Montecristos with Bibi (and Peace in the Middle East)

Summary

Summary of "Montecristos with Bibi (and Peace in the Middle East)" – The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Release Date: September 22, 2020

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Montecristos with Bibi (and Peace in the Middle East)," host Ben Ferguson delves into the historic Abraham Accords, a landmark peace agreement in the Middle East. The discussion primarily centers around the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, marking the first such agreements in 26 years. The episode features an in-depth conversation with Senator Ted Cruz, who provides his insights and firsthand experiences related to the Accords.

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Historic Peace in the Middle East

Senator Ted Cruz opens the discussion by highlighting the significance of the Abraham Accords:

• Key Points:

  • First Normalization in 26 Years: The UAE and Bahrain's normalization with Israel breaks a 26-year hiatus, with the last agreement occurring in 1994 with Jordan.
  • Symbolic Moment: The Accords were signed on the White House's South Lawn, symbolizing strong U.S. support.
  • Implications for Regional Stability: Cruz emphasizes that such agreements diffuse longstanding tensions, potentially leading to broader regional and global peace.

• Notable Quote:

  • "This is the first time an Arab country has normalized relations with Israel in 26 years." [02:42]

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U.S. Role in Middle East Peace

The conversation shifts to the United States' longstanding involvement in brokering peace in the Middle East:

• Key Points:

  • Historical Context: Attempts at peace date back to at least the Carter administration, with significant efforts like the Camp David Accords in 1978.
  • Unique Relationship with Israel: Israel's establishment post-World War II and the Holocaust underscores its strategic and moral significance to the U.S.
  • Critique of Previous Administrations: Cruz criticizes prior administrations, including Obama and Biden, for their approach to the Iran nuclear deal and lack of decisive action towards peace.

• Notable Quote:

  • "Israel is the world's only Jewish nation... to ensure that never again would something like the Holocaust happen." [03:55]

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Trump Administration's Foreign Policy Shift

Senator Cruz contrasts the Trump administration's foreign policy with its predecessors, focusing on two pivotal decisions:

1. Relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem:

   • Controversial Move: Previously, the embassy was in Tel Aviv to accommodate Palestinian claims to Jerusalem.
   • Strategic Decision: Cruz advocates that moving the embassy signals unwavering U.S. support for Israel, despite opposition from the State and Defense Departments.
   • Impact on Relations: The move was intended to strengthen ties with Arab allies and demonstrate a clear stance against Iran's nuclear ambitions.

2. Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal:

   • Opposition Within Administration: Both Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis opposed the withdrawal.
   • Cruz's Advocacy: He argued that the deal was flawed and that the U.S. needed to take a firmer stance against Iran’s nuclear aspirations.

• Notable Quotes:
  • "If we move the embassy, it will be seen by both our friends and our enemies as a statement that the United States stands unapologetically in foursquare with Israel." [09:56]
  • "The Obama Iran deal was neither... Once again, Trump agreed with me and overruled his own State and Defense Department." [12:50]

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Challenges and Opposition

Cruz discusses the debates and opposition faced within the Trump administration regarding these foreign policy decisions:

• State vs. Administration: While state apparatus like the State and Defense Departments were hesitant, Cruz actively lobbied President Trump to override their positions.

• Public Perception: The mainstream media and Democrats downplayed the significance of the Abraham Accords, arguing that normalization wasn't crucial since there wasn't active warfare between the states involved.

• Notable Quote:

  • "Democrats are scrambling because President Trump helping broker a peace deal in the Middle East really counteracts their narrative as him as the embodiment of everything that is terrible in the world." [05:26]

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Personal Experiences and Anecdotes

Senator Cruz shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the depth of his involvement and the importance of the Abraham Accords:

• Meeting with Netanyahu:

  • Historic Encounter: Cruz recounts a pivotal meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, where they shared Montecristo cigars and discussed geopolitics.
  • Symbolism of the Meeting: This interaction symbolizes the strong and supportive relationship between the U.S. and Israel.

• Notable Quote:

  • "We sat there smoking Monte Cristo cigars... what in the hell am I doing here? Like, it was surreal." [24:08]

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Implications for the Future

Cruz outlines the broader implications of the Abraham Accords for Middle Eastern geopolitics:

• Strengthening Alliances: The normalization paves the way for other Arab nations, like Saudi Arabia, to potentially join the agreement.

• Containment of Iran: By uniting Arab allies, the U.S. position against Iran's nuclear ambitions is significantly bolstered.

• Peace Through Strength: Emphasizing a foreign policy based on clear support and military strength, Cruz argues that this approach is essential for lasting peace.

• Notable Quote:

  • "The qualitative military advantage they have is part of what produces peace in the Middle East." [27:04]

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Conclusion

The episode underscores the Abraham Accords as a transformative moment in Middle Eastern diplomacy, facilitated by a decisive shift in U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration. Senator Ted Cruz advocates for continued strength and clarity in international relations, positing that such an approach fosters enduring peace and stability both regionally and globally.

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Key Takeaways:

• The Abraham Accords mark a significant step towards peace in the Middle East after over two decades.
• The Trump administration's bold foreign policy decisions, particularly moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, were pivotal in achieving these accords.
• The shift from appeasement to a strategy of strength and clarity has potential long-term benefits for regional stability and U.S. interests.
• Personal diplomacy and strong alliances are essential components in fostering peace and countering threats like Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

1. "This is the first time an Arab country has normalized relations with Israel in 26 years." [02:42]
2. "Israel is the world's only Jewish nation... to ensure that never again would something like the Holocaust happen." [03:55]
3. "If we move the embassy, it will be seen by both our friends and our enemies as a statement that the United States stands unapologetically in foursquare with Israel." [09:56]
4. "The Obama Iran deal was neither... Once again, Trump agreed with me and overruled his own State and Defense Department." [12:50]
5. "We sat there smoking Monte Cristo cigars... what in the hell am I doing here? Like, it was surreal." [24:08]
6. "The qualitative military advantage they have is part of what produces peace in the Middle East." [27:04]

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By providing a comprehensive overview of the Abraham Accords and the strategic shifts in U.S. foreign policy, this episode offers valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of Middle Eastern geopolitics and America's role in fostering peace.

Transcript

[Michael Knowles]

There have been very few things harder to achieve in foreign policy. Maybe nothing harder to achieve in foreign policy than peace in the Middle East. Nobody was able to see that coming. And yet, just this past week, we have had an historic deal for peace in the Middle east. And we happen to have a guy who was there for all of it. This is Verdict with Ted Cruz. Welcome back to Verdict with Ted Cruz. I'm Michael Knowles. Senator, I have to point out that this past week we've seen not just one, but two historic milestones. A pathway to peace in the Middle east and episode 50 of Verdict with Ted Cruz. I don't know which one is more historic.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, it's been 50 episodes. And I gotta say, you know when it was clear to me you weren't paying attention is when the fellow came up with a little clicky thing and said episode 50. What's that called, by the way? The clicky thing?

[Michael Knowles]

It's called the clicky thing, actually. That's the technical term for it.

[Ted Cruz]

And you apparently. No idea. So you weren't listening to him when he said episode 50?

[Michael Knowles]

My eyes glazed over. Absolutely. Because I was focusing on this other, I suppose, more minor historic milestone, peace.

[Ted Cruz]

In the Middle east, peace. I just think you need to reexamine your priorities, Michael.

[Michael Knowles]

You're right. Absolutely. Well, I wasn't there. I wasn't there for the Abraham Accord at the White House. You've got President Trump, Bibi Netanyahu, leader of Bahrain, leader of the United Arab Emirates. What makes this historic and what happened?

[Ted Cruz]

So the Abraham Accords, they were signed this past week, and the signing was on the South Lawn of the White House. So I was there, and they had chairs set up outside. It was beautiful September day, probably 70 degrees outside. I mean, it was as pretty a day as you ever see in Washington. And there are a number of us gathered on these little white wooden folding chairs. And out, out from the White House comes the president, comes Bibi Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and then the foreign minister of the UAE and the foreign minister of Bahrain, and they each give speeches, and then they sit at a table down below and each of them signs the agreement. And what has happened is both the UAE and Bahrain have normalized relationships with Israel. In other words, they're treating Israel just like any other country. And that's a big damn deal. This is the first time an Arab country has normalized relations with Israel in 26 years. The last time was 1994, Jordan.

[Michael Knowles]

Okay, what about before then?

[Ted Cruz]

Before that was Egypt, 1978, Camp David. So this doesn't happen very often. And I think it's an extraordinary step forward in terms of bringing peace to the region, but also peace globally. Because, look, for a long time, the Middle east has been a powder keg and diffusing the tensions. And it was really fitting. The Bahrain peace was announced on September 11. And I pointed out, I said there are few greater acts of revenge we can have on the terrorists who committed that horrific attack on September 11 than to bring about peace in the Middle east and help make Jews and Arabs and Americans friends.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah, well, you mentioned 1978. So we've been working on peace in the Middle east since at least the Carter administration, I suppose, further back than that. And I know this is probably a simple question, but I think sometimes when we think about our own domestic problems, we do wonder this, which is, why is America always trying to broker peace in the Middle East? Why do we care?

[Ted Cruz]

Well, Israel is a unique country. It is the world's only Jewish nation was founded in 1948. So it's just over 70 years old. 72. And you look at 1948, it was coming out of World War II. It was coming out of the Holocaust. Six million Jews being murdered by the Nazis. And the state of Israel was formed for many reasons. One, the historical connection of the Jewish people to Judah and Samaria and to the land of Israel, but also to ensure that never again would something like the Holocaust happen, that there would always be a Jewish state where Jews could be safe and avoid persecution. Now, when Israel was formed in 1948, the Arab nations all declared war, and there was war after war after war. It was not something that happened happily. It's not that their neighbors did not celebrate, to put it mild. And, you know, you think about it, UAE and Bahrain are nearby neighbors who until this week didn't recognize Israel because.

[Michael Knowles]

Some people have been saying, well, it's not a peace deal because the UAE and Bahrain, they've never been in open war with Israel. So. Oh, you know, guys, look, it's not a big deal. Forget about it, okay?

[Ted Cruz]

And that's just a weird argument. Listen, Democrats are scrambling because President Trump helping broker a peace deal in the Middle east really counteracts their narrative as him as the embodiment of everything that is terrible in the world.

[Michael Knowles]

Right?

[Ted Cruz]

And so there's a combination. Joe Biden, when the UAE deal broke, he said, well, this is really the culmination of his work. And so it's convenient. You know, it's a big deal if Biden's trying to take credit for it. And then the other sort of Democratic talking point is, well, it's not that important. Cuz they weren't actively in a state of war, firing missiles at each other. They didn't recognize each other, they didn't acknowledge the Arab states, UAE and Bahrain, didn't acknowledge that Israel existed as a nation, as a Jewish state. And I think it's important to pause and reflect how this came about, because part of the reason that we're seeing the left, both the media and the academic world, and Democrats pushing back so hard on this is these Abraham Accords are the culmination of a very, very different approach Trump took than Obama Biden. And the Obama Biden approach doesn't work. And the approach we've taken the last four years does.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, this is the issue. I remember when Barack Obama was running, this was 2008, people told me if I voted for John McCain, we'd get more wars in the Middle east, which was true. I voted for John McCain and we got more wars in the Middle east even though Barack Obama got elected. We haven't had one of these peace deals in 26 years. Right. So what did they do wrong and what did Trump do right? Because we were told Trump was gonna lead to World War iii.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And to some extent those are or they're parallel issues. I do think too many Democrats, including the Clintons, including Hillary, and too many Republicans, including John McCain, had been too eager to get us into wars, have been too eager to use US Military force. And I think that has been an important, worthwhile shift. The last four years is to be much more restrained in terms of when we get into foreign entanglements, to use a phrase from George Washington with respect to Israel. I think there were two decisions early on in the first year of the Trump administration that really set the stage for this. And they were intertwined. I think these are the two most important foreign policy decisions President Trump has made. The first was moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Now we had our embassy in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is not the capital of Israel. Jerusalem's the capital of Israel. We had our embassy in Tel Aviv because the Palestinians lay claim to Jerusalem as well. And so it was viewed as if you have your embassy in Jerusalem, you are somehow favoring Israel's choice of its capital city. Now, mind you, we have our embassies in the capitals everywhere else on earth.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah, just this one exception that we didn't.

[Ted Cruz]

When the Trump administration began, there was a big debate within the administration about whether or not to move the embassy.

[Michael Knowles]

Because presidents had been promising to do this for decades. It had been official U.S. policy, and just no one actually did it.

[Ted Cruz]

Obama promised to do it. George W. Bush promised to do it. Bill Clinton promised to do it. Both Democrats and Republicans had broken that promise over and over and over again. In 2017, the Trump administration, both the State Department and the Defense Department, opposed moving the embassy. You had Rex Tillerson, he was Secretary of State. You had Jim Mattis, he was Secretary of Defense. And they both didn't want to move the embassy. And the reason they said they didn't want to move the embassy is they said it would enrage the enemies of Israel and the enemies of America. This is a foreign policy battle I engaged in very actively. And so, I mean, I spent a lot of time talking to the president, leaning in making the case. Look, the enemies of Israel and America, they hate us anyway. It's not like there's suddenly some other day where they break out in hosannas and start singing songs.

[Michael Knowles]

You're not going to appease them.

[Ted Cruz]

And that appeasement word, we're going to come back to that, because that appeasement word is very, very important for understanding the shift in path that led to this peace agreement. The past week, there were voices in the White House who were arguing against moving the embassy to Jerusalem because they said, this will make peace harder to achieve in the Middle East. We want to see peace in the Middle East. If we move the embassy, it will tick off everyone who's angry with Israel, and that makes it harder to achieve.

[Michael Knowles]

And you saw this throughout the mainstream media as well. This was being echoed in the popular press.

[Ted Cruz]

And the case I made to President Trump and the case I made repeatedly in the White House is I said, look, there is virtue to clarity and lack of ambiguity. If we move the embassy, it will be seen by both our friends and our enemies as a statement that the United States stands unapologetically in foursquare with Israel and that there's a president who is not going to be cowed by the New York Times or cnn. At the end of the day, the president agreed with me. He overruled his own State Department, he overruled his own Defense Department, and he moved the embassy. I was there when we opened the embassy in Jerusalem in May of 2018, it was actually on the date of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the modern state of Israel. And it was powerful. It was emotional. There's literally dancing in the street in Jerusalem. I've been to Jerusalem four Times I've never seen jubilation like there was when we opened the embassy. And what I argued to the President when he was debating whether or not to move the embassy is I said, listen, our Arab allies, Jordan, Egypt, the Saudis, UAE said they will all publicly denounce the decision because they'll feel they have to for domestic political reasons. They'll feel obliged to denounce it. But what I argued is, I said secretly, they will be overjoyed. And here's why. They will say a president with the backbone to move the embassy, maybe, just maybe, just maybe, will have the backbone to stand up to Iran and stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons. And there are few things that have clarified the minds of our Arab allies more than the Obama Iran nuclear deal, which put Iran on a barreling path towards getting nuclear weapons.

[Michael Knowles]

Iran and sent them pallets of cash.

[Ted Cruz]

Very famously over $100 billion. I do not believe it is a coincidence that the very same week we opened our embassy in Jerusalem is the week the President announced he was withdrawing from the disastrous Obama Iran nuclear deal. Those two were connected, okay. And the same fight played out in the Trump administration on pulling out of the Obama Iran deal. State was opposed, defense was opposed.

[Michael Knowles]

It was clear when President Trump was running, he said, I'm gonna get out of this Iran nuclear deal. The base hates it.

[Ted Cruz]

So he actually didn't. It is a little bit astonishing. The Iran nuclear deal is one of the issues on which Donald Trump and I sharply disagreed in the 2016 primary.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, I remember you were certainly opposed to it.

[Ted Cruz]

So when I was running in 2016, I pledged to do five things on the first day in office, January 20, 2017. One was move the embassy to Jerusalem.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

Another was rip the Iran deal to shreds. So those were two of the five things I pledged to do. Trump, as a candidate in 2016, explicitly disagreed with me. And he said, no, I'm not going to rip the deal up. I'm going to renegotiate. I'm going to try to get a better deal. And so we had. I mean, in several presidential debates, we disagreed on this policy issue. So you Fast forward to 2017, there's a debate within the Trump administration. Tillerson and Mattis are both saying, stay in the deal. Mattis kept saying, a deal is a deal. America's given our word. And I kept pointing out to, to Mattis, I said, no, America didn't give our word. Obama signed that agreement with the explicit opposition of the United States Congress. America gives our word either when we pass a statute or a treaty ratified by the Senate. The Obama Iran deal was neither. He made an end run to the UN to try to get around Congress and the opposition. Once again, Trump agreed with me and overruled his own state and Defense Department. Now let's fast forward to now those decisions. Part of the reasons those decisions were so important is you look at the UAE and Bahrain, you no longer had this moral ambiguity, this hand wringing. This is, oh, we don't want to take a stance on Israel. We don't know what we believe. Which I think prolonged conflict. You talked about appeasement. The Obama Biden path was appeasement over and over and over again. It was undermining Israel. And undermining Israel ironically produces more terrorism, tension, warfare, dissension in the Middle East. In the last couple of weeks, I've spoken with the UAE ambassador, I've spoken with the Saudi ambassador. So Saudi Arabia has not normalized relationships.

[Michael Knowles]

But we've been told there could be other countries, as many as nine countries that will join on to this sort of a peace deal.

[Ted Cruz]

And look, the Saudis are the whale. They're the biggest of the players. That is outstanding. And Bahrain is very closely allied with the Saudis. Most people think that Bahrain would not have done this without the Saudis at least giving implicit approval to it. The Saudis also announced, and this is historic as well, that they would allow Israel to have overflights, to have their airplanes fly over Saudi Arabian territory. That's a big deal. Used to be Israel had to fly around Saudi Arabia because Saudi Arabia would not allow Israeli planes in their airspace. Both the UAE ambassador and the Saudi ambassador in the past week when I spoke to them, they said, listen, we are doing this because we want to be friends with America, because it is important for us to be friends with America. And we know that it is important to you for us to be friends with Israel.

[Michael Knowles]

We know where you stand.

[Ted Cruz]

It's the clarity. And they said, that's why we're doing this. There's something called the Iran echo chamber. Okay, so that was when Barack Obama was president, they were negotiating the Iran nuclear deal. There was a so called echo chamber that its locus was the National Security Council under Obama. But it was reporters, it was academics, it was think tanks, and it was all these lefties who were pushing the Iran nuclear deal. They viewed that as the single biggest foreign policy accomplishment of the Obama presidency. And it's all predicated on appeasement. It's predicated on if we give Iran $100 billion, they'll make nice and won't make nuclear weapons. Even though the Ayatollah regularly chants Death to America and Death to Israel, it.

[Michael Knowles]

Should be made clear. This is not ambiguous here. You've got a country that chants death to America. You've got a country that is an open, explicit ally of the United States. And yet under the Obama admin, it made us all scratch our heads. They thought the path to peace was to make nice with the people chanting Death to America. This obviously. Look, Middle east peace is perhaps the most complicated foreign policy issue. So just to simplify here, because it seems like there's so many layers, we were told for a very long time that supporting Israel was the cause of this chaos and violence in the Middle East. It would seem to be that the opposite has been proved true. We were told by the leaders of these countries that they hated our support for Israel explicitly. And yet behind closed doors and in their own interest, it would seem that they actually have supported American clear support for Israel. Is that right? Am I clarifying here a little?

[Ted Cruz]

I think that's right. On the latter point, they haven't as much explicitly supported it as I think it is in their interest. And they are. You know, I've joked, you remember Barack Obama was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, right after he was elected. He literally. I don't think he'd unpacked his boxes yet. He was still trying to find a stapler.

[Michael Knowles]

I believe it was nine days after he was sworn in, he was nominated.

[Ted Cruz]

For the Peace Prize and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for not being George W. Bush. The fact that he was. By the way, why didn't you win a Nobel Peace Prize?

[Michael Knowles]

You're not George Bush.

[Ted Cruz]

Bush, I know.

[Michael Knowles]

Where's my phone call?

[Ted Cruz]

So they awarded him that prize. But you look at. I've joked that in retrospect, Obama may have deserved it because he did something heretofore impossible, which is he united the Arabs and the Israelis. All he had to do was put in place a plan to give $100 billion to the Ayatollah Khamenei that he could use to develop nuclear weapons to threaten all of their lives. And suddenly the Jews and the Arabs are like, holy crap. Are you out of your mind?

[Michael Knowles]

Because this introduces an aspect that I think is often overlooked when people are trying to grapple with this, which is they think of the issue as Jews versus Muslims, and that's as simple. But of course, we're talking about nation states here, and there are a lot of these Arab states that don't particularly like Iran. So you've. Instead of just two.

[Ted Cruz]

And there's a divide between Sunnis and Shiites. Exactly. And so Iran is a Shiite state, and most of the Arab states are Sunni states. And so there's a religious divide within Islam between the Sunnis and Shiites. And they're fully aware of what Iran is capable of. I mean, Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world. But yet both Obama and Joe Biden, who was very active in foreign policy as vice president, they fully believed in appeasement. I've also joked there's a reason we don't see the Neville Chamberlain school of foreign policy. Neville Chamberlain was Prime minister of Great Britain, championed appeasement of Adolf Hitler, and said, if we just give him what he wants, he'll leave us alone, everything will be fine. And history teaches us that appeasement doesn't work, that it's provocative, that actually weakness and appeasement to a dictator, to a tyrant makes war more likely. This is where a lot of the media gets it backwards. Listen, I agree with Ronald Reagan, who talked about and emphasized and built his foreign policy on peace through strength, that if you want to avoid war, be strong enough, that no one wants to mess with you.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, it's interesting on that point of peace through strength. And we were told at that time that Reagan's a cowboy, he's a warmonger, he's crazy. I guess we were told the same thing when the Trump administration came in as well. But there is an irony here to both of those administrations. We really did get that piece. I mean, it's not just an empty slogan, but when you have weakness, you're inviting this kind of aggression.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, in eight years in the White House, the biggest nation Reagan ever invaded was Grenada. That's right. He was reluctant to use military force, as Trump has been as well. And I think that is exactly right. I think there were too many cowboys in the GOP and the Democratic Party that option A was always send the Marines. And listen, if there's a threat to the national security of the United States, if Americans lives are being threatened, that's what the armed forces is for, is to keep us safe. But being reluctant to pull that trigger, I think is the right thing to do. Not to put our sons and daughters in harm's way, but also being clear and strong. It's why moving the embassy was such an important pivot point. And look, I'll give you an example of Obama, Biden and their policies back in I think it was 2014. I was in Israel, and I had a meeting set up with Netanyahu. And I've gotten to know Bibi well, and the meeting was set up, and the US Ambassador, the Obama ambassador, is a guy named Daniel Shapiro. And Shapiro told me the meeting was the next day with Bibi. And he said, you are not meeting with Netanyahu without me. He just said flat out, you're not gonna meet with him without me. And I said, well, listen, this is a trip I set up. I set up this meeting. I didn't go through you, and you're not invited to the meeting.

[Michael Knowles]

You know, sir, I am a senator. You don't get to tell me what to do.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, and Shapiro comes back, and he threatens me. He says, well, then I'll pull your security. So when you're traveling in Israel, you get a security detail from the embassy. He said, I'll pull your security. I said, fine. Within an hour, I'll hire private security if you want to do that. And it was clearly a bluff.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah, they're not gonna let a US Senator go without security.

[Ted Cruz]

But what was obvious is John Kerry, who was Secretary of State, had told Shapiro, you keep an eye on Cruz, and don't you dare let him in a room together with Bibi. That we don't want this, because they. They hated Netanyahu and they hated me, and the last thing they wanted was us talking to each other. And so. But you gotta picture it. So Ambassador Shapiro's not a very big guy, and we were literally bumping chests standing in front of the Knesset, which is the Israeli Parliament, and we're. I mean, it was a junior high, like, chest to chest of him saying, I'm coming, and me saying, you're not invited. And he backed down. And so the next day, peace through strength. Well, and clarity. And clarity, ambiguity. And so the next day, when you go and meet with Netanyahu, there's a conference room that you do all the meetings in. And so if you look at any picture of any delegations that's in Israel, there's Israeli flags, and you take a picture with the prime minister, and you sit at the conference table and talk about issues. And so I've done that multiple times. This time, we'd prearranged with Bibi's office that we'd come into the conference room, but that BB would say, here, come on back to my office, Ted and so I went back to his office, which is actually not that big an office. It's right adjoining the conference room. And we sat down and I had brought two cigars. Bebe loves to smoke cigars.

[Michael Knowles]

I knew I liked that guy.

[Ted Cruz]

And we lit up two Monte Cristos and we sat there smoking cigars. And for, I don't know, an hour, maybe a little bit longer. We talk geopolitics, we talk Middle East. We talk Middle east, peace, America, the world. And I gotta say, that may have been the single coolest moment I've had in the entire usa. Look, you get a chance to meet all sorts of people. You meet presidents, you meet senators, you meet cabinet officials. You mean heads of state. Bibi Netanyahu is one of the most serious, impressive, brilliant world leaders I've ever encountered. And I'm sitting there smoking a Monte Cristo cigar in his office going, what in the hell am I doing here? Like, it was surreal. I kept thinking like it was Candid Camera, someone was gonna come out and say this was all a joke. But part of it is Netanyahu has a seriousness, a gravity. Listen, he leads a country that historically has been surrounded by enemies that would drive them into the sea.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah. And he's been running it forever, it seems.

[Ted Cruz]

So let me give it an analogy from literature. And you're gonna laugh at what the literature is, which is a children's book that I read as a kid. Did you ever read the series called the Great Brain?

[Michael Knowles]

No, I didn't. I read the Mediocre Brain that's probably didn't work out.

[Ted Cruz]

All right, so the Great Brain is a seven book series that I read as a. I don't know, as a kid. It's by John D. Fitzgerald, J.D. fitzgerald, and he is the younger brother. And it's talking about the middle brother, Tom D. Fitzgerald, and the older brother, Swen D. Fitzgerald. And Tom, the middle brother is a con man. I mean, he's just a huckster. And he's always coming up with these sort of scams to con the other kids out of something and sort of think Tom Sawyer and Painting the Fence. But every chapter was a different elaborate con. And they're growing up in Utah, if I remember correctly, at essentially the turn of the 1900s. So late 1800s, early 1900s. And in one of the books early on, Fitzgerald is explaining, he said, when we were growing up in Utah, he said almost all the other kids were Mormon.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

And he said, my family, we weren't Mormon. And he said it really wasn't all that hard. It was simply a matter of me learning to whip all the boys my age and Tom D. Learning to whip all the boys his age. And Swendy learning to whip all the boys his age. And once we did that, they were very, very tolerant. It's amazing how tolerant a boy can be when you can whip it.

[Michael Knowles]

There's a geopolitical lesson there.

[Ted Cruz]

I read that probably at age 10, and it stuck in my brain then. And that's frankly Israel's view. It's amazing how tolerant their neighbors can be when Israel's military has defeated them over and over again. And the qualitative military advantage they have is part of what produces peace in the Middle East. And so this past week was a big deal.

[Michael Knowles]

It's a big deal. I think we should celebrate with Monte Cristos and we will hopefully bring peace not just to the Middle east, but to the Southeast as well. And then rejoin you over here for the next episode. In the meantime, I'm Michael Knowles. This is Verdict with Ted Cruz.

[Ted Cruz]

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz is being brought to you by Jobs, Freedom and Security pac, a political action committee dedicated to supporting conservative causes, organizations and candidates across the country. In 2022, jobs, freedom and Security PAC plans to donate to conservative candidates running for Congress and help the Republican Party across the nation.