Presidential race comes to AIPAC at a precarious time for U.S-Israel relations

By Philip Klein, Philip Klein

Published March 20, 2016

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The presidential campaign lands in Washington this week as front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton join other White House contenders in addressing thousands of pro-Israel activists at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference.

As the major presidential candidates speak at the gathering, they'll be doing so at a historically low point in U.S.-Israel relations following a bitter dispute over the Iran nuclear deal, which AIPAC opposed.

Clinton, who served as secretary of state for many of the Obama administration's clashes with Israel, has made continuing his policies a big part of her campaign, and that includes the policy on Iran. Meanwhile, Trump has unnerved many in the pro-Israel community by combining a lack of policy understanding with loose statements such as the idea that he would be "neutral" in Israel's conflict with the Palestinians. His chief rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, has vowed to side with Israel.