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Ron Paul’s Son Sen. Rand Paul Won’t Comment on Father’s Past Comparison of Gaza to “Concentration Camp”; Israelis Suprised Congressman Made Analogy

Ron Paul’s Son Sen. Rand Paul Won’t Comment on Father’s Past Comparison of Gaza to “Concentration Camp”; Israelis Surprised Congressman Made AnalogySupporters of Ron Paul have been trying to make the case their candidate is pro-Israel despite his past statements and opposition to foreign aid to the Jewish state. Their job got a little harder after a two-year-old interview Rep. Paul gave to Iran’s Press TV was recently posted on YouTube in which he compared Israel’s treatment of Gaza to that of a Nazi concentration camp.

In the 2009 interview, Paul talks about the “tragedy of Gaza,” comparing it to a concentration camp, and appears to mock those who say Hamas is the aggressor. He said, “To me I look at it like it’s a concentration camp, and people are making bombs, like, they’re the aggressors?”

In New Hampshire this weekend, the Daily Caller asked Paul’s son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, about the video clip:

Asked by TheDC in the spin room after the ABC News–Yahoo! News Republican primary debate whether his father still stood by that assessment of Gaza as a concentration camp, the younger Paul wouldn’t say.

“I don’t know about that comment,” Rand Paul said before pivoting to say that his “father doesn’t want [Iran] to have nuclear weapons, he thinks it would be destabilizing for them to have them, but he thinks there needs to be a healthy debate in Congress about what our response should be.”

Pressed again on whether his father still thinks Gaza is like a concentration camp, Paul mumbled “I don’t know that” before turning away from TheDC to answer other questions.

Though the comparison has been made by some pro-Palestinian activists, Israelis were surprised a presidential candidate would make it. It was the lead story on Israel’s Ynet News website Monday morning. Itamar Marcus, who heads the Israeli research group Palestinian Media Watch which follows Palestinian media reports from Gaza and the West Bank tells The Blaze:

“Comparing the Gaza Strip to a concentration camp is disgusting and shows complete ignorance. Disgusting – because it trivializes and insults the memory of the millions of victims who were killed in the Nazi concentration camps and death camps. It shows complete ignorance because there is no resemblance between civilians who were murdered and starved to death in concentration camps, and the military blockade of the Gaza Strip to keep weapons out of the hands of genocidal preaching Hamas. If there is suffering in the Gaza Strip – and there may be – it is totally the blame of the Palestinian leadership there.”

The Blaze reached out to Israeli legislators across the political spectrum for reaction, but representatives of Likud, Kadima, Independence and Labor said they didn’t want to comment publicly on the American election campaign.

Paul’s position on Israel got attention last month after former aid Eric Dondero wrote that the presidential candidate wishes Israel did not exist.

In response to that, Ron Paul’s campaign spokesman Gary Howard emailed the media a statement saying, “”Dr. Paul is the most pro-Israel candidate in this race.”

“He is the only leader who will stop sending tens of billions of dollars in aid and arms to her Arab enemies, cut off subsidies to companies who do business with Iran, and allow Israel to defend herself as she sees fit, without the permission and interference of the US or the United Nations.”

By contrast, Dondero, who previously worked for Ron Paul for 12 years wrote that though he does not believe Paul is anti-Semitic, he is “most certainly Anti-Israel, and Anti-Israeli in general:”

“He wishes the Israeli state did not exist at all. He expressed this to me numerous times in our private conversations. His view is that Israel is more trouble than it is worth, specifically to the America taxpayer. He sides with the Palestinians, and supports their calls for the abolishment of the Jewish state, and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition last month did not invite Paul to its candidates’ forum because of what it called his “extreme views” after a November Republican debate where he said Washington should be less involved in Israeli affairs. Reuters reported:

“They can take care of themselves,” Paul, who has called for reduced U.S. foreign aid generally, said at the time. “Why do we have this automatic commitment that we’re going to send our kids and send our money endlessly to Israel?”

In an interview to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz last month, Paul said he’s “the one candidate who would respect Israel’s sovereignty and not try to dictate to her about how she should deal with her neighbors.” He reminded readers he supported Israel‘s 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. He added:

I believe that Israel is one of our most important friends in the world. And the views that I hold have many adherents in Israel today. Two of the tenets of a true Zionist are “self-determination” and “self-reliance.” I do not believe we should be Israel’s master but, rather, her friend. We should not be dictating her policies and announcing her negotiating positions before talks with her neighbors have even begun.

Ron Paul’s interview to Press TV was not the last time the presidential candidate invoked the World War II comparison. In 2010, he told Don Imus the situation in Gaza is “almost like in concentration camps,” a comparison that makes claims Ron Paul is pro-Israel more difficult to believe.

Here is that clip:

Comments (38)

  • Vechorik
    Posted on January 16, 2012 at 2:21pm

    It IS like a concentration camp! Go to http://www.YouTube.com and search for the words:

    “jews throwing stones”

    Report Post »  
  • jcizarter
    Posted on January 16, 2012 at 7:26am

    Scud missles are not Home Made bombs, Mr. Paul.
    RON PAUL in 2012
    I will still vote for you, since you are going to get rid of the IRS, Obama, NDAA, war on drugs, bail outs to banks and bankrupt companies, he will shrink the Fed. I am so glad.
    Politically he does not want to be involved! We are spending way too much money over seas. I totally agree. If he wants to be anti-semitic that is his constitutional right as an american citizen.
    P.S. I am jewish

    Report Post » jcizarter  
    • Vechorik
      Posted on January 16, 2012 at 1:56pm

      James 1:25

      “Whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty,
      and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer,
      but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

      Report Post »  
  • Naps
    Posted on January 16, 2012 at 5:47am

    Another smear article from the Blaze. Way to go Glenn,smear the only guy who speaks the truth,and fights for our Freedoms. But I guess that would be status quo from Bain Capitol and Clear Productions….AKA….the MSM. Oh Glenn…you are such a FAKE,it is disgusting.
    Ron Paul or we’re Screwed!!!

    Report Post »  
  • lielyle
    Posted on January 15, 2012 at 11:55pm

    Just a smelly hippie that’s wants less federal government in my life…

    Report Post »  
  • RDG013
    Posted on January 15, 2012 at 8:29pm

    Poor Rand is watching his personal ambitions go down the drain the longer his father stays in the race. Just think what would be found on Ron Paul if he were actually relevant to the race?

    Report Post » RDG013  
  • suz
    Posted on January 15, 2012 at 3:41am

    yeah, ron paul and israel just don’t go together. as a matter of fact, keep them as far apart as possible.

    this is exactly why the guy just can’t/must not be president.

    Report Post » suz  
    • colt1860
      Posted on January 15, 2012 at 12:58pm

      Do you know what a PATRIOT is?

      PAT’RIOT, n. [L. patria, one's native country, form pater, father.] A person who loves his country, and zealously supports and defends it and its interests.

      PAT’RIOT, a. Patriotic; devoted to the welfare of one’s country; as patriot zeal.

      pa·tri·ot [pey-tree-uht, -ot or, especially Brit., pa-tree-uht] noun 1. person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. 2. a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, especially of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.

      Report Post »  
    • recoveringneocon
      Posted on January 15, 2012 at 5:38pm

      Im voting for America.

      PAUL’S PRO-AMERICA FOREIGN POLICY

      * Make securing our borders the top national security priority.
      * Avoid long and expensive land wars that bankrupt our country by using constitutional means to capture or kill terrorist leaders who helped attack the U.S. and continue to plot further attacks.
      * Guarantee our intelligence community’s efforts are directed toward legitimate threats and not spying on innocent Americans through unconstitutional power grabs like the Patriot Act.
      * End the nation-building that is draining troop morale, increasing our debt, and sacrificing lives with no end in sight.
      * Follow the Constitution by asking Congress to declare war before one is waged.
      * Only send our military into conflict with a clear mission and all the tools they need to complete the job – and then bring them home.
      * Ensure our veterans receive the care, benefits, and honors they have earned when they return.
      * Revitalize the military for the 21st century by eliminating waste in a trillion-dollar military budget.
      * Prevent the TSA from forcing Americans to either be groped or ogled just to travel on an airplane and ultimately abolish the unconstitutional agency.
      * Stop taking money from the middle class and the poor to give to rich dictators through foreign aid.

      As President, Ron Paul’s national defense policy will ensure that the greatest nation in human history is strong, secure, and respected.

      Report Post » recoveringneocon  
    • UrsaMajor
      Posted on January 16, 2012 at 1:28am

      Nothing in those definitions of “patriot” does it say anything about Jew-hating… because only a Jew-hater would compare Gaza to a concentration camp. No wonder he wants to be friends with Iran!

      Report Post »  
  • MCDAVE
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 9:32pm

    I never here much about what Israel thinks about Obama…Wonder if they feel betrayed by him?

    Report Post »  
  • recoveringneocon
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 7:16pm

    Ron Paul was one of the only people in Congress that supported Israel‘s 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor.

    Report Post » recoveringneocon  
  • colt1860
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 4:08pm

    Paul said that Israel should our best friend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH-fv15oAhQ

    Paul said, “We should be their friend and their trading partner. They are a democracy and we share many values with them. But we should not be their master. We should not dictate where their borders will be nor should we have veto power over their foreign policy”.

    Paul was a handful to support Israel‘s decision to attack Iraq’s nuclear facilities in 1981. When asked what he thinks about Israel attacking Iran, he responded that if Israel felt threaten she has every right to defend herself and protect her interests.

    Former Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Dore Gold, said, “Israel never asked the United States to risk the lives of American troops to defend it… We don’t want American troops or any other troops defending Israel. We want to fulfill the doctrine of the founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, of self-reliance– that Israel defends itself by itself. And what we ask for from the United States is diplomatic support so we can maintain that position.”

    Paul states that “the surrounding Arab nations get seven times as much aid as Israel gets and also a recent study came out that showed that for every dollar you give to an Arab nation it prompts Israel to spend 1.4 dollars.”

    Report Post »  
    • colt1860
      Posted on January 14, 2012 at 4:08pm

      Paul said, ” We have adopted a foreign policy that has left Israel surrounded by militaristic nations while undermining Israel’s sovereignty by demanding that its foreign and defense policies be essentially pre-approved in Washington. That is a bad deal for Israel, as sovereign nations must determine on their own what is a most appropriate national defense.”

      Report Post »  
    • colt1860
      Posted on January 14, 2012 at 4:12pm

      typo

      *that Israel should BE our best friend

      Report Post »  
  • colt1860
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 4:03pm

    CONTEXT PEOPLE:

    In an interview with Don Imus, Paul was asked for his view of the Gaza flotilla raid. He responded, “…I think it’s absolutely wrong to prevent people that are starving and having problems, that are almost like in concentration camps, and saying yes we endorse this whole concept that we can’t allow ships to go in there in a humanitarian way…” Imus remarked, “They are allowing humanitarian aid in… what they’re concerned about is weapons falling into the hands of Hamas…” Paul responded, “Well, they’re an elected government, I mean Hamas; We have thousands of our soldiers dying to say that we want elections and we want democracy, so we finally get one in Palestine, and they elect Hamas, and then all of a sudden whoa you’ve elected the wrong people…”

    Gaza:

    http://www.google.com/search?q=gaza%20war&biw=1360&bih=667&sei=i-0RT63OGKrt0gHmo5m0Aw&tbm=isch

    Report Post »  
  • A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 1:09pm

    The most important piece of information you must know about Ron Paul, as it relates to this story, is that he sees ALL blockades, embargos, and sanctions to be a prohibition of free trade, and that a prohibition of free trade is a violation of peoples’ inalienable rights, and therefore an act of war.

    Ron Paul is not being inconsistent, here. For better or worse, a prohibition of free trade causes poverty, as we are seeing in our own country when our energy producers cave to unconstitutional, pretended EPA regulations.

    Ron Paul believes the attacks from Gaza is blowback for Israel (and the US) prohibiting free trade.

    Whether Ron Paul understands that Muslims want to eliminate the Jews for religious reasons, regardless of any added tension due to prohibitions of free trade, I don’t know. But he certainly respects Israel’s right to exist and to defend herself, as his prior vote suggests, so he’s not ANTI-Israel.

    He just isn’t a dispensationalist, so he doesn’t understand that Israel has a special relationship to God. And a president of the United States does not Constitutionally HAVE to believe that about Israel, so this is not a problem for me. Further, other countries’ problems are NOT our own – remember: foreign interventionism is a PROGRESSIVE foreign policy; You know: “Make the world safe for democracy” [which we are not], and all that.

    Report Post »  
    • ZengaPA65
      Posted on January 14, 2012 at 3:14pm

      ISRAELIS “SUPRISED” Remember when you had to be literate to be a journalist?

      Report Post » ZengaPA65  
  • clemV
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 12:57pm

    Ron Paul 2012!! How can you not love this guy? I’m getting tired of the smears…

    Report Post »  
    • UrsaMajor
      Posted on January 16, 2012 at 1:34am

      Becuase he is an inept fool who couldn’t even control what was published in HIS own newsletter the HE says he edited. If he is such an incompetent boob he can’t keep racist bile out of his newsletter, he has NO BUSY with an entire country left to his “executive leadership” abilities!

      Plus, he parrots Left-wing, Alinsky, Fascist political tactics of calling people bigots, homophobes and chickenhawks just like a typical Progressive coward.

      Report Post »  
  • Taldren
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 11:56am

    Dondero is not a valid source for any story. The man was fired from a campaign that takes in all types, which should tell you all you need to know about your so-called source.

    “Concentration camp” was a bad choice to use … Should have used the much better American term “internment camp” … aka what we did to Japanese Americans during WW2.

    Report Post » Taldren  
  • Ballot_Box_Revolution
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 11:42am

    I disagree with Paul on his personal opinion in this case. But I still stand with the constitution, and his political stand that we should let them duke it out and get it over with….That is their concern, and we have our own problems to worry about here at home.

    Israel will win without us (as a nation), before they win with us. Those with little faith, do not believe that God will protect his people, as he says he will….They believe Israel needs the support of man not God.

    Faith is an individual effort, not forced collectivism. Just as an example: If you forced everyone to go to church, is everyone faithful and good??

    So does forcing our nation to to view Israel one way or another put us in favor in God’s eyes if we are the “protectors” of Israel? If I were God i would be insulted that you think you could do a better job.

    I think God would favor it more if those who support Israel in that fashion made the individual effort to go support Israel to protect it. Be a freedom fighter. Having our government do it only takes responsibility away from the individuals who don’t want to feel guilt for not personally standing up.

    Report Post » Ballot_Box_Revolution  
  • Jabboe9
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 11:40am

    I would consider voting for and supporting Paul if he were not such a friggin’ wack-job.

    Report Post » Jabboe9  
    • Roaran
      Posted on January 14, 2012 at 12:30pm

      When all you are used to hearing are lies, I suppose the truth would sound a little crazy wouldn’t it?

      Report Post »  
    • icoolfla
      Posted on January 14, 2012 at 10:29pm

      wack job would be some one who listened to glenn beck for the last 4 years and votes for any one but paul…….wake up man…..Israel is not our girl friend…..they can kick ass all on there own…there army doesn’t have the same rules of engagement that gets our solders killed…they fight to crush there enemy…lets get out of there way and let them…and quit being such a fox tool…..

      Report Post »  
  • sam b for liberty
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 11:34am

    I went on the blaze today and like usual there are two hit pieces on Paul!!!! What about romney and his crony capitalism????? Nope that wont be on here because bain is partnerd with clear productions which owns beck,limbaugh, hannity and levin radio channels! hmm

    Report Post »  
  • Hossua
    Posted on January 14, 2012 at 11:21am

    LOL, you guys just don’t get it do you?

    Report Post »  

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