As the U.S. presidential election draws to a close, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be counting on Donald Trump to return to the White House.
Mr. Trump’s last presidential term was good for Mr. Netanyahu, but the former president is sending mixed messages about Middle East policy ahead of the Nov. 5 vote.
His comments went from encouraging Netanyahu to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities (Israel refrained from Saturday’s attack) to saying, “If I were president, the October 7th attack would never have happened.” ” and criticized Israeli leaders in a wide range of ways. Israel ends the war.
But analysts say Netanyahu is counting on a combination of these opaque policies and Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
An isolationist Trump as Republican president could give Netanyahu more freedom to navigate the escalating conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
“One of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s milestones is the US election. Prime Minister Netanyahu is praying for President Trump’s victory. He will then have considerable freedom of movement and will be able to do what he wants,” he said in Hebrew. said Gidon Rahat, a professor of political science at the university. University of Jerusalem told AFP.
Aviv Bushinski, a political commentator and former chief of staff to Prime Minister Netanyahu, similarly said, “His experience with the Republicans is very good…unlike the Democrats, who have been much tougher on him.”
close personal relationship
In his 17 years as prime minister, Netanyahu has only clashed with Republican leader Trump.
During his presidency, Trump advanced several moves that boosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s domestic standing while reversing some long-standing U.S. policies toward Israel, the conflict with the Palestinians, and the broader region.
The Republican president moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its undivided capital, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, and oversaw the normalization of relations between Israel and three Arab countries. .
President Trump also withdrew from Israel’s landmark nuclear deal with arch-enemy Iran and reimposed harsh economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has long had a frosty relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite insisting on “ironclad support” for Israel.
Unlike Trump, Biden had warned Netanyahu not to attack Iran’s oil production or nuclear facilities.
President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have a close personal relationship, with the former US president boasting this week of his frequent phone calls with the Israeli prime minister.
“We have a very good relationship,” President Trump said at a rally in Georgia. “We’re going to work very closely with them.”
Businski said those positive aspects will outweigh the concerns.
“I think Prime Minister Netanyahu is willing to take the risk of Trump’s unpredictability,” he said.
Trump’s popularity in Israel
President Trump is popular not only with Prime Minister Netanyahu but also with the Israeli public.
A poll conducted in September by Mitvim, the Israel Regional Foreign Policy Research Institute, found that 68% of Israelis see Trump as the candidate who best serves Israel’s national interests.
Only 14% chose Vice President Kamala Harris, despite her repeated declarations of support for Israel and the right to defend itself.
“Trump is more popular in Israel than in any liberal democracy other than the United States,” said Nadav Tamir, a former Israeli diplomat in the United States and a member of Mitvim’s board of directors.
But Tamir says the new Trump administration could have some surprises in store.
He said the former president is surrounded by a growing number of Republicans who are “isolationists and don’t want America to be the leader of the free world or of international alliances.”
distrust
Khalil Shikaki, a Palestinian political scientist and pollster, said there was little enthusiasm for either candidate among Palestinians.
“Palestinians do not trust either candidate and see little difference between them,” he said.
Taher al-Nunu, a Hamas official, told AFP that he believed “successive US administrations have always been biased against Israel.”
Palestinians took to the streets to say that life in the territory would not improve no matter who wins.
“I don’t think the US elections will have a positive impact on our political reality,” said Leen Bassem, 21, a student at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank.
Sound engineer Hassan Anwar, 42, also said he believed it would make no difference because “US policy is completely clear in supporting and assisting Israel.”
