This is what pro-Israel Americans need from the next US president - opinion
The upcoming US presidential election offers an opportunity for Americans who care about Israel to reaffirm their understanding of American support of Israel. For better or for worse, the war between Israel and Hamas has placed the US-Israel relationship as a top concern for many Americans as they choose their preferred candidate. Both candidates, their running mates, and their proxies on the campaign trail are aware of the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to many voters and are careful to express their candidate's position on the conflict.
It is important that Americans who prioritize American support for Israel not be taken by the usual campaign promises and platitudes candidates pronounce about their support for Israel. These pro-Israel statements are usually superficial, lack nuance, and most importantly, don't reveal the policies a candidate might enact if elected president. Americans who care about Israel must look past a candidate's slogans and define how candidates truly intend to support Israel – or not support Israel – before deciding a candidate meets their standards for supporting Israel.
The first and most well-known candidate platitude about Israel is that the Jewish state has a right to defend itself from its enemies. This slogan isn't just said on the campaign trail, but it is offered up by American elected officials whenever Israel defends itself from an attack by its enemies. Standing by Israel when it is under attack and defending itself by declaring that Israel is within its rights to respond with military force is the statement of an ally.
At the same time, the statement can be restrictive depending on the context and intention of the president saying it. There have been American presidents who have pressured Israeli leaders to defend themselves up to the measures of defense that America maintains is appropriate and not further than those measures.
These presidents have stated that Israel has every right to defend itself but have exerted tremendous pressure on Israel to stop its military actions before Israel felt it was appropriate. The American voter who is a supporter of Israel must determine how the candidate intends to support Israel's right to defend itself. Will they support Israel's determination in what it needs to defend itself or will it pressure Israel to defend itself only to the point the president determines is appropriate?
The horrific Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 has been universally condemned by almost all American elected officials and both presidential candidates. It is clear to all that such an attack can never be allowed to happen again. There is a difference of opinion among Israeli leaders on how to protect Israel and ensure it never suffers an October 7 attack again. Israel must be able to guarantee it never suffers an attack of that magnitude or style from its enemies.
There are two schools of thought in Israel on how to protect Israel in the future. The opposition, led by Yair Lapid, maintains that in offering concessions to Hamas and the Palestinians, Israel can ensure that they will not attack again. The current government maintains that it is only through a military defeat of Hamas that Israel can guard against future attacks.
Israel must take the steps it determines are correct to ensure that it is never attacked again. When one of the presidential candidates promises that they will support Israel and make sure October 7 never happens again without going into detail, the American pro-Israel voter must determine if the candidate will support Israel's way of ensuring this or exert pressure on Israel to take steps it doesn't feel is Israel's best way of stopping future attacks.
Pay attention to how candidates talk about Palestinians
Americans voting in the elections that care about US support of Israel must be especially wary of how the candidates talk about the Palestinians. When candidates talk about solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are they just regurgitating the old two-state solution framework, or do they have more insidious plans that will harm Jews living in Judea and Samaria? Phrases like self-determination for the Palestinians can sound innocuous, but the plans behind them can be much more nefarious than the candidate is letting on.
American Jews should also be wary of candidates assuming that American Jews see Israel as "their country" with the dual-loyalty charge being levied in code word. US Jews and non-Jews have every right to prioritize the US-Israel relationship in the factors that they weigh in deciding who to vote for in this election. American national security is enhanced by its strong partnership with Israel. Loyal Americans understand the importance of a strong Israel to America's national security and make the US-Israel relationship a priority in their election calculus. Stay updated with the latest news!
Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post NewsletterMost important of all issues for the US-Israel relationship is stopping Iran from going nuclear, sponsoring terrorism, and taking control of the region. Will the next president increase or decrease sanctions against Iran ? Are they going to try to appease Iran or counter them militarily? Will they inspire fear and hesitation in Iran or embolden them? American voters who care about Israel need to feel confident that the next American president will stop Iran from being an effective enemy of Israel and the United States.
This column has outlined the issues that should concern American voters who support a strong US-Israel relationship and want to vote for a presidential candidate who shares their concerns. The column warns the voter to look past the platitudes common in an election and ask the nuanced questions that will reveal the policies of candidates that are vying for their vote.
The writer is a certified interfaith hospice chaplain in Jerusalem and the mayor of Mitzpe Yeriho, where she lives with her husband and six children.
