Many Israeli officials have celebrated the re-election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, seeing it as a win for their country's interests. But recent events, in particular, the hostage deal with Hamas, make it unclear to what extent Trump's and Israel's agendas will line up. Israel's current seven-front war is a war for our existence, so we need Trump to be proactively on our side to ensure our total victory.
Trump's early remarks upon appointing Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel highlighted his deep support for the nation, stating, "He loves Israel and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East!"
As the election unfolded, Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, expressed his excitement on social media, declaring "Yesssss" alongside emojis of a bicep and the Israeli and U.S. flags. Ben-Gvir later reiterated his thoughts in the Knesset, proclaiming, "This is the time for sovereignty, this is the time for complete victory."
However, his optimism proved short-lived as Trump pressured Prime Minister Netanyahu to sign a ceasefire deal with Hamas. This move ultimately led to Ben-Gvir’s resignation from the government.
The excitement at Trump's re-election stemmed from his unprecedented pro-Israel policies of this first term: Trump became the first Western leader to officially recognize Israel's control over the Golan Heights, and he moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's eternal captital.
Trump has assembled a strongly pro-Israel team, with key figures such as Marco Rubio for secretary of state and ex-Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
He is expected to continue providing military support to Israel, and getting rid of the current arms embargo which Biden placed on the country.
Although Trump has generally called for an end to the war in Gaza, he has yet to fully outline his strategy to expedite peace. He reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s defense during the campaign, reiterating support for Israel’s “right to win its war on terror,” which signals a likely increased freedom for Netanyahu to operate militarily in the region.
Trump took a hardline on Iran during his first presidency, so it seems likely he will continue along this path. But it has yet to be seen whether he will caution an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear installations or better yet, take part in them. It would be a win-win situation if Iran's nuclear capability were destroyed, so I have to believe Trump will help Bibi get the job done ASAP.
Trump is expected to lower the pressure on Israel to send humanitarian aid into Gaza. Yet, Trump may push Israel to finish its military operations swiftly, as the U.S. is keen to avoid being bogged down by a prolonged conflict in the region.
The U.S. has already committed billions in military aid to Israel, with over $27 billion spent since October 7, as reported by Brown University’s Costs of War project. The pressure to bring the Gaza conflict to a close, while maintaining U.S. strategic interests, could see Trump exerting significant influence over Israel’s operations in the area.
Time will tell which way Trump will lean - towards the "Steve Bannon" base of his party, which would prefer the U.S. avoid any costly wars abroad or towards his staunchly pro-Israel inner circle of advisors.
Israelis are hoping that Trump clearly understands that we are leading the fight against evil Jihadis who threaten all of Western civilisation. He can't make America great again if America is being threatened by Iranian nukes or suffers 9-11-scale attacks on U.S. soil.
We understand that part of what scares the bejesus out of world leaders is his streak of madness. But we need Trump to come to his senses and embrace Israel as his greatest ally in the Middle East if not the entire world. Those who are on Israel's side are on the side of God's nation. Then not only will Israel be blessed but so will the United States.
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