Israel is America’s "indispensable ally" in fighting radical Islamic terrorism, but the U.S. does not have a coherent strategy for countering the threat, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said in an interview during his visit to the Jewish state this week.
Ryan sat down with the Times of Israel Sunday evening in Jerusalem for a wide-ranging interview in which he discussed the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I wanted to come to Israel for very important symbolic reasons - to buttress and reinforce our alliance and my belief in a stronger alliance between our two countries," Ryan said on his first trip to the Jewish state since 2005.
He explained that Islamic terrorism carried out by the Islamic State in Europe and by Palestinians against Israelis is part of the same phenomenon that threatens the civilized world.
"They’re coming at Israel but they’re ultimately coming for us," Ryan told the Times of Israel’s David Horovitz. "So we are partners in this war on terror, radical Islamic terrorism. Israel is an indispensable ally in that. Israel is on the frontline in so many ways with respects to it."
The House Speaker added that the alliance extends beyond security cooperation to shared values between both nations.
"You are an oasis of democracy in a tough neighborhood. And it’s very important to us to keep these alliances."
Ryan believes the U.S. lacks a comprehensive strategy to address ISIS as well as the broader threat of radical Islam, noting that "we need a generational strategy about winning hearts and minds in the Muslim world" and to "lead a coalition of governments in moderate nations."
Ryan also discussed Iran’s recent aggressive behavior in the Middle East and lambasted the Iran nuclear deal as a weak agreement that will empower the Islamic Republic to wreak havoc in the region without sufficiently rolling back its nuclear program.
"I think the ballistic tests (were an early indication). I think what Iran is going to end up doing is going to make people rue the day they voted for that deal. As we move forward in the future, I think people who supported the deal are going to regret that support," Ryan said, referencing Iran’s recent tests of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, which the U.S. and its allies believe violate a United Nations Security Council resolution.
"The question now is one of enforcement—keeping Iran to its word. And making sure that we don’t backslide on any other sanctions," Ryan said, adding that he is concerned about the Obama administration’s move to grant Iran access to some U.S. dollars in the global financial system.
"That’s not part of this deal, and it shouldn’t be. That falls into the category of concerns about backsliding or even giving more concessions and sanctions relief."
Ryan added that, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lobbying hard against the deal and essentially President Barack Obama’s Iran policy in March 2015, support for Israel remains bipartisan.
"Republicans disagree with the administration’s policy in this area. A lot of Democrats do ... [But] I would not as an Israeli be worried about the future of our relationship. I think it’s going to strengthen. Because I can speak for Congress, knowing that we have a very strong alliance."
The House Speaker also addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying he supports a two-state solution but does not believe Israel has a Palestinian partner willing to negotiate, so "I don’t know how much progress can be made."
He firmly stated that no outside country, including the United States, cannot bully Israel into an agreement.
Addressing President Obama‘s effort to pressure Israel into making territorial concessions, Ryan said, "We shouldn’t try to force Israel into an insecure position."
Ryan also discussed the growing popularity on American college campuses of the BDS movement to boycott, divest from, and sanction the Jewish state, observing, "There is a nasty strain of anti-Semitism. You read more about it in Europe. But (in the U.S.) this is infinitesimal. The support for Israel is deep in America. I don’t have a big Jewish diaspora in my district. But I have huge pro-Israel supporters in my district."
"We need Israel for our own national security. We need Israel to keep ourselves safe as well. That’s important," Ryan added.
The Speaker was also inevitably asked about the 2016 presidential election and the fighting within the Republican Party, but promised that he is not going to be the GOP savior at a potential contested convention this summer.
"I decided not to run for president," Ryan said. "I think you should run if you’re going to be president. I think you should start in Iowa and run to the tape."
Israel is Ryan’s first stop on a trip throughout the region to visit countries that are helping in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State.