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Jon Voight Speaks About Romney Endorsement

‘Honest, charitable, pro-Israel’

by
Marc Tracy
January 30, 2012
Jon Voight speaking in Israel last year.(Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
Jon Voight speaking in Israel last year.(Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

On Saturday, the actor Jon Voight, who in recent years has become an outspoken supporter of Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu, endorsed Mitt Romney for president. When I profiled Voight in October, I found his passion on the subject of Israel fully credible: he really does give a damn. And he is, as befits a close political ally of Mike Huckabee, significantly right-wing when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Because he’s honest, because he’s charitable, because he’s pro-Israel,” Voight replied when I asked him today why he had endorsed Romney. “He’s a great guy, a great man. A very religious man, a very righteous man, and he has a passion for Israel. Not that other candidates don’t—I think they’re very similar on Israel, thank God.”

(Voight’s friend Huckbabee was a chief rival of Romney’s in 2008, the Christian conservative for those who didn’t want a Mormon candidate. But Voight isn’t a Southern evangelical; he’s a New York Catholic.)

“He’s a friend of Benjamin Netanyahu, and that speaks well, because I think Benjamin Netanyahu is a great man,” Voight added. “I think it would be a big relief for all Israelis who have any understanding of present politics to have a President Romney.”

Jon Voight Endorses Mitt Romney [Politico]
Related: Cowboy [Tablet Magazine]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.