Nikki Haley rebukes Vivek Ramaswamy over call to end aid to Israel by 2028

Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley blasted fellow White House contender Vivek Ramaswamy Monday after the entrepreneur floated the prospect of phasing out US aid to Israel by 2028.

Ramaswamy billed his Middle East plan as the “Abraham Accords 2.0,” to include a bid to broker peace agreements between the Jewish state and more of its Arab neighbors, which he argued would lessen the need for US support.

“If we’re successful, the true mark of success for the US, and for Israel, will be to get to a 2028 where Israel is so strongly standing on its own two feet, integrated into the economic and security infrastructure of the rest of the Middle East, that it will not require and be dependent on that same level of historical aid or commitment from the US,” Ramaswamy told the Washington Free Beacon Sunday.

The current US aid package of $38 billion to Israel expires in 2028.

Ramaswamy, 38, also suggested on a podcast hosted by British actor and comedian Russell Brand last week that Israel received preferential treatment from Washington.

“There’s no North Star commitment to any one country [in my administration], other than the United States of America,” Ramaswamy told Brand.

Haley, an unapologetic backer of Israel and the former US ambassador to the United Nations, sharply disagreed.

“Vivek Ramaswamy is completely wrong to call for ending America’s special bond with Israel,” she said in a statement. “Support for Israel is both the morally right and strategically smart thing to do. Both countries are stronger and safer because of our iron-clad friendship. As president, I will never abandon Israel.”

“This is part of a concerning pattern with Vivek. Between abandoning Israel, abolishing the FBI, and giving Taiwan to China, his foreign policy proposals have a common theme: they make America less safe,” she added.

The Ramaswamy campaign dismissed Haley’s swipe, with a spokesperson telling The Post of Haley: “We wish her well on her future in corporate America’s boardrooms.”

Over the weekend, Ramaswamy attempted to amplify his support of Israel.

“We will not leave Israel hanging out to dry – ever. The centerpiece of my Middle East policy in Year 1 will be to consummate ‘Abraham Accords 2.0’ which will be good for the U.S. and good for Israel,” he wrote on Instagram. “If we can lead the way in helping Israel fully integrate into the economic and security infrastructure of the Middle East via Abraham Accords 2.0, it is better for everyone if Israel is truly able to stand on its own feet with support from partners across the Middle East that we diplomatically bring to the table.”

Conservative radio host Mark Levin fired back on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Israel does stand on its own two feet. It spends around 8 [%] of its GDP on defense. And it has fought bravely for 75 years in numerous wars and battles. Your statement is absurd. Nonetheless, it’s a tiny country with few people. It’s enemies not only receive billions in weapons from our enemies, but in the case of Iran billions from our country via Biden’s policies.

“However, you miss the point entirely,” Levin continued. “Israel is an ally in a very dangerous part of the world. We need Israel as a counterweight to Iran, Syria, terrorist organizations, etc. You seem oblivious to America’s need to have strong and reliable allies throughout the world to help our own security needs. Foreign policy should be based on prudence not flip ideological comments.”

“I’m all for outsiders,” concluded Levin, who also hosts “Life, Liberty, and Levin” Sunday nights on Fox News. “But, respectfully, you need to bone up a bit on this subject. It’s not about forever wars, which have nothing to do with this, or new thinking. It’s old and failed and provocative thinking. Nothing novel or smart about it.”

As Haley referenced in her statement, Ramaswamy suggested earlier this month that the US commitment to Taiwan would change drastically after his administration attains semiconductor independence — a feat he believes he can achieve in four years.

“Xi Jinping should not mess with Taiwan until we have achieved semiconductor independence, until the end of my first term when I will lead us there,” Ramaswamy told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Aug. 14. 

Ramaswamy has also floated the prospect of brokering an end to the war in Ukraine by making territorial concessions to Russia, which has put him at odds with foreign policy luminaries in the GOP, if not the party grassroots.

The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Ramaswamy in third place among Republican primary voters nationally with 7%, with Haley in fifth place with 3.3% support.