August 27, 2008 (Fort Lee, NJ) -- Following his selection as Barack Obama's vice presidential running mate, US Senator Joseph R. Biden's interview with Shalom TV on America and Israel has been quoted and played throughout the world--including new outlets in Iran and Syria, and the Al Jazeera network.
Conducted in Washington DC in March 2007, in the midst of his Democratic presidential primary bid, Senator Biden told Shalom TV President Mark S. Golub of his longstanding commitment to Israel, calling the country "the single greatest strength America has in the Middle East."
"I am a Zionist," said Senator Biden. "You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist."
Senator Biden went on to point out that without Israel, one could only imagine how many battleships and troops America would have to station in the Middle East.
He also decried as "insulting" the notion that any American could suggest that Israel is somehow the cause of the war in Iraq.
"If, tomorrow, peace broke out between Israelis and Palestinians, does anybody think there wouldn't be a full-blown war in Iraq? And, conversely, if Iraq were transported to Mars, does anyone think there would not be terrorism visited upon the Israelis every day?
"So let's get it straight. Israel is not the cause of Iraq. Iraq being settled or not settled has nothing to do with Israel's conduct."
The Senator also expressed a sensitivity and empathy for Israelis who have had to live with terrorism.
"[From 9/11], Americans can taste what it must feel like for every Israeli mother and father when they send their kid out to school with their lunch to put them on a bus, on a bicycle or to walk; and they pray to God that cell phone doesn't ring."
Asked about Jonathan Pollard, sentenced to life-imprisonment for giving classified information to the State of Israel, Senator Biden opened the door to leniency, but not a pardon.
"There's a rationale, in my view, why Pollard should be given leniency. But there is not a rationale to say, 'What happened did not happen and should be pardoned."
Shalom TV, an American cable television network devoted to Jewish public affairs and Jewish culture, is available free of charge in twenty million homes across the US. Participating cable companies include Comcast, Verizon FiOS, Time Warner, Bright House, MetroCast, Service Electric, and Blue Ridge Communications. Additional information on the English-language service, including programming information, is available at www.shalomtv.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment