No Wonder Israel Has Lost Faith in Trump

By Steve Sheffey

If you remember nothing else, at least remember this:

• Only 36% of Israelis think Israel’s security is a central consideration for Trump.
• Trump’s foreign policy is bad for Israel.
• Trump’s record at the U.N. is one of abdication and defeat.
• Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran Deal did not stop Iran’s nefarious activities, but did encourage Iran to resume prohibited nuclear activities.
• Trump’s symbolic moves on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights did nothing to make Israel more secure.
• Democratic support for Israel remains strong — the proof is in the votes.

The few Jewish Americans who still support Trump will continue supporting him — they are beyond reason or persuasion — but after Trump’s betrayal of our Kurdish allies, many Israelis realize Trump’s symbolic moves on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are no substitute for integrity and reliability. Only 36% of Israelis now think that Israel’s security is a central consideration for President Trump when formulating U.S. foreign policy.

Trump’s foreign policy is bad for Israel. Michael Koplow wrote that “Netanyahu and other Israeli government officials were foolish at best and cynically self-serving at worst in rushing to declare Trump as their greatest friend and most unwavering champion…The Israeli government mistook actions that literally cost Trump nothing, such as calling the Jerusalem consulate the new embassy, as a sign that he would always look out for Israeli interests even when it involved tradeoffs. The evidence for that has been and continues to be non-existent.”

Koplow concludes that “anyone still touting Trump as Israel’s twenty-first century King Cyrus and as a president who will have Israel’s back through thick and thin is blind to the basic facts. Trump’s treatment of the Kurds is not necessarily a facsimile of how he will treat Israel, but the regional fallout of Trump’s behavior will nevertheless impact Israel as if he had abandoned it just as starkly.”

Indeed, Chemi Shalev wrote that “Trump’s decision to stick a knife in the back of the Kurds dispelled the illusion” that Israel was exempt from Trump’s treachery. Trump didn’t even give Israel advance notice of this decision, which “caught senior officials in Israel’s security and diplomatic ranks by complete surprise.”

Trump’s record at the U.N. is one of abdication and defeat. National Security Action details how Trump has “adopted an ineffective approach of vindictive and bullying diplomacy that has done little except erode American influence, weaken coalitions and alliances vital to our national security, and leave core American values without a champion.” His ineffective U.N. ambassadors (Nikki Haley and Kelly Craft) combined with blunders including withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council and breaking the Security Council consensus on Iran have weakened America’s credibility and influence.

Nadav Tamir wrote that “from annexation to Iran, the president’s Mideast policies have been severely detrimental to Israel, while diminishing the standing of our most important strategic ally both on the international stage and in the region — not the actions of a true friend.”

Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran Deal did not stop Iran’s nefarious activities, but did encourage Iran to resume prohibited nuclear activities. Kelsey Davenport and Julia Masterson explain that Iran’s decision to begin enriching uranium at Fordow is a serious breach of the Iran Deal and that while it “does not pose a near-term proliferation threat…over time it will contribute to the slow erosion of Iran’s so-called breakout (the time it would take to produce enough material for a nuclear weapon), which was 12 months when the [Iran Deal] was fully implemented.” Trump and the Republicans have no clue on Iran.

But what about Jerusalem? Have you noticed the countries lining up to get building permits for embassies in Jerusalem? Neither have I. Our embassy belongs in Jerusalem, but the embassy’s location is hardly the most pressing issue facing Israel or the United States, and moving signage from a building in Tel Aviv to a building in Jerusalem did nothing to make Israel safer or more secure. No one cared where the embassy was until Republicans decided it would bolster Sen. Robert Dole’s presidential candidacy.

But what about the Golan Heights? Israel was under no pressure to return the Golan Heights. Tamara Cofman Wittes and Ilan Goldenberg explained that Trump’s move “damages Israeli security and undermines American interests.”Anshel Pfeffer wrote that “Trump’s gesture is empty. Just as his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was. It won’t change the status of the Golan in international law and with the exception of a few client-states in Latin America, no other country is going to follow suit.” But it was a nice preelection gift to Bibi in the last election.

Democratic support for Israel remains strong. If members of Congress cast weighted votes based on how many Twitter followers they have or on how many media hits they get, it would make sense to extrapolate from two media savvy freshmen the views of the party as a whole. But a review of key legislation brought to the floor by Democratic leadership in 2019 and enacted by the Democratic-controlled House presents a more accurate assessment:

• In February, Republicans moved to include language clearly and specifically condemning anti-Semitism in an unrelated bill. Democrats unanimously voted to include the language, and then 177 Republicans voted against the entire bill, including the anti-Semitism language. But the bill passed with 100% Democratic support and 18 Republican votes. In March, the House passed H. Res. 183, which clearly and specifically condemned anti-Semitism. No Democrats voted against, but 23 Republicans did.
• In July, the House passed H.R. 1837. The bill passed unanimously (that means no Democrats opposed it) and provides for enhanced cooperation between the U.S.and Israel, security assistance for Israel (including codification of the record $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the U.S. and Israel during the Obama administration), and justice for United States victims of Palestinian terrorism.
• In July, the House unanimously passed H.R. 1850, which imposes sanctions with respect to foreign support for Palestinian terrorism.
• In July, the House passed H. Res. 246, which condemned BDS and supported a two-state solution, with support from over 90% of House Democrats. More Democrats than Republicans voted for this resolution (the Democratic majority is large because moderate Democrats replaced Republicans in toss-up and Republican leaning districts, not because two left-leaning Democrats replaced other left-leaning Democrats).
• In December, the House passed H. Res. 326, which reaffirms the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution, our “ironclad” commitment to maintaining military assistance for Israel, and support for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians. The resolution is almost a definition of what it means to be pro-Israel.Yet Republicans overwhelmingly opposed it.

Some on the far left, outside the Democratic Party, do hold anti-Israel views, as do some on the far right. But the overwhelming majority of Democratic members of Congress, which includes some who voice disagreement with particular policies of Israel’s current government, remain firmly supportive of Israel’s safety and security. The votes prove it.

If Israel is your issue, you might not agree with any particular Democratic candidate on everything, but any Democratic candidate would be better for the U.S.-Israel relationship than Donald Trump.

Updated July 21, 2020

Steve Sheffey is Strategy and Policy Adviser to the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) and the publisher of the weekly Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update. Sign up for his newsletter here. The views expressed here are his own.