Trump, Israel, and the Shifting Pattern of Support for a Traditional Ally

• In Event: Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump

Abstract

President Trump made Israel a salient issue in his public appeals. In his oral remarks and frequent use of new media, the president repeatedly mentions Israel – referring to his pro-Israeli policies, to his admiration of the country, and to his strong friendship with the prime minister of Israel, Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu. In this paper, I examine the rhetoric and actions of President Trump on three of Trump’s strong, unconventional pro-Israeli policies (or that have a perceived pro-Israeli effect)—recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel, recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and withdrawing the United States from the Iran Nuclear Agreement. I show that in much of his rhetoric, the President utilizes an existing partisan divide to justify his foreign policies, and to exploit the issue for political gains by criticizing Democrats and acquiring ownership of the issue. This serves him in fulfilling commitments of his political base, mainly evangelical Christians and pressuring Jewish voters to critique and abandon their political alignment with the Democratic Party. In doing so, he further strengthens the current trend of partisan divide over Israel.

Author

• Amnon Cavari, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya