Israeli Newspaper: The vision that Trump is good for Israel is not only wrong – it is also dangerous

By Shlomo Shamir

It's amazing. Especially at a time when the vision is collapsing as a result of the disaster of October 7, it seems that there is a new vision - an old one that is maturing, and has become more dangerous and more threatening. It's Donald Trump.

In opinion articles published in the media, in statements issued by politicians, and in responses to various steps in the field of Israeli-American relations - many statements have recently come out that express love and encouragement for Trump. These statements aim to convince and explain that he is better than Joe Biden, and it is important to elect him as president again.

Recently, a poll was published indicating that 44% of Israelis prefer Trump as president, and 72% of Netanyahu voters prefer Trump. In other words, Trump's vision is good for Israel, and it should be spread. This vision is not only a bet, but it is also dangerous, and threatens the United States and the free world, especially Israel. It is an exaggeration to suggest that Israel is a country that depends on the United States, which helps it more than any other country in the world.

In Western capitals and central Democratic countries, estimates that Trump might return are a nightmare. It is noteworthy that he was the one who destroyed the position of the United States as an influential and leading superpower. He is the person who humiliated great powers, such as Germany, France, and Britain. He is the person who expressed his admiration for dictators, such as Vladimir Putin, and submitted to them, and bragged about his love for North Korean President Kim Jong Un. Ambassadors and senior diplomats at the United Nations and New York describe the possibility of Trump returning as president as a disaster.

This week, Trump attacked Jews who vote for Democrats, saying they "hate themselves, and they should be ashamed." Who dares to talk like this about the Jews? Trump said, “Hitler did good things,” and in exchange for these crazy statements, he wants to support the Jews in the United States? The Association Against Hate published a statement to the press, condemning Trump for saying that Jewish voting is “anti-Semitic.”

This week, an article appeared in the New York Times under the headline, “You want to know what Trump will do? Hear what he says.” In this context, the writer details a not-so-short list of statements made by Trump in recent years, and in each of them, his racism clearly appears, racism towards strangers and members of minorities, including Jews. This article is a terrifying summary of what Trump's vision could be, especially for Israel.

May the Lord help us

I do not recall, in the history of presidential election contests in the United States, a candidate explicitly declaring what he will do when he is elected president - and what he will do when he loses. This is exactly what Trump has announced since he emerged as the Republican presidential nominee in 2024. He has announced that when he is elected president, the first thing he will do will be to free all the defendants who are in prison because of their participation in the violent and deadly attack on the Capitol building.

He also announced that he was working to arrest officials who had disturbed him during his presidency and refused to carry out his orders. This week, he also announced to the citizens of the United States that if he loses the election, “blood will flow in America,” and “this will be the last election in the United States.” Nothing more, nothing less.

In simpler words, Donald Trump makes it clear in advance, and decisively, that he will not accept the election results if they are not in his favor, and he says and explains that if Joe Biden wins, “the results will be fake.” This is not funny, this is scary.

What is worrying about Trump's dangerous vision is the fear that it will be part of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does in exchange for President Biden. It is forbidden to discount the possibility that the motive behind Netanyahu’s provocations against Biden, and his attempts to create a confrontation with him, is his belief that he will lose in a few months, and his best friend Donald Trump will be elected.

The disaster in these considerations is that even if Trump wins and stays in the White House for four years, this will be a disaster for Israel. What Netanyahu does not understand, and does not want to understand, is that Trump will not be the same Trump he was 4 years ago. Not only is he no longer a friend of Netanyahu, but he mocks Netanyahu and treats him with mockery. A senior Jewish official said, “The fact that Biden is president during the war against Hamas is a gift from heaven.” He added: "If Trump were the president now, he would have sent some military aid to Israel in the wake of the pressure. But it is clear that he would not have initiated, or even considered, giving Israel $17 billion in wartime financial aid."

Trump's statements in recent days regarding the war waged by Israel against Hamas and his demand for an immediate ceasefire are evidence of the danger expected from him to Israel, if he is elected president. May the Lord protect us.

In practice, the situation that Trump is experiencing is not good, and is not encouraging in the electoral competition. He personally does not have the money, and his lawyers announced that he would not be able to pay the $400 million in fines imposed on him. According to updated news, he does not have money for the election campaign, and he has no donors. According to the newspapers, his election campaign is not organized, and central activists have left it.

The bottom line is that Trump's vision, which is permeating many Israelis, is nothing more than an illusion, and it is a disaster for Israel.