Brody File Exclusive: Rand Paul to Visit Israel Next Month

The Brody File just got an exclusive tip about an important trip Sen. Rand Paul is planning to the Middle East.

A top advisor to Rand Paul tells us that the senator will travel to Israel and Jordan for the first time to meet with leaders on all sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

The trip will be privately funded, and The Brody File has learned that Sen. Paul will be accompanied by Christian and Jewish leaders. The trip is planned for January. They will tour all of the major historical and cultural sites.

Meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Jordan's King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, and others have been requested.

Rand Paul is contemplating running for president in 2016 and so this visit to Israel will raise political eyebrows around the country. The trip is being organized by prominent evangelical activist David Lane. It was Lane who approached Paul about touring Israel.

Among the attendees will be some important evangelical figures from some key early primary states. Tamara Scott, the Iowa Chairwoman for Concerned Women for America will attend. Pastor Brad Sherman, who headed up the Iowa pastors for Huckabee effort in 2008, will be present along with Chad Connelly, the Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.

Paul has taken criticism from some who think his desire to cut foreign aid is somehow an anti-Israel position. Evangelicals are the most ardent supporters of Israel and are extremely important in the GOP Primary process.

Paul's visit will be an important one that could pay dividends if he decides to run for The White House in 2016.