Why Do Israelis Like Donald Trump So Much?
By: Yaniv Mazin
Tags: Trump, USA, Israel, Uae, Middle East

Now that Donald Trump has finally (tacitly) admitted defeat, we can finally look back at the four tumultuous years of his presidency. To put it very mildly, he was and will remain a divisive figure. Never in my lifetime have I seen a leader of a superpower generate so much division, in so many countries. There were those that revered him, and those that reviled him. Those who worshipped him, and those who worshipped whoever dared to oppose him. However, there is one place where the love and admiration for Donald Trump is so universal that squares, train stations and even towns are being named after him: Israel. There, his approval rating stands at 71%, the highest in the world. Why?

To find the answer to this question, one must go back in time, to an ascendency of a different and equally new kind of president, Barack Obama. The young, eloquently spoken senator from Illinois was brimming with new ideas, hope and desire for change. An idealist in a time of realpolitik, he was handed the keys to the most stressful job in the world at a time where his country was going through one of the worst recessions in its history. Israelis, well they didn’t care. They also didn’t pay much attention to his ethnic background. Remember, Israel was one of the first countries to have a woman Prime Minister in Golda Meir, and race relations were never as prevalent in Israeli society as they are in American society. They cared about one thing: the alliance between the two countries.

Obama, well he fudged it. The big problem with idealists in today’s world is they tend to be naïve to the inner workings of political systems; The manoeuvring, personal interests, corruption, deal making, profiteering and secrecy. Nowhere is this more prevalent in the Middle East. Obama’s first trip to the region was the whirlwind tour of the Arab countries, vowing to “reset relations with the Muslim world”. He went to Turkey and Cairo, giving speeches that were well recieved by the Arab world. Israelis remained ambivalent, until it was announced that he was not going to make a stop in Jerusalem. To the Israeli people, this was a slap in the face with a rotten tuna fish. The President of the United States, whom they consider their closest ally, glosses over them while pandering to “enemy countries”. This fatal error meant that any of Obama’s ideas for the region were DOA. For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it provided perfect cannon fodder for his eventual slide into authoritarianism, and allowed him to begin building the cult of personality that the Israeli people are currently grappling with.

It did not matter that Obama signed into law the largest military aid package to Israel, or that he protected Israel many times in international forums, against countries that are deeply biased and on many occasions antisemitic. It did not matter that he instructed congress to fund Israel’s Iron Dome defence system. To the Israeli people, he was a betrayer and one who could not be trusted.

Thus, when Obama retired and Donald Trump took his place, Israelis were more than happy to see the back of him. Trump, being the cunning showman that he has always been, took notice. He had a clean slate, a potential political base he could exploit, and he saw the damage his predecessor has done in the eyes of the Israeli public. Immediately, he set about reversing his predecessor’s foreign policy decisions. He pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, delighting the Israeli public and making Netanyahu squeak with joy. He recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which put to rest a truly ridiculous situation in which other countries thought they could dictate to a sovereign state what its capital city is. He recognised the Golan Heights as being sovereign Israeli territory, which considering the fact that Syria may never be a country again, is pretty much a fact of life by now. His “deal of the century” left the Palestinians humiliated, and gave Israel a much larger say in the region as a whole. Never before has a United States President been so openly in favour of Israel than Trump, and that sent his approval rating into the stratosphere. In the rough and tumble region that is the Middle East, Israelis felt that finally they were no longer alone. They had a true ally that could put their enemies in their place, and give the Israeli people the recognition they deserved for their achievements in the face of adversities.

The reaction on the ground was massive, and swift. “Trump, Make Israel Great Again” was a common sight on roadsigns, flags and posters. Netanyahu used photos of him with the President in his own political campaigns, which be in no doubt, did assist him. Squares in major cities were named in Trump’s likeness, and even a new town in the Golan Heights is to bear his presence.

His final parting shot was the “Abraham Accords”. An unprecedented three way peace deal with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel. Facilitated by his special adviser and son in-law Jared Kushner, these accords for the first time gave Israelis a true taste of warm peace. Unlike Egypt and Jordan, there were no bloody wars fought between the parties. There was no real animosity between the populations of said countries, and as the UAE and Bahrain are very wealthy, economic opportunities abound. Immediately, tourism to Dubai was promoted, and videos of citizens in the UAE holding both countries’ flags circulated on social media. Israelis reciprocated.

To the Israeli public, no United States President was able achieve such a feat. Trump shattered the narrative that their country’s peace was dependent on the Palestinian issue. Israelis understood that under Trump, they could have their cake and eat it. Security and peace without having to engage with their intransigent enemy. These are “Trump’s deals”.

The motivations behind Trump’s moves on Israel will be debated for many years to come. What is fact however, is that after eight rough years under President Obama, the Israelis would have taken anyone who claims to be a freind. Trump saw this, exploited this, and in the process created a new reality which Israelis feel more empowered than ever. Almost all Israelis, liberal or conservative, left or right, love Donald Trump, and so it shall stay.