Several days ago, I had a wonderful opportunity: (1) I introduced Senator Lieberman before he addressed attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Council (AIPAC) annual meeting in Sarasota and (2) spend a few minutes with Senator Lieberman at a small cocktail party.

Let me share a few of Senator Lieberman’s thoughts that he shared during the evening

  1. During college Senator Lieberman worked for former Connecticut Senator, Abraham Ribicoff. Prior to being Senator, Ribicoff was Secretary of HEW under President Kennedy. Lieberman said that this work experience encouraged him to want a political life.

  2. Senator Lieberman has been a longtime supporter of AIPAC, feeling that it was the most important organization in creating the longstanding alliance between the U.S. and Israel.

  3. Senator Lieberman for many years has strongly opposed the Iran Nuclear Deal. He pointed out that Iran has been the most flagrant supporter of terrorism. While Lieberman did not mention the arguments of former Secretary of State Kissinger and Schultz, I would like to note them. They opposed the Iran nuclear deal. Specifically, Kissinger and Schultz noted that a nuclear Iran would encourage Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey to institute nuclear capabilities. Needless to say, the genie will be out of the bottle if these 4 Mideast countries obtain nuclear capabilities.

  4. Senator Lieberman shared a private conversation with French President, Emmanuel Macron. Macron assured Lieberman that “if the chips were down, France would support Israel’s right to exist.” Lieberman responded to Macron that he hoped that “it would not get to that.” In my opinion, France would not lift a finger to support Israel’s existence. My argument stems from the fact that in 1967, then president Charles DE Gaulle changed French former support for Israel. De Gaulle would not provide any arms to Israel despite the Arab efforts to destroy Israel.  Since 1967 France has focused on having strong Arab ties and consistently opposed Israel in the United Nations.

  5. Lieberman noted that while Israel’s relationship with Europe remains frosty, Israel has a positive budding relationship with leading Asian countries— India and China. He also noted that Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has a positive attitude toward Israel. Bolsonaro is expected to visit Israel very early in his administration and Netanyahu will attend Bolsonaro’s inauguration.

  6. Lieberman believes that currently for the most part that the Democratic Party remains committed to maintaining warm relations with Israel. He did note the disquieting fact that some Left Wing (Progressive) Democrats are ambivalent. Lieberman hopes that Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress, would use her opportunity to visit Israel to meet with a wide spectrum of politicians. The worry is that she just uses her visit to publicize the Palestinian position.

  7. Lieberman was fully supportive of Trump’s position to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Along with former Florida Senator Connie Mack, Lieberman introduced the successful legislation that supported the move of the American Embassy to Jerusalem in 1995.

  8. Lieberman warmly supports AIPAC’s efforts to reach out to all the various ethnic and racial groups in the United States. He noted that the greatness of America is that we are a representative democracy.