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In a gesture that is sure to win applause from supporters of Israel within the Republican electorate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Monday will introduce a bill that would stop U.S. aid to the newly formed unity government in Palestine unless certain demands were promptly met, including a cease-fire and a public declaration of Israels right to exist.

The move by Paul, a potential 2016 presidential contender, is his latest effort to reassure skittish Republicans that he is a firm supporter of Israel. Last year, he visited with Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and prayed at the Wailing Wall, and he has touted his two votes for sanctions against Iran as evidence that he considers Israel a key ally.

Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with an entity that does not believe it should exist, and has used terrorist tactics to seek its end, Paul said in a statement obtained by The Washington Post.

His bill would give Palestinian leaders five weeks, upon the governments formation, to renounce violence and recognize Israel, something he calls vital for encouraging peace talks.

As The Posts Ruth Eglash and Anne Gearan have reported, rival Palestinian political factions recently announced a surprise reconciliation deal and plans for a unified government.

The deal would reunite the moderate Fatah faction in the West Bank, which has been negotiating with Israel, with the radical Hamas faction, which refuses to recognize Israels legitimacy, they wrote last week.

Pauls father, former congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex.), was known for contesting the extent of U.S. aid to foreign counties. Ever since Rand Paul first ran for office in 2010, hawkish conservatives have dogged him about his fathers views and his sympathy for parts of them, questioning the depth of his commitment to Israel.

Last month, at a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, which Paul did not attend, a number of possible GOP presidential candidates, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida governor Jeb Bush, reiterated their strong support for Israel. In speeches, several of them knocked Pauls preferred foreign policy a more noninterventionist worldview but did not criticize him by name.

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Sen. Rand Paul, possible 2016 Republican contender, to introduce pro-Israel legislation

IOPTV: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Rand Paul visited the UChicago Institute of Politics for a conversation with students and community members about various political topics of the day. B...

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IOPTV: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) - Video

Sen. Rand Paul on Government Surveillance Going "Too Far"
Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, came to the University of Chicago #39;s Institute of Politics for an hour-long event with Institute director David Axelrod. Here they discu...

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Sen. Rand Paul on Government Surveillance Going "Too Far" - Video

Potential 2016 presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul is in the Northeast, meeting with Republican operatives and fund-raisers. Conservatives are wary of some of his recent comments.

Perhaps its genetic, but US Sen. Rand Paul seems to have the same effect on more traditional Republicans as his father former US Rep. Ron Paul did.

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Rep. Peter King (R) of New York says Sen. Paul whos been making clear moves toward a presidential run in 2016 would be disastrous as president.

Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona included the younger Paul among Republican wacko birds filibustering the appointment of John Brennan to head the CIA. (McCain later apologized for the comment, which also had been aimed at Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Justin Amash.)

Rand Paul consistently tops the list of possible GOP presidential candidates in 2016, including a Quinnipiac University poll in Colorado this week in which he beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton 48-43 percent.

The poll in Colorado might also shed some light on where Paul could outflank his GOP counterparts among young voters, according to Politico.com.

While Clinton leads Jeb Bush by 21 points and Mike Huckabee by 11 points among 18-to 29-year-olds, Paul matched the former secretary of state in the age group, with both scoring 43 percent, Politico reports. Paul also had a strong edge against Clinton among respondents who identify as independent voters: 48 percent of independent voters favored Paul, while just 37 favored Clinton.

But if he is to go farther than his father (whose runs for president were significant even though they failed), Paul will have to do more than attract a loyal, energetic following of young libertarians, plus those tea partyers who dont mind his straying from conservative orthodoxy on some international and social issues.

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Rand Paul vs. GOP establishment (+video)

BANGOR, Maine (AP) The Republican Party must become a bigger coalition that welcomes diverse ideas to win national elections, Sen. Rand Paul said Saturday at the Maine Republican Party convention.

Paul's speech comes as the Kentucky Republican weighs a possible run for the White House in 2016 and pushes to strengthen his appeal beyond his father's passionate supporters to prove he can be a credible national candidate.

Republicans are united in their eagerness to propel their candidates into victory this fall, Paul said, including incumbent Gov. Paul LePage. But the party must evolve and attract more minorities, women and young people to its ranks in order to recapture the White House in 2016 and beyond, he said.

"If we want to want to have a bigger party, we have to show concern for those who aren't doing very well: the long-term unemployed ... those who live in poverty, those who live in big cities," he said.

Many saw the invitation for Paul to speak at the gathering Saturday as state party officials' effort to reach out to libertarian-leaning members, who were angered by their treatment in 2012. That year they took over the state convention and elected a majority slate of delegates for Paul's father, Ron, a former GOP congressman from Texas and presidential candidate.

Establishment Republicans challenged that decision and the national committee voted to replace half of Paul's Maine delegates with Mitt Romney supporters. Romney became the party's presidential nominee.

While tensions have cooled, hurt feelings remain among some libertarians and tea party activists who are frustrated with the party's direction.

But there is much that unites Republicans, Paul said.

"This doesn't look like division to me," to a standing ovation from the Maine GOP. "I see unity and I smell victory," Paul said.

Paul also railed against government waste and overspending, emphasized the need to gradually raise the retirement age and criticized President Barack Obama's administration for its handling of the attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

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In Maine, Rand Paul says GOP must grow to win