Israel's multi-front war against Hamas and Hezbollah, and fears of a broader war in the Middle East with Iran, have made support for the Jewish state a key issue in November's presidential election.
Fox News Digital recently interviewed Americans in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, asking them who they thought was the better candidate in the November election: former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.
“he [Trump] “He was a great president for four years, the only American president who has ever come any closer to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Mordechai told Fox News Digital in the heart of the Israeli capital.
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Israelis have voiced their opinions on what a Kamala or Trump presidency would mean for Israelis. (Ahmad Gharabri/AFP via Getty Images)
Moti Stein, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital that Vice President Kamala Harris “is a very good person for Israel.”
He said she “represents and perhaps embodies values that are crucial to the future of Israeli society.”
A concern for interviewees who believe the Democratic candidate is the best choice for Israel's future is the continuation of democracy in the Jewish state.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 25, 2024. (Amos Ben Gershom (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu Agency)
Jerusalem resident John Golub, who like Stern took part in a protest against Netanyahu near the Israeli Parliament building, believes Harris is the best choice for Israelis. “Kamala Harris is committed to democracy and I believe she is the candidate who will help ensure Israel's future as a strong, liberal democracy with the strong, independent judiciary that we need,” he said.
Other Israelis were concerned about what a Harris administration would be like for Israel, with Baruch Kalman telling Fox News Digital that Harris “is not the right candidate to help Israel” and complaining that he felt Harris “was more worried about Gaza and Hamas than she was about Israel.”
“Of the two candidates, Trump is the better candidate,” Kalman said. “He's already voiced his support for Israel and he still does, and he keeps his promises and does what he says he will do.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a photo of himself with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on July 26, 2024. (X/@netanyahu)
Anna Gluko said one of the reasons she supports Trump is because of his values, which help shape his policies: “I think his policies will be based on the biblical values that God expects from people.”
Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, one of Israel's most widely read English-language newspapers, recently wrote an opinion piece outlining why he felt Harris was the wrong choice for Israel.
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“I think a Kamala Harris presidency should be worrying for Jews and Israelis for a variety of reasons,” Klein said.
Klein believes Middle Eastern countries generally have a lot of respect for world leaders who have demonstrated strength on the international stage, something he says Harris lacks. In contrast, he says Harris has voiced support for Israel. Klein said Trump's track record in achieving the Abraham Accords and moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem are good examples of Trump's willingness to work with Israel.
Road sign pointing to the US Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel (Hillel Meyer/TPS)
Klein warned that a future Trump administration will need talented people who understand the region, just as the previous administration did.
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“The question is whether he actually brings back or works with the same kind of close team he had before,” Klein said. “Whether it's his son-in-law Jared Kushner or David Friedman, who was the ambassador to Israel. There are a lot of people who are very knowledgeable about Israel and the region. If those people actually have close ties to the president and can actually influence him, that's a good thing. And generally, the Republican Party is pro-Israel anyway.”
There are approximately 600,000 American citizens living temporarily or permanently in Israel. The Jerusalem Post reported.About 500,000 of those nationals could be eligible to vote in November's elections, the paper said, citing U.S. embassy figures.
