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Israeli elections pit Republicans against AIPAC

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s electoral alliance with the far-right Jewish Power party has created yet another partisan cleavage over Israel.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) gives a thumbs up after being interviewed at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington, DC, U.S., March 6, 2018.   REUTERS/Brian Snyder - RC144242BC60

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s electoral dalliance with the extremist Jewish Power party has opened up a rift between Republicans and key pro-Israel groups in the United States.

With the embattled prime minister casting a wide net for allies amid his escalating legal troubles, both Democrats and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are warning that having what AIPAC called a “racist and reprehensible” party in government will make it more difficult to marshal bipartisan support for Israel. Republicans are taking the opposite approach, using the controversy to insist they’re the only ones standing with Israel through thick and thin.

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