Former US vice presidential candidate and current queen of the Republican Party faithful Sarah Palin is in Israel this week for a tour of important religious sites and a private dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palin, who is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2012, arrived on Sunday with her husband, Todd, and toured Jerusalem’s Old City together with right-wing lawmaker Danny Danon (Likud).
While visiting the Western Wall, Palin was told by Danon that Jews and Christians are not permitted to pray or even carry Bibles atop the Muslim-controlled Temple Mount, despite the fact that it is Judaism’s holiest site.
Palin responded: “Why are you apologizing all the time?”
Following the stop at the Western Wall, Palin, who is an Evangelical Christian, told reporters, “It’s overwhelming to be able to see and touch the cornerstone of our faith.”
During her time as John McCain’s running mate in 2008, it became clear that Palin was a staunch supporter of Israel because of her Christian faith. One televised interview with the then-governor of Alaska revealed a small Israeli flag sitting on her window sill.
Since that unsuccessful run for the White House, Palin has been a vocal critic of President Barack Obama’s treatment of Israel, and especially of Netanyahu.
Over the past two months, Netanyahu has met with a number of Republican presidential hopefuls, including Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.