A Pivotal US Election
Sharyn Kolieb looks at the possible implications of the American election for US relations with Israel and for American Jewry.
As the US election nears on November 5, many are considering who would be a better president for Israel’s security and for American Jewry – Democratic nominee Vice-President Kamala Harris or Republican candidate Donald Trump?
Harris has affirmed her support for Israel, telling the Democratic National Convention in August, “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.” In relation to Israel’s military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas’s October 7 attack, Harris has stated, “Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done.” Harris maintains she wants to end the war in a way that provides for Israel’s security and allows for Palestinian self-determination.
Harris did not attend Israeli Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in Congress in July but met Netanyahu along with President Joe Biden. Following their discussion, Harris said, “I’ve said it many times, but it bears repeating: Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters.” She expressed concern at “the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians” adding, “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent.”
Harris inherits turbulent relations with Netanyahu formed during the Biden administration. While Biden showed strong support for Israel in the initial days following the October 7 attack, sent arms and missile defence systems to Israel and supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran, Biden’s relationship with Netanyahu has soured.
According to Bob Woodward’s new book War, Biden called Netanyahu a “f*cking liar” after Israel entered Rafah and reportedly said, “That son of a bitch, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy.” In a significant move on October 15, the Biden administration warned Israel it has one month to implement significant improvements to the humanitarian situation in Gaza or jeopardise the continued supply of US weapons. The US has also reportedly called on Israel to publicly state it does not plan to lay siege to northern Gaza.
While Harris has a Jewish partner in Doug Emhoff who has led initiatives to counter antisemitism, in trying to appeal to Muslim voters in swing states such as Michigan, she has been criticised for her appointments.
Her Arab-American outreach director Brenda Abdelall told The New York Sun in 2002: “The Zionists have a strong voice in American politics … I would say they’re controlling a lot of it,” while another Muslim outreach leader Nasrina Bargzie called Jewish college students’ complaints about antisemitism “organised legal bullying”. Interestingly, Trump was recently endorsed by Muslim leaders at his rally in Michigan where he said, “The Muslim and Arab voters in Michigan and across the country want a stop to the endless wars and a return to peace in the Middle East. That’s all they want.”
There are also concerns about the influence of the far left in the Democratic party, particularly “The Squad” – Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have actively campaigned against Israel. Omar has called Jewish students who support Israel amid its war against Hamas “pro-genocide”, while Tlaib accused Biden of supporting “the genocide of the Palestinian people” and Ocasio-Cortez wept when she abstained on funding for the Iron Dome.
As to how a Harris administration may approach Israel, Bruce Wolpe, a senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre told The AJN, “My sense is that Vice-President Harris is in lock step with President Biden – so I see a continuation of his overall policy and objectives. Even as she fully embraces Israel’s security and its future, and the deep alliance between Israel and the United States, and the US commitment to Israel’s defence, I think she will have a stronger, more explicit emphasis on the Palestinians, the human toll taken in Gaza and the urgency of rebuilding and prospects for a two-state solution.”
To consider how Trump may approach Israel, one could look to his record. As president, Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognised the Golan Heights as part of Israel. He successfully negotiated the Abraham Accords in which Muslim countries – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalised relations with Israel. His good relations with Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) were speculated to bring Israel and Saudi Arabia closer to a peace accord.
Trump was also able to propose a model for a Palestinian state that had the backing of Israel and some Muslim nations, which was rejected by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Photo: X @SecondGentleman.
Trump halted funding for the PA’s “pay to slay” policy whereby terrorists and their families receive a stipend and stopped US funding to UNRWA and the UN Human Rights Council. However, after Netanyahu conceded that Trump lost the 2020 US election, relations between the two leaders turned cold. Trump viewed Netanyahu as disloyal and said, “Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake.”
Relations appear to have mended when they met in July 2024 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, their first meeting since Trump lost the presidency.
Regarding the Gaza conflict Trump has said Israel must “finish what they started”, “get it over with fast” and that the US must “let Israel finish the job”.
“Trump has signalled that he wants Netanyahu to settle the wars as quickly as possible – to get them over with,” Wolpe said. “The two leaders have a strong understanding of each other. Trump is also very close with MBS in Saudi Arabia. Trump will want to build on the Abraham Accords.”
But what if Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon continues when Trump or Harris take office? And how will Trump or Harris respond if the conflict between Israel and Iran further escalates?
Following Israeli strikes on Iran’s military targets on October 25 in response to the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel, Harris told reporters, “We as the United States feel very strongly that Iran must stop what it is doing in terms of the threat that it presents to the region and we will always defend Israel against any attacks by Iran in that way.” While Trump said, “Israel is attacking – we’ve got a war going on, and she’s out partying,” referring to Harris holding an event with Beyonce in Texas.
Trump has generally taken a tougher stand on Iran than the Democrats. Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear deal with Iran, placed crushing sanctions on Tehran and killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
As to how a Trump vs Harris administration may approach Iran, Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies told The AJN, “A Trump administration is likely to look to build on its track record of imposing political, economic and even military costs on the Islamic Republic under the auspices of what was called the maximum pressure campaign.
“Conversely, I think a potential Harris administration would be limited by a more transactional and ideational approach, namely, to try to generate interest in a deal for the sake of a deal with Iran which remains part of Democratic Party dogma on Iran to foster de-escalation in the region.
“One need not take my assessment of this though, as well as the implications of these divergent polices. There is only one candidate, after all, who has not just been subject to a hacking campaign but is under an active death threat from Tehran.”
However, Trump is also considered to be a president that prefers the US take a more isolationist approach, so his willingness to send US troops to foreign conflicts could be in question. Although, Trump did send US troops to Syria and Iraq who helped to successfully defeat Islamic State.
His isolationist approach has led some analysts to question whether Australia can depend on the US for its security under the Australia, New Zealand and United States (ANZUS) Security Treaty.
Given that Trump claimed he won the 2020 election and was accused of inciting the January 6 riot in Congress, there are concerns that a Trump presidency could weaken American liberal democracy.
Trump has also made problematic comments in relation to Jews. He said that any Jew who loves Israel and votes Democrat is a “fool” and has warned that “the Jewish people would have a lot to do” with his potential loss in November. Moreover, Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly published a book in 2021 claiming Trump had said in office, “Hitler did a lot of good things.” Trump denied the comment.
Trump has often been criticised for not condemning far-right elements amongst his supporters. During his time in office, white supremacism appeared emboldened with vocal groups such as the Proud Boys. Trump’s remarks after clashes at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville Virginia where protesters chanted “Jews will not replace us” that there were “very fine people on both sides” furthered criticism he was enabling racism.
On this issue, Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington bureau chief commented, “Democrats say Republicans turn a blind eye to antisemitism on the right, and that some of the far-right tropes about Jews leading conspiracies to replace whites with people of colour have seeped into the mainstream Republican discourse.”
Trump’s daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism before marrying Jared Kushner, which means Trump has Jewish grandchildren. He has also supported the “executive order on combating antisemitism” legislation that recognised the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. This legislation was retained by the Biden administration.
“Republicans have focused overwhelmingly on what they say is the threat from campuses,” Kampeas said. “Trump and others have pledged to defund universities that allow what they depict as hostility to Jewish students and have said they will deport foreign students who encourage anti-Israel activism. They would also seek to ascertain whether funding for pro-Palestinian groups comes from banned terrorist organisations, and whether those groups merit tax exempt status.”
Kampeas believes that Democrats also are focused on campuses “but contend with pro-Palestinian factions within their parties who worry that some of the restrictions Congress is recommending impinge on speech freedoms”. He adds, “Republicans say Democrats are too slow to address antisemitism and are reluctant to antagonise some of their base. Republicans also say antisemitism is embedded in efforts to reverse discrimination, the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.”
The polls have Harris and Trump neck and neck and the winner is not clear, but what is certain is that much is at stake in this US election.
comments