Reaffirming Commitment To Israel’s Right To Self-Defense
* The Iran and Libya Sanctions Act Extension of 2001
* A Senate Resolution in 2001 Expressing Solidarity With Israel In Common Struggle Against Terrorism
* The China Nonproliferation Act he authored, which imposed sanctions on proliferators of WMD.
* The Iran Nonproliferation Act Of 2000
* A Senate Resolution in 1999 Expressing Opposition To Unilateral Declaration Of Palestinian State
* The Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act Of 1998
* The Jerusalem Embassy Act Of 1995