"The Illusion of Support: Why Donald Trump May Not Be Israel's Best Ally"
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“He’s good for Israel.”
That’s what I hear when I ask some of my fellow Jews why they are voting for Donald Trump.
They point to things Trump did in his previous administration such as moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and birthing the Abraham Accords which have led to diplomatic and economic breakthroughs between Israel and some of the Arab states.
Say what you want about Trump — and there’s much to be said — he did do things to benefit Israel.
The trap here, though, is assuming that because he did things in his first administration to benefit Israel, he also would do so during a second term in office. To assume this is a very risky proposition.
To begin with, consistency has never been Trump’s strong suit. Even his defenders acknowledge that. This is a man who can be petty, narcissistic and turn on a dime — and for whom relationships are transactional rather than enduring. If a person does not show Trump unwavering loyalty, he will become Trump’s enemy. Former Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr are examples.
So, when it comes to Trump, past support is never an indicator of future support.
Moreover, when it comes to Israel, it is important to remember who was guiding and shaping Trump’s Israel policies during his first term. It was arguably the strongest cadre of pro-Israel advocates ever assembled within a presidential administration.
This lineup included VP Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and, especially, the President’s son in law Jared Kushner. And during their collective watch, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a frequent and welcome guest at the White House.
Today, these administration officials have mostly vanished from the Trump scene, including his own son in law. Some by choice. Some by exile. And some have expressed the opinion that Trump is not fit to be President.
Now contrast that group with the gang of loonies populating Trump’s team today including his VP running mate, JD Vance, an avowed America Firster who wants to downshift and diminish our nation’s role in world affairs. And don’t forget Trump’s disdain for NATO – at a time when the world and Israel need a strong NATO more than ever, a NATO that is standing up to the “Axis of Evil” that has aligned itself with Israel’s enemies.
Now a word about Trump and Netanyahu. Who Trump is and how his transactional mind operates — meaning everything is viewed through Trump’s prism of what you have done for him and what you have done to him — was again on display by the way Trump lashed out at Israel’s prime minister in the wake of Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
Netanyahu appropriately reached out to Biden to congratulate him, which elicited a furious reaction from Trump. Upon learning that the Israeli Prime Minister congratulated the President-elect of his country’s most important benefactor, Trump said “Fuck him.”
Remember, this is a man who holds grudges. Voters beware!
Despite all of the above, you might say, “Trump is still better for Israel than Kamala Harris.” The truth is — as hard as this may be for Trump’s Jewish supporters to digest — we don’t know.
What we do know is that in every relevant setting, Vice-President Kamala Harris persuasively reaffirms her commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself and asserts unequivocally that providing Israel with the weapons and other support it needs to defend itself will be an “iron clad” commitment of her administration. And she has served in an Administration that has provided an extraordinary level of assistance to Israel ever since Hamas attacked the country on Oct. 7th.
What we also know is that Harris, unlike Trump, has never deliberately and exploitatively tried to make Israel a wedge issue or suggested that Jews who are not voting for her are “disloyal” to Israel and could cause her to lose.
To anyone who has a knowledge of Jewish history the suggestion that “Jews are to blame” is a chilling echo from the past when demagogues, tyrants and dictatorial regimes blamed “the Jews” for their failings, mobilizing an angry society to turn on a vulnerable, easily targeted religious minority.
And while Trump promotes himself as Israel’s best friend, it was Harris who yesterday quickly issued a statement unequivocally praising Israel’s elimination of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, while Trump, as of this writing, has said nothing publicly.
“Hassan Nasrallah was a terrorist with American blood on his hands. Across decades, his leadership of Hezbollah destabilized the Middle East and led to the killing of countless innocent people in Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and around the world. Today, Hezbollah’s victims have a measure of justice,” said Harris.
As the Jewish holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are about to begin, Jews are commanded to look inward, search our hearts and take inventory of our behavior and choices. My hope is that those who read this will reflect during this forthcoming period on what I’ve written here.
There is much more that can be said about Trump and the Jews in a broader context beyond Israel. And I will in a future essay.
Great read. You've definitely put thought into this i hadn't yet. All I remember is Trump did things "for Israel" that caused people to be upset. I just remembered any good he did was always negated by the fact that he was being spiteful and petty to others that kept telling him not to. If it doesn't help Trump or hurt his enemies, he's quickly bored and moves on. We don't know what he'd actually do and it's risky to bet on him again. And the B team of clowns he has around him probably plan to pardon and 25th amendment him to MAL so Musk, Theil and JD can take over. That's a scarier thought for me
Good article. Historically, I feel the majority of Jews in this country lean Democratic. Additionally, I feel anyone still considering Trump as their choice for President is "disillusioned". How can anyone take anything he says as truth? He literally will say anything to get votes. The sensible choice is to vote Harris/Waltz Nov 5,2024.