By Moshe Gerstley, FTJT Staff
During last week’s memorable presidential debate, what struck me even more notably than the concerning display of senility from President Biden that for some unexplained reason was only noticed by so many now, was a single line leveled at Biden by a surprisingly composed President Trump. “[Biden has become like] a Palestinian,” said Trump. “But they don’t [even] like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian. He’s a weak one.”
The use of the word Palestinian as a sort-of insult by former President Trump was not something to overlook as a mere joke, though it may have been intended as one. What we saw on stage in Atlanta last week was part of a shockingly reassuring moment where top figures in both the Democratic and Republican Parties contended that they were “more pro-Israel” than the other. At a time when large contingents of both of these parties continue to isolate Jewish-Americans and Zionists from the political landscape, even stooping to vilifying those that align themselves with Israel, it is ever more vital for those in positions of power to denounce such attacks and dispel the increased stigmatization of Israel.
In my June 5th piece, “Reflections From The Israel Day Parade,” I wrote that “We ought not to feel so isolated, for we are not. The silent majority is real.” What I failed to mention is that not only has that silent majority that always supported Israel massively shrunk since October 7th, it has appeared to have diminished even among the top echelons of society as well.
The most popular cultural personalities, influential politicians, and powerful business moguls all seem to be less and less convinced that Israel has both the right to exist and the right to sustain that existence by topping the deadly Hamas terrorist regime in Gaza. This loss of support from key figures in the West seems to be opening the door for uneven pressure on Israel never before seen to this degree, pressure exacted on no other nation in the Middle East. It’s no secret that the arm-twisting demands on America’s democratic ally in the Middle East (a country comprised of multiple ethnicities and religions) is deeply disproportionate to the demands placed on their less-enlightened, totalitarian neighbors.
To most American Jews, the United States has stood as the barrier to the demands of Western countries by coming to the aid of Israel when others would not. After all, it was the United States that long prided itself on being the ultimate liberator of oppressed peoples. They freed the Jews in Nazi Germany from the concentration camps, unbound the subjugated from Eastern European communism, and later tried their hand to rid Southeast Asia of Communism. European-style social class constraints were not as rampant here, allowing Jews who stepped off the ships in New York to engage in trades and professions that would have been unthinkable previously. Now, just two decades after the attack of 9/11, when the U.S. saw Jihadi extremism pierce through its skylines, its closest allies experienced similar Jihadist terrors rip through their borders to commit mass rape and carnage in what would become the worst attack in Israel’s history. For a moment, the two were aligned by their common fear for the future as Jihadist extremism established itself as one of the foremost threats to global stability in the incipient 21st century. President Biden surely recognizes that threat.
In 1986, then-Senator, Joe Biden said, “[Supporting Israel] is the best $3 billion investment we make. Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region.” He’s reaffirmed that on many occasions. Regrettably, as we saw clearly in last week’s debate, President Biden is not at the wheel. Protecting global shipping lanes, maintaining surveillance capabilities, and sustaining U.S. dominance abroad requires the cooperation of like-minded allies around the world. Most of those in leadership on both sides recognize this. Democratic strategists and campaign staffers, however, are unconcerned with America’s standing on the world stage. They only care about their candidate’s standing in polling, and their ability to win in the general election. As is obvious now, most of those in control at the White House are just strategists and staffers, not the President himself, which perhaps explains why the White House’s “steadfast” support for Israel has steadily declined.
President Trump, however, seems to understand the on-the-ground reality of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle a lot more than the pretentious advisors behind Biden’s campaign. Perhaps Mr. Trump understands that in reality, the Palestinian struggle is largely a covert attempt at demolishing the Israeli state under the guise of pursuing their statehood. Terrorism, from Trump’s perspective, is built into the very nature of “Palestinian-ism.” It’s not the so-called “occupation” that creates terror, but terrorism that prolongs the so-called “occupation.” And no matter what Israel does, in the end, the terrorism against them will persist. It’s why being called a “Palestinian” as Trump put it, is a derogatory term associated with the decades-long history of persistent, unrelenting terror.
Perhaps it wasn’t phrased in the most politically correct fashion, but it speaks to the intuition of the Former President and how at odds he is with the growing pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas movement in America. It is this fact that should act as a comforting reassurance to the decent voters in this nation who remain supportive of the State of Israel and Jews globally. While I’m not fond of everything he has done, backing Donald Trump against a group of shadowy, left leaning strategists who mastermind an elderly puppet is in my opinion, the best choice for America.
