Huckabee’s policy toward Israel disqualifies him as president
MSNBC host Chris Matthews recently referred to Mike Huckabee as a lunatic, accusing him of wanting to remove all Palestinians from the West Bank in a policy that would amount to ethnic cleansing of millions of people.
Huckabee, appearing on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, quickly returned the fire.
“Chris, see a doctor,” he urged Matthews. “Do it quickly. You’re out of control. You’re off your meds. You absolutely must get help, and do it today.”
Here’s the interview:
What’s interesting about the interview is that Huckabee doesn’t try to deny the basic charge that Matthews leveled against him; he simply tries to deny that it’s lunacy. He tries to justify it.
In fact, for several years now Huckabee has laid out an undeniably radical point of view on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. For starters, he opposes creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank, which contradicts decades of bipartisan American consensus on how to resolve that issue. But that’s not the crazy part.
Huckabee also believes and has stated repeatedly that the Palestinians have no right to any of the land where they have lived for thousands of years. In Huckabee’s mind, Israelis own it all, and in fact have the right to live anywhere in the occupied West Bank they might wish, even on land technically owned by Palestinians.
“The Jewish people have indigenous rights to the land in which they occupy and live and it goes back not 60 years or 80 years but it goes back 3,500 years,” Huckabee said on one trip to Israel, making it clear that he was referring not just to the state of Israel but all of the conquered territory on the West Bank as well, from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River.
Huckabee also has strongly opposed any international or American effort to halt the growth of Jewish settlements in the region, again because in his mind the West Bank is as much a part of Israel as Arkansas is a part of the United States.
“To tell Jewish people, ‘You cannot live here, you cannot raise your children here,’ this is the true racism, this is apartheid,” Huckabee said. “I cannot imagine as an American being told that I could not live in certain places in America because I was Christian, or because I was white, or because I spoke English.”
But he is perfectly willing to say such things to Palestinians.
Theoretically, Huckabee says, he’s fine with a Palestinian state. It just can’t be in Palestine. “There are vast amounts of territory that are in the hands of Muslims, in the hands of Arabs,” he says, suggesting that the Palestinian state — and thus the Palestinian people — be moved elsewhere.
“The question is should the Palestinians have a place to call their own? Yes, I have no problem with that,” he said in a 2009 trip to Israel. “Should it be in the middle of the Jewish homeland? That’s what I think has to be honestly assessed as virtually unrealistic.”
In the end, I don’t think Matthews was far off in his assessment of Huckabee’s position. The former Baptist preacher clearly believes that the Palestinians have no right to live where they have lived for centuries because the land was promised to Israel by God more than 3,500 years ago. He has said repeatedly — and implies it again in the Ingraham interview — that you can’t have two groups of people “living on top of each other” in that region, and that a Palestinian state has to be created outside of Palestine.
Ethnic cleansing of Arabs would seem to be the only means to achieve the goals that Huckabee sets out.
I understand that for Huckabee, this is essentially a deeply held religious belief. On religious grounds alone, I can respect that. However, I do not think it possible to elect a person with such beliefs to the presidency of the United States, where he would have the power to implement such a deeply inhumane and disastrous policy.
– Jay Bookman
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218 comments Add your comment
Granny Godzilla
March 2nd, 2011
8:28 am
Mike Huckabee, nice guy, not presidential material.
Wish him well.
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:30 am
Jay – you realize that you have people on this very blog who have essentially said the same thing – that there is not now nor has there ever been a “Palestine”, therefore, there can be no “Palestinian people”
un. be. lievable.
Normal
March 2nd, 2011
8:30 am
Jay,
This isn’t news. Everybody except the American Talibaptists know Huclkebee is off his rocker. Too much religion will do that, you know.
For those of you who missed it…
http://news.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/03/01/political-pictures-sarah-palin-north-korea-japan-all-look-same/
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:31 am
GG – ever since he said he wants to change the Constitution to make it align with the Bible, he’s DQd himself from the WH in my books …
… when he said the US is a Christian nation … welp … that was just icing on the cupcake.
this? criminey – this is just the ribbon on the closed pastry box of his political aspirations …
Barak
March 2nd, 2011
8:33 am
You realize that he’s right. The only solution is to admit that Jordan is Palestine and have Jordan absorb all of the Arabs in Israel just like Israel absorbed all of the Jews from Arab lands and survivors from the Holocaust.
Jay
March 2nd, 2011
8:35 am
USinUK, they’ll no doubt be saying those things here again, and that’s fine.
However, none of them have a realistic chance of being the GOP presidential nominee.
Granny Godzilla
March 2nd, 2011
8:36 am
USinUK
“this is just the ribbon on the closed pastry box of his political aspirations”
can I get an AMEN? or a RAMEN!
Jay
March 2nd, 2011
8:37 am
So Barak, you’re cool with the forced eviction of millions of people — men, women and children — whose families have lived on that land for literally thousands of years.
You’re fine with that — you think that’s a good idea, and ought to be American policy.
Peadawg
March 2nd, 2011
8:37 am
As we saw with Obama…being disqualified as President doesn’t mean some lunatics won’t vote him in.
Damn…neither blog today is about something important going in Georgia…gas tax hike and the personal service tax.
Techfan
March 2nd, 2011
8:41 am
” indigenous rights to the land in which they occupy and live and it goes back not 60 years or 80 years but it goes back 3,500 years” Creek, Cherokee, Lakota,….
carlosgvv
March 2nd, 2011
8:42 am
Huckabee is a far-right Christian with a mentality not unlike many of the Ayatollas we have to contend with. This kind of mindset shows up in all the lunatic fringe elements of all Religions. Electing him president would be a step toward making us like Iran.
Lord Help Us
March 2nd, 2011
8:42 am
What is the difference between Huckabee and Pat Robertson? Each is as unacceptable to lead this country as the other…
Mick
March 2nd, 2011
8:43 am
I wonder if huckabee would be as vociferous an advocate for the native americans who were here some 20,000 years before the europeans..
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:43 am
techfan – yep. wrong then. wrong now.
jay – as long as there are nutty-nut-nuts out there who believe this, Huckabee will hang on with a chance … kinda like Ralph Nader
jt
March 2nd, 2011
8:44 am
Huckabee’s policy toward Israel disqualifies him as president……………………..
Ditto most everyone’s else…………….
Except one………………………………….
” I do not believe we are making the United States more secure when we involve ourselves in conflicts overseas. The Constitution really doesn’t authorize us to be the policemen of the world, much less to favor one side over another in foreign conflicts. It is very clear, reading this resolution objectively, that all the terrorists are on one side and all the victims and the innocents are on the other side. I find this unfair, particularly considering the significantly higher number of civilian casualties among Lebanese civilians.
Mr. Speaker, There is nothing wrong with considering the fact that we don’t have to be involved in every single fight. That was the conclusion that Ronald Reagan came to, and he was not an enemy of Israel. He was a friend of Israel. But he concluded that that is a mess over there. Let me just repeat those words that he used. He said, he came to the conclusion, “The irrationality of Middle Eastern politics forced us to rethink our policy there.” I believe these words are probably more valid now even than when they were written.
Ron Paul
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:44 am
carlos – 8:42 – TESTIFY!
Normal
March 2nd, 2011
8:45 am
Jay
March 2nd, 2011
8:37 am
Actually Jay, it’s been done…Trail of Tears…Sensei Josef taught me well…
Joel Edge
March 2nd, 2011
8:45 am
I wish I could have seen some of this outrage during the many pronouncements of the destruction of Israel.
Normal
March 2nd, 2011
8:46 am
…But Sprout Puppy…
I thought Republicans don’t raise taxes…could I have been lied too? Oh! The shock!!!
Ragnar Danneskjöld
March 2nd, 2011
8:47 am
Good morning all. I think the idea of creating a Palestinian country within the 1968 borders of Israel is lunacy, mostly because the government of Palestine is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. A Palestinian homeland on the east bank, or within Gaza is reasonable. Those Palestinians who live peacefully within the borders of Israel enjoy the benefits of Israeli citizenship, similar to those Hispanics who immigrate to the US. I have heard no argument suggesting Palestinians should be evicted from Israel, and I cannot conceive of any rational reason Israelis should not build homes anywhere on the West Bank.
The anti-Israel West Bank kerfuffle is a phony issue, manufactured by Arab dictators who need to keep their own people subjugated, to channel their anger against one other than the overlords. Similarly, American leftists give aid and support to the effort due to the anti-Israel attitude endemic to national socialists.
USMC dawg
March 2nd, 2011
8:48 am
Jay Bookman’s ANTISEMITISM shines again!
Anti-Jewish, Jay?
Jay
March 2nd, 2011
8:48 am
Joel, don’t try the distraction angle.
Do you or do you not think Huckabee’s approach is deeply inhumane and dangerous?
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:48 am
Joel – when a US presidential candidate says something like that, you will.
of course, I’m sure you don’t mind when one of them co-opts words like “holocaust” and “blood-libel” to make a trivial point about their wittle feelings …
Normal
March 2nd, 2011
8:49 am
dawg,
Did the Marine Corp drop you on your head?
Jay
March 2nd, 2011
8:50 am
The 1968 borders of Israel, Ragnar?
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:50 am
USMC – I think the phrase anti-genocide is more accurate.
not that accuracy has ever been important to you …
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:50 am
Normal – dropping him on his head once was a mistake … more than once … well … it was a message …
Peadawg
March 2nd, 2011
8:51 am
“I thought Republicans don’t raise taxes…could I have been lied too? Oh! The shock!!!” – Yup we were lied to. It seems like neither party is worth a damn these days. Neither wants to make the necessary cuts. Both parties are worried about 1 thing and 1 thing only…saying what needs to be said to get elected.
AmVet
March 2nd, 2011
8:52 am
“…kinda like Ralph Nader”
ex-pat, please do expound. (Warning! I’m apparently a nutty-nut-nut! LOL at me!)
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
8:53 am
AmVet – otp – plz hold
AmVet
March 2nd, 2011
8:54 am
“That was the conclusion that Ronald Reagan came to…”
True, he just covertly, and sometimes illegally, aided, abetted and armed pretty much every murderous right wing dictator and brutal thug around the globe…
jt
March 2nd, 2011
8:55 am
In Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza………it is American weapons…………………
Go strap on a flak jacket Mr. Shuckabee……………………..
“The conflict in Gaza and the West Bank is almost like a schoolyard fight: when America and the world stand watching, neither side will give an inch for fear of appearing weak. But deep down, the people who actually have to live there desperately want an end to the violence. They don’t need solutions imposed by outsiders. It’s easy to sit here safe in America and talk tough, but we’re not the ones suffering.
Practically speaking, our meddling in the Middle East has only intensified strife and conflict. American tax dollars have militarized the entire region. We give Israel about $3 billion each year, but we also give Egypt $2 billion. Most other Middle East countries get money too, some of which ends up in the hands of Palestinian terrorists. Both sides have far more military weapons as a result. Talk about adding fuel to the fire! Our foolish and unconstitutional foreign aid has produced more violence, not less.
.
The simple truth is that we cannot resolve every human conflict across the globe, and there will always be violence somewhere on earth. The fatal conceit lies in believing America can impose geopolitical solutions wherever it chooses.”
Ron Paul
ty webb
March 2nd, 2011
8:56 am
“Ethnic cleansing of Arabs would seem to be the only means to achieve the goals that Huckabee sets out.”
Jay,
Let me guess. You pulled out the ol’ “jump to conclusions” mat for that one?
jt
March 2nd, 2011
8:58 am
AmVet————
“True, he just covertly, and sometimes illegally, aided, abetted and armed pretty much every murderous right wing dictator and brutal thug around the globe…”
As opposed to…………………………………?
stands for decibels
March 2nd, 2011
9:00 am
sigh. For years, I’ve clung to the notion that Huckabee had a redeeming streak of sanity in him, based mostly on two things.
1) Based on how he governed, I assume he isn’t allergic to tax increases.
2) He was probably the only American conservative to get Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s back (and, by extension, Obama’s) when everyone else was dumping on the man for one (1) quoted-out-of-context sermon, back in the Spring of 2008. That took some courage.
But between this, and his apparent belief that Obama was raised in Kenya? I think I’m done apologizing for him.
Jay
March 2nd, 2011
9:01 am
OK, Ty, I’ll bite.
What’s your alternative approach toward reaching Huckabee’s goals? How else will you separate the two peoples, make the West Bank safe for Jewish settlers to live anywhere they wish and create a Palestinian state somewhere other than Palestine.
What’s YOUR plan for achieving those goals?
Gale
March 2nd, 2011
9:01 am
We have tried to be peacemakers in that area since Israel was created. We have failed utterly. We should withdraw all but humanitarian support and let them solve their own problems. They lived next to one another for thousands of years. Let them figure it out again.
AmVet
March 2nd, 2011
9:01 am
jt, I don’t follow your 8:58. Please clarify…
Joel, USMC dawg and especially Rag, answer one simple question for me, if you dare.
Why is it that American Jews ALWAYS vote overwhelmingly against you supposed friends of Israel?
md
March 2nd, 2011
9:01 am
“Jay – you realize that you have people on this very blog who have essentially said the same thing – that there is not now nor has there ever been a “Palestine”, therefore, there can be no “Palestinian people”
un. be. lievable.”
“The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.
For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan” – Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Zahir Muhsein
Just sayin…………
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
9:02 am
AmVet – referring to the committed few who are loyal supporters.
I used to like Ralph until he said that there was no discernable difference between Gore and Bush (jsut before Bush repealed clean water guidelines) … then I lost all respect for him.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
March 2nd, 2011
9:04 am
Dear Jay @ 8:50, good morning. “The 1968 borders of Israel, Ragnar?” Sure, why not. One year after Israel was attacked by the Arab forces. They took the West Bank and Gaza and Golan Heights, not in a war of aggression, but in defense. When Egypt offered a sincere peace, Israel gave up the Gaza. Syria is still belligerent, so Golan is still a smart defensive hold. I cannot think of a reason Israel should not keep and develop the West Bank, other than the objections of dictators and leftists, neither of which persuades me.
I heared he was an Ayrab
March 2nd, 2011
9:05 am
Not really surprised here. But I expect the same standard to be applied everywhere else, especially northern Georgia and parts of Tennessee. The people with rights to that land are the Cherokee, so all those areas are to be handed back to the original owners from thousands of years ago.
Stupidity seems to be a common trait among southern republicons
Joel Edge
March 2nd, 2011
9:08 am
Jay@8:48
No distraction. I believe Matthews used the term “ethic cleansing”, not Huckabee. I’m surprised you didn’t post a link to the actual Huckabee comments. Simple fact is: no one wants the Palestinians. Well, except as a tool to bash Israel. I’m just saying that all this mock outrage has been absent when it comes to the wiping out of the Jewish people. I wonder why that is, Jay.
BTW, I am not remotely Jewish, or even very religious.
md
March 2nd, 2011
9:09 am
Interesting how everybody picks their arbitrary point in time and then defends it as the best solution…….
Wonder what arbitrary point in time the American Indian would like to go back to……….
godless heathen
March 2nd, 2011
9:09 am
US Citizen, over 35 years of age, he’s qualified.
USinUK
March 2nd, 2011
9:10 am
md – you seem to have missed the “nor has there ever been” part of my statement
http://www.thenazareneway.com/map_of_ancient_palestine.htm
of course, there is no official “Palestinian” people NOW since Palestine is not a recognized state.
carlosgvv
March 2nd, 2011
9:11 am
USinUK
Can I get an AMEN???
Belinda
March 2nd, 2011
9:11 am
Good points, Jay. Thanks for informing us.
Normal
March 2nd, 2011
9:12 am
Peadawg
March 2nd, 2011
8:51 am
I think you’ve seen the light old boy…welcome to American Politics and alway, ALWAYS look with jaundiced eye at ALL of them…then, when at the voting booth, reach into your pocket and pull out a coin. Flip it and choose your vote accordingly.
buck@gon
March 2nd, 2011
9:12 am
WM Jay,
“Ethnic cleansing of Arabs would seem to be the only means to achieve the goals that Huckabee sets out.”
Completely lost to liberals is the argument because of their misunderstanding of moral equivalence, which is what Huckabee’s position simply is. So called Palestinians who essentially lost “their” land, which is really land that belonged to other countries prior to what can only be called legal or justified occupation based on wartime laws, simply want, with their sponsor states of Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia to commit ethnic cleansing against the Jews. Huckabee can’t bring this about, of course, anymore than Obama can ethnically cleanse the mideast of Jews. What Huckabee can do is give Israel a powerful negotiating position by his support of conservative Israeli actions. He, at least, would strengthen and comfort an ally that our current amateurish foreign policy President has alienated and spurned.