I told everyone I knew, living in the USA, to vote for Trump and I’m very happy he won. I believe that he will be good for America as well as a strong ally for Israel. His Cabinet picks have been amazing and there’s no need to explain how pleased we are with his choice of Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel. That having been said, and contrary to the feeling of many of my fellow Israelis, the Moshiach will not been riding in to Washington on January 20th.
Trump is a tough negotiator and a “no-nonsense” guy. Precisely because of the people he has surrounded himself with, it will be very hard to say “no” to him… and trust me – there will be many times when Israel will need to do just that. Allow me to remind you of several things: The previous Trump administration called for an Arab state in Yehuda, Shomron and Gaza – which would have left 20 Jewish communities totally surrounded and isolated. His plan also called for two large pockets of land in the Negev region to be given to the Arabs. Finally, the horrific “gas fields” agreement with Lebanon – signed by then Prime Minister Naftali Bennet – was based on a map designed by the Trump team which called for Israel to forfeit large areas of its territorial waters.
One second… if this is true – which it is – why did I support him? Simple… because the alternative would have been 1,000 times worse. A Harris presidency, with Obama and his buddies pulling the strings, would have choked Israel on a daily basis. Trump is not like that. He understands that Israel needs to be strong – for America’s sake – and will help us when the chips are down, especially when it comes to striking Iran. Hamas and Hezbollah won’t keep Trump awake at night and he will assist us only when required but Iran is a different story. The incoming administration admits that a strong Iran, supported by Russia, is a danger to the USA and they will use Israel as America’s first line of defense. Under normal conditions, this is never a job you want, but – in this specific case – Israel will gladly agree. Iran has proven that its ballistic missiles, with enough explosives to level 10-story buildings, can hit every Israeli city. For that reason, Israel has readily agreed to partner with Trump in defeating Iran.
This will not be the case when it comes to the Arabs living in Israel, which the world likes to call “Palestinians”. Trump and yes, even Mike Huckabee, will pressure Israel into unsecure deals… and standing tough to friends is not going to be easy. Incoming Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is another good guy but we will see a different Pete Hegseth than what we are used to. Once again, he will be infinitely better than who could have been the Secretary of Defense, but let’s not break out the champagne just yet.
The phrase I coined after Trump’s victory is that the Israel-loving community needs to be “cautiously happy”. Happy that he won… but cautious in what the future will be, because – at the end of the day – the only thing that really matters is who leads Israel, not America. When our Nation had Joshua, King David, Mordechai and Esther and then Judah the Maccabee leading us, it was of no concern who was sitting as “leader of the world”. We need to return to those days… and do not think its not possible. Look at our soldiers today – fighting as lions like never before! The courage is there and so is the belief in the One and Only who leads us into battle. The only ingredient missing in the recipe for Geulah is a strong, proud, leader who has unshakeable Emunah and Bitachon in our King.
This is our #1 job – to beg HaShem to send us that leader. In Egypt we screamed to Him and He answered by sending the greatest human to ever grace the planet. This is exactly what we must do again. Its not enough to simply ask HaShem for health, children and a livelihood. Ask our Father and King to redeem us… by sending the one who will lead our battles, build our land and bring us all home. May that happen soon… in our day!
Am Yisrael Chai!
