In his speech at Republican National Convention in August, President Trump stated that the upcoming presidential election is going to be a very important time in the life and the safety of Israel, explicitly warning that if he and the Republicans do not win the upcoming election, the Holy Land is in big trouble.

Even though he has a son-in-law, a daughter and grandchildren who are Jewish, the president was puzzled to have gotten just 25 percent of the Jewish vote in the 2016 election. Especially disconcerting are those Jewish voters who disregard a candidate’s achievements and automatically vote Democrat.

Trump explained that when he took office, the region was in total chaos with ISIS rampaging, Iran menacing the region, and no end in sight in the Afghanistan War.

The president’s Mideast record has certainly favored Israel. Unlike many presidents before, he kept a promise to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s true capital and moved the U.S. Embassy there. The U.S. also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and just two months ago, achieved the first Middle East peace deal in 25 years. Last week, Sudan became the latest Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel, following similar recent moves by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The president’s special feelings for Israel grew during his first foreign trip as president on May 19, 2017. After touring Jerusalem with his entourage, he wore a yarmulke and prayed at the Western Wall during the afternoon of May 21, 2017, becoming the first sitting president to ever visit the holy site.

Reflecting on that visit, Trump said he was deeply moved and amazed by what this small country had achieved in the face of overwhelming odds and never-ending threats. Despite taking up a minuscule amount of land, it has become a thriving center of democracy, innovation, culture and commerce.

Trump called Israel a light to the world - an ancient home, a sacred place of worship. He added that the hearts and history of our people are woven together and made a solemn promise to the Jewish people that we will never again repeat history’s darkest hour. An estimated 6 million perished during the World War II genocide of the European Jews.

Along with Trump’s support of Israel, his friendship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained steadfast. Netanyahu was the first person President Trump met one-on-one with during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017, and last January, the prime minister described Trump as “the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”

From 2012 through 2019, the U.N. General Assembly had adopted a total of 202 resolutions criticizing countries but the vast majority - 81 percent - condemned Israel. While the Human Rights Council criticized Israel, it ignored some of the worst human rights violators creating atrocities elsewhere in the world.

After his election, Trump said the U.S. would no longer tolerate Israel being singled out for condemnation. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, one of the president’s first appointments, immediately stated that there “is a new sheriff in town.”

A spring 2019 global survey by the Pew Research Center found that Israel was the only country among 33 where a majority of people (55 percent) approved of Trump’s policies; and 71 percent expressed confidence in his “world leadership.”

Unfortunately, during the presidential debates we weren’t able to learn more about the two candidates’ Middle East policies, especially regarding Iran, the most dangerous threat to Israel’s survival.

Joe Biden has had a moderate record on Israel but he is under constant pressure from radical-left wing Democrats to adopt anti-Israeli policies, especially on the critical issues of the Iran nuclear deal, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and military aid.

During his presidential run in 2016, Trump repeatedly called the Iran nuclear deal “terrible” and “one-sided. Just days after his inauguration he announced a review of the Obama policy, calling it “one of the worst deals I’ve ever witnessed,” and in 2018, Trump announced the U.S. would be exiting the deal.

If elected, Biden can expect pressure from the hard left to restore the bilateral ties with the Palestine Liberation Organization, a group that Trump downgraded from the Obama administration. A Biden administration would likely include Obama era policymakers who carry a less favorable view of Israel.

Dan Rothem, a Tel Aviv-based analyst who served as an adviser to former Israeli President Shimon Peres, said that Netanyahu described the Obama years as having to play defense regarding the conflict with Iran and the Palestinians. With the Trump administration, however, he was able to go on offense.

He said with a Biden administration, it will be back to playing defense.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com