Vivek Ramaswamy, a GOP presidential candidate, says he favors reducing aid to Israel.
His comments came during a Friday interview with Russell Brand on the Rumble platform. The Jerusalem Post reported details of the interview.
Ramaswamy maintained Israel should not get more aid than its neighboring counties in the Middle East when the current aid package of $38 billion expires after 2028.
“Come 2028, that additional aid won’t be necessary in order to still have the kind of stability that we’d actually have in the Middle East by having Israel more integrated in with its partners,” he said.
He said he also favors expanding the Abraham Accords and maintained that after Israel is “more integrated” with its surrounding counties, it should be able to stand “on its own two feet” financially.
His comments about Israel came in response to a question from a viewer.
“Israel should not receive preferential treatment from the United States, even though our relationship with Israel has advanced American interests” over time, he maintained.
“There’s no North Star commitment to any one country, other than the United States of America.”
The Jerusalem Post noted that Ramaswamy's comments separate him from top rival for the nomination former President Donald Trump, who is viewed as a strong supporter of Israel.
“I want to negotiate now Abraham Accords 2.0: get Saudi [Arabia], Oman, Qatar, Indonesia in there,” he said during the show, according to Haaretz.