Trump Taking the First Steps to Realign Relationship with Israel?
Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Rabbi Marvin Hier, who spoke at President Trump’s Inauguration, discussed the future of the United States’ relationship with Israel under Trump.
President Trump plans to talk to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone on Monday and has invited Netanyahu to visit to Washington, D.C. in February. When asked if these were the first steps in Trump’s plan to realign the country’s relationship with Israel, Rabbi Heir said, “It is.”
Hier then explained why the relationship with Israel is so important to the U.S.
“If you look at the Middle East, what other country could the United States rely on that is a democracy in the fullest standard than the state of Israel? So, I think President Trump is doing the right thing.”
According to Hier, Trump’s decision to make that phone call to Netanyahu so early in his presidency shows that Israel’s friendship with the U.S. is a priority.
“He’s realigning, he’s saying, ‘You know what? Israel is a primary great friend of the United States and I want to make sure that the first move that I make is to have a conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel.’”
Hier then discussed the potential reasons why a high percentage of American Jews tend to vote Democrat.
“I think that goes back to the Roosevelt Administration during the Depression. I know my parents were Democrats, they believed at that time that FDR rescued them from the Depression and this became sort of cultivated, but I think today you have many, many Jews around the country that are Republicans.”