"Now, as many of you know, I have a connection to the State of Israel going back many years," he told the group, "in 1963, I lived on a kibbutz near Haifa."It was there that I saw and experienced for myself many of the progressive values upon which the State of Israel was founded," he said. "I think it is very important for everyone, but particularly for progressives, to acknowledge the enormous achievement of establishing a democratic homeland for the Jewish people after centuries of displacement and persecution, and particularly after the horror of the Holocaust."
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren gave detailed plans for a peace agreement, but ultimately acknowledged that both sides need to agree among themselves on the terms of a peace plan."We can start by welcoming the Palestinian General Delegation back to Washington and reopening an American mission to the Palestinians in Jerusalem," she told the group."We should immediately resume aid to the Palestinians and financial support to UNRWA, and focus real financial and political resources on fixing the man-made humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip," she said.
"Israel is an important ally, with whom we share common security interests and common values. I am committed to Israel’s security and legitimacy, and to cooperating closely on common threats we face from Iran and from terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and ISIS," she added.But we cannot emphasize our deep bonds to Israel while ignoring the basic humanity of Palestinians. We must also commit to ensure the well-being, rights and freedom of the Palestinian people."
Former vice president Joe Biden was the only candidate to specifically mention anti-Israel bias in the UN.
"We’ll continue to stand against the biased resolutions and attempts to delegitimize Israel at the United Nations," he said. "We’ll continue to assure that Israel is represented on critical committees just like other nations. And we will continue to push back against the call here in the United States for people to boycott, disinvest or sanction Israel. It’s wrong."
Former Texas representative Beto O'Rourke has a very strong history of pro-Israel voting, though recent polling doesn't show him as being one of the current front runners.
As a member of Congress, he voted in favor of foreign aid for Israel.Beto co-sponsored a resolution in Congress to encourage the Obama administration to quickly finalize a robust and long-term Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel.The resulting agreement was a deal which would last for 10 years and which provided Israel $3.8 billion per year.In Congress, he supported the Taylor Force Act, which prohibits certain foreign aid from being made available for the West Bank and Gaza unless the State Department certifies that the Palestinian Authority is taking steps to end acts of violence.He cosponsored both the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act and the Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker stated his history of membership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his active funding of Israeli security interests. California Senator Kamala Harris sent back a relatively short statement, which didn't seem to mention anything outside of the agreed upon democratic views for the region.
"As President, I would start by reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and prosperity, while simultaneously working to rebuild the broken relationship between the United States and the Palestinians," she said. "Among all of our international partners, the U.S. is uniquely positioned to facilitate negotiations toward peace, but for that to have any chance of success, we have to start by re-engaging in honest, respectful dialog with both sides."