Multiple 2020 Democrats say they won’t attend AIPAC summit

[Right_in_Virginia]

Multiple 2020 Democrats say they won’t attend AIPAC summit
Associated Press, Mar 21, 2019, By JUANA SUMMERS and ELANA SCHOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — Multiple Democratic presidential candidates said Thursday that they won’t attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference in Washington next week.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, are among the 2020 contenders who have decided not to attend. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who is considering an independent bid for president, will also avoid the AIPAC conference.

It comes as the liberal advocacy group MoveOn has called on Democratic presidential candidates to skip this year’s policy conference, saying AIPAC had tried to thwart the Iran nuclear deal and had employed “anti-Muslim and anti-Arab rhetoric.” By not attending, the Democratic candidates can demonstrate their progressive bona fides in an increasingly crowded 2020 field.

But it also gives President Donald Trump an opportunity to highlight his ties to the Israeli government. As the Democrats distance themselves from AIPAC, Trump said Thursday that it is time for the United States to recognize Israel’s control over the disputed Golan Heights.

AIPAC declined to comment on the 2020 candidates but noted that presidential candidates have attended the conference in the past. Indeed, several Democrats seeking the presidency, including Harris, Gillibrand, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have spoken at the group’s annual conference before.


More:  https://www.apnews.com/7470416d12a84154a6136ee47bd94e78