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| Representative Elise Stefanik (JTA) |
That criticism began early in President Barack Obama’s first term in office. In a very public way, Netanyahu lectured the new president on the realities of Israel’s conflict with Palestinians. One could see the president being very uncomfortable listening to that. Just about all of the Democrats in congress felt that it was a Chutzpah for any foreign leader to lecture an American president in public at their first meeting.
The relationship between the then White House and Netanyahu went downhill form there. Culminating with another slight of the president. Netanyahu was invited by then Speaker of the House John Boehner to address a special joint session of congress. He proceeded to condemn the pending Nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the US.
These are some of the many reasons Netanyahu was so hated by Democrats. And it pretty much sealed his fate with them. Making it easy for them to criticize how Netanyahu is conducting the war. Republicans for the most part completely support Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war.
A lot of Netanyahu critics believed he would rue the day he cozied up to Republicans while ignoring Democratic concerns. Israel would pay a big price for that - if Democrats retained power in the White House after the election. Which they all expected would happen. Any other leader - they reasoned - would have had the wisdom to cultivate a good relationships with both candidates and both parties instead of concentrating on one candidate and one party. Netanyahu placed his bet on Republicans.
Well it turns out that Netanyahu’s bet paid off. We are on the precipice of the most pro Israel government in the history of the United States. The Senate is already majority Republican. It’s just a matter of how big a majority it will be. The House is poised to once again be controlled by Republicans. Whose speaker, Mike Johnson, is about as pro Israel as one can get. Unlike many of his Democratic colleagues, I have not heard him blame Israel for the death of a single Palestinian civilian.
There has been a lot of speculation about whether The Executive Branch will be as supportive of Israel as it was last time Trump was president. That it might not be the same has been fueled by comments Trump made during the campaign that sounded like he was at odds with Netanyahu.
Trump wants the war to end before he takes office on January 20. Netanyahu will not put a time limit in pursuit of victory over Hamas and Hezbollah.
Trump also recently made clear that that 2 of his most pro Israel past cabinet members, Haley and Pompeo, would not be serving in this one.
His pro Israel daughter, Ivanka and her pro Israel husband Jared will not be a part of his administration this go-round either.
And then there is this little nugget:
Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law Massad Boulos, a key Arab surrogate for the US president-elect, met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September, a senior Palestinian official tells The Times of Israel.
Were the high expectation of Trump’s strong support for Israel premature? Not at all. His first appointment that matters on that issue is Elise Stefanik:
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rep. Elise Stefanik, a close ally whose questioning about campus antisemitism led to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents, as his ambassador to the United Nations.
“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement, according to CNN.
(Stefanik) gained praise from Jewish Democrats and Republicans for pressing the leaders of three elite universities — Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — on whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate school policy. All three said that the answer would depend on context. The leaders of Penn and Harvard both stepped down in subsequent weeks.
Other than Nikky Haley, I can think of no better pro Israel; pro Jewish UN representative than Elise Stefanik. She outdid herself as chairman of those hearings. I m sure she will be equally eloquent in the UN representing the interests of the US as well as its ally Israel.
This is a good start. Now if Trump picks Marco Rubio as the Secretary of State (as has been rumored by the media) and makes good on his promise to sweep out the rot that has infested foggy bottom for what seems like for ever, it cannot but bode very well for Israel’s future.
A word about Trump’s domestic agenda. He has promised to abolish the Department of Education. Under whose tenure we have seen the steady decline of American education. An education that has devolved into an indoctrination of values antithetical to the biblical values this country was founded upon. His educational agenda will focus far more on teaching the core subjects that once made American public school education the envy of he world. His educational agenda also includes school choice. Which is what the vast majority of American parents prefer. What parent in their right mind wouldn't want to have the option to choose which school to send their child to?
Aside from an improving economy and solving the illegal immigration crisis, this is what the American electorate voted for. And this is hopefully what they will get.