Getty ImagesThe bar across from the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem is called Deja Bu, a tongue-in-cheek reference to something you’ve had before.
Outside the gates of the American compound, Israel is eager for a second-round election to Donald Trump.
“I’m very happy,” said Rabbi Rafael Shore, who lives in Jerusalem’s Old City. “He knows the languages of the Middle East.
“Iran will think twice before doing anything. I think if Kamala is elected, the Middle East will not be too worried about attacking the United States or Israel.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first to congratulate the newly elected president this morning. “Congratulations on the greatest comeback in history!” he tweeted.
Netanyahu has previously called Trump “Israel’s best friend in the White House.”
Trump has previously won support by scrapping the Iran nuclear deal that Israel opposes, striking historic normalization deals with multiple Arab countries and upending decades of U.S. policy and international consensus by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Michael Oron, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States, said Donald Trump’s first term was “a model” as far as Israel is concerned.
“Hopefully he will reconsider this. [But] We must be very clear about who Donald Trump is and what he stands for.
First, he said the former president “doesn’t like war” and thinks war is expensive. Trump urges Israel to end Gaza war as soon as possible.
Ambassador Oron said he was also “not a big fan” of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and opposed the desire of some Israeli leaders to annex some settlements.
Both policies could put him on a collision course with far-right parties in Netanyahu’s current governing coalition, who have threatened to overthrow the government if the prime minister pursues policies they reject.
When asked to choose between recent demands from U.S. allies and those from coalition partners, Benjamin Netanyahu favored his coalition.
As a result, friction with current US President Biden has increased sharply.
Michael Oren believes that Netanyahu needs to adopt a different attitude towards the incoming president.
“If Donald Trump came into office in January and said, ‘OK, you have a week to end this war,’ Netanyahu would have to respect that.”
In Gaza, where Israeli forces have been battling the Palestinian group Hamas, desperation has led some residents to focus on this single goal.
Ahmed said Trump “had some strong promises.” “We hope he can help and bring peace.”
Ahmed’s wife and son were killed in the war, and his house was destroyed.
“That’s enough, we’re tired,” he said. “We want Trump to be strong so that he can solve the problem with Israel.”
Getty ImagesMohammed Daoud, who has been displaced eight times during the conflict in Gaza, said Trump’s victory means the war is coming to an end.
Mamdu, another displaced resident, said he didn’t care who won – he just wanted help.
“There’s no medicine, there’s no hospital, there’s no food. There’s nothing left in Gaza,” he said. “We need a strong figure who can separate us from the Jews.”
Skepticism about U.S. influence is widespread in the occupied West Bank, home to the Palestinian Authority (PA), with many viewing the U.S. government on both sides of the political spectrum as siding with Israel.
“Mediocre solutions at the expense of Palestinians, or endless military support for Israel, will only serve as catalysts for future confrontations,” said Sabri Saidam, a senior member of Fatah, the main Palestinian Authority faction. “
“We hope to see a new version of Trump, more like Trump 2.0, who is serious about ending wars immediately and addressing the root causes of conflicts in the Middle East.”
Recent polls show that more than two-thirds of Israelis want to see Trump return to the White House. But there are also warnings here about his unpredictability and his approach.
“He will make the situation here more uncertain and unsafe,” said an Israeli woman. “I don’t trust him to keep the peace. Honestly, I think he’s just going to make the war worse.”
Former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren said he believed Israel could achieve “tremendous achievements in the future” if it cooperated with Trump, including a historic peace deal with Saudi Arabia and the potential to curb Iran’s influence.
But it may also be harder for Netanyahu to deal with the demands and compromises involved in these regional goals.
Moderate voices surrounding both leaders have dwindled since Trump’s last term.
Many Israelis have fond memories of Trump’s first term. But the relationship may be completely different the second time around—past performance is no guarantee of future returns.
