Former President Trump stated over the weekend that American Jews do not value Israel sufficiently and should look to evangelical Christians who are more appreciative of his Middle East approach.
In virtual remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition leadership conference, Trump boasted that he was the ‘best friend Israel has ever had in the White House.’ He also conflated American Jews and Israelis by stating that Biden administration officials ‘don’t even listen to your leaders.’
Trump stated, “Some Jews in the United States do not respect Israel as much as they should.” Because evangelicals are on your side, I can tell you who appreciates Israel the most: evangelicals. Indeed, evangelical Christians are on your side. But I value Israel, and I consider it an honor to have done more for Israel than any previous president.’
Trump stated that if he were elected president again, he would broaden the Abraham Accords and establish a comprehensive peace throughout the Middle East. According to him, Biden betrayed Israel and the Jewish community.
The deals were heavily influenced by Trump’s devoutly Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The Abraham Accords, the arrangement his administration brokered to normalize relations between Israel and four Middle Eastern countries, might have been expanded to include ’10, 12, 14 [Arab countries], maybe all of them… we could have had genuine peace in the Middle East’
“I have done more for Israel than any other president. Surprisingly, our fantastic Evangelicals are significantly more thankful of this than Jewish folks, particularly those living in the United States,’ Trump remarked on his Truth Social app.
“Those who reside in Israel, however, are a different story – Highest approval rating in the world, could easily be Prime Minister!”
Trump concluded, “U.S. Jews must get their act together and value what they have in Israel – Before it’s too late!”
The comment was widely condemned by Jewish groups.
Historically, American Jews have been a pro-Democratic voting constituency, and this trend did not change in the 2020 presidential election.
During his time as president, Trump was a staunch ally of Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative administration in Israel. The infamous relocation of the Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem infuriated Palestinians.