As I noted earlier, among prominent Republicans, Marco Rubio is one of the most articulate and fervent in his pro-Israel statements. This interview is only one example:

In responding to the Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla, Obama has ignored the fact that the flotilla’s organizers and participants were looking for a confrontation and have “strong direct ties to Islamic fundamentalists, jihadists, and terrorists and to many who do not believe in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state,” Rubio, a former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, says.

“I believe that there is an organized, systematic attempt to de-legitimize Israel’s right to exist and to undermine Israel’s right to defend itself,” Rubio says. “And so Israel has never needed strong American support more than it needs it now.”

Yet, Rubio says, “Some of the pronouncements and actions of this administration over the last year have emboldened those who are trying to de-legitimize Israel.”

It will be interesting to see how Jewish voters in Florida assess the Senate and House candidates. By those Democrats who have been unwilling to criticize Obama with regard to his policy on Israel and Iran, is there a price to be paid? There is a reason why the president and Joe Biden have been out to “charm” American Jews — they are rightly worried that their record on Israel has alienated a once reliable voting bloc. With candidates such as Rubio to emphasize the point, American Jews might figure out (or is that too much to hope for?) which party is more devoted to the Jewish state these days.