Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson opposes US giving Israel 'blank check'

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson stated at a debate that he opposes providing a "blank check" to Israel and linked US military aid to Palestinian deaths, while Republican incumbent Susan Collins defended current aid levels. Jackson, who holds a narrow lead, has intensified anti-Israel rhetoric, recently apologizing for comments about Jewish Mainers and the term "genocide."

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson stated at a debate on Tuesday that he opposes providing a "blank check" to Israel and linked US military aid to Palestinian deaths. In a rebuttal to Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins, Jackson explained he did not want "any more offensive weapons going to murder people in Palestine." Collins, a five-term senator, responded that "the current level is good" and that she is "a strong supporter" of Israel. Jackson, who holds a narrow lead according to a recent University of New Hampshire poll (51% to 47%), has rattled many in Maine's Jewish community with intensified anti-Israel rhetoric. He recently apologized for comments made in a News Center Maine interview where he described the war in Gaza as "a genocide" and made a generalization about Jewish Mainers' views on the term. Jackson has the endorsement of J Street, the liberal pro-Israel organization, and called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a war criminal" during the debate.