Feiglin dragged into Republican primary

Likud activist tells 'Post' he doesn't interfere in US politics because he doesn’t like it when American politicians interfere with Israel.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Moshe Feiglin 520 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Moshe Feiglin 520
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Likud activist Moshe Feiglin has not attracted much attention for his candidacy in the January 31 Likud leadership primary in which he is the sole candidate running against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
But ironically Feiglin has made waves in the Republican presidential primaries in the United States.
Feiglin’s name has been raised in debates about whether Republican candidate Ron Paul is anti-Israel.
When Paul’s opponents cited his opposition to foreign aid to Israel, his supporters responded that such a stance was not anti-Israel because it was supported by Feiglin, and other right-wing Israelis.
When asked how he felt about getting wrapped up in US politics, Feiglin told The Jerusalem Post that as a rule he does not interfere in American politics because he doesn’t like it when American politicians interfere with Israel. He added that he also does not like it when Israeli politicians dabble in American politics in order to build themselves up politically.
Feiglin said he had great respect for many Republican politicians without getting into specifics. He confirmed that he and Paul shared views on the $3 billion in US military aid to Israel.
“I think he is right,” Feiglin said. “US aid damages Israel.
Israel doesn’t need the money when our economy is doing so much better than theirs and there is no economic justification for it when it is such a small percentage of the country’s income.
“More importantly, the aid causes Israel to depend on the US as if it is our big brother.”
The Washington website The Hill recently ran a blog comparing Paul to Feiglin. It quoted from Feiglin’s book in which he wrote about the danger to Israel caused by American aid.
Feiglin would not respond to controversial statements by Paul on Israel. But he did take note of Republican candidate Newt Gingrich’s statement about the Palestinians being “an invented people.”
“The fact that Gingrich says things that no one in the Likud other than me dares to say says it all,” he said.