Israel has always been a hot topic among presidential candidates and rightfully so. Israel is crucial to America since it is the only democracy in the middle east. This enables the U.S. to have a base in any future war that may need American intervention. Despite Israel’s importance to America, many American government representatives have been opposed to Israel’s right to defend itself in light of the Hamas vs. Israel war. Like House Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky who voted against the funding of the iron dome at a press conference in Washington, D.C. on March 8, 2022. Also, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan voiced her opposition to the funding during a speech on the House floor ahead of the September 2021 vote. “I will not support an effort to enable and support war crimes, human rights abuses and violence,” she said. “The Israeli government is an apartheid regime.” However, the most pressing incident dispute among American government representatives has been between presidential running mates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Like most of the Republican party, Donald Trump believes that Israel has the right to exist and continues to help protect and advocate for it. One of Trump’s most significant moves regarding Israel was his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017. This move broke the U.S. policy that the status of Jerusalem would be left to debate between Israel and Palestinians. And in 2018, the U.S. embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In 2020, Trump helped broker the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. In 2019, the Trump Administration announced that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were no longer illegal under national law. This controversial move enhanced the lives of Israelis living in the West Bank. Overall, Trump is viewed as one of the most pro-Israel U.S. presidents, who aligns closely with Israeli conservative policies.
Kamala, in contrast, doesn’t give such intense support to israel. While she supports Israel as a close ally to the U.S. she is also a big supporter of a Palestinian state along with an Israeli one. She criticizes the Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, viewing it as a barrier to a viable Palestinian state. In December of 2023 Kamala went to Dubai to speak with Middle Eastern states about the handling of the Israel and Hamas war. She noted that Israel did have the right to defend itself and that America will not waver in their commitment to bring the hostages home. She made a distinction between Hamas and the Palestinians that Palestinians are innocent while Hamas is the main threat. She says, “Too many Palestinians have been killed.” But we know that Palestinian citizens are not innocent because they have been hiding hostages in their home. Also, the Palestinian people voted Hamas into power and continue to strive for the extinction of Israel.
In conclusion, the differing perspectives of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Israel mirror the divide in U.S. politics regarding Middle East policy. Trump’s administration took strong steps to solidify U.S. support for Israel by prioritizing Israel’s sovereignty and security in the Middle East. In contrast, Kamala Harris, while maintaining support for Israel, cares more about the rights of Palestinians and advocates for a two-state solution. This nuanced difference reflects the ongoing debate in U.S. politics about how to balance Israel’s security with human rights and the pursuit of peace in the region. The varied reactions among American representatives, from opposition to defense funding like the Iron Dome, highlights the complexity of the issue and the challenges faced by U.S. policymakers in navigating the sensitive dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
