With the most pivotal election of our times rapidly approaching, you’d think everyone would be sprinting to cast their ballots come November 5th. This sadly couldn’t be further from the truth. The majority of Jewish students I come across are ardently pro-Israel, yet many within this group fail to see the crucial correlation between the safety of Israel, the safety of Jews, and our American election. Too many “don’t like either candidate” or “don’t know enough about the policies” or some other peripheral reason that is keeping them from voting altogether. Well, that is not acceptable this time. If there was ever a time to educate yourself, make a choice, and VOTE, it is now. The fates of Israel and America are intertwined and in our hands.
Context and History
The first thing that should be noted is that this is neither candidate’s first rodeo. As we all know, Donald Trump was our President from 2017-2021 and Kamala Harris is our sitting Vice President. For us voters, this makes it simpler to look back and see what they have already done during their times in office and how that translates into what they are promising to do in the future. For Harris, who has been in office for the past three years under President Biden, it makes it harder to sell any future promises as we are forced to ponder why she hasn’t tackled them in all this time and how she can propose to “fix” the situations that have unfolded under her leadership. Trump’s campaign, however, does the opposite in promising to go back to exactly how he ran the country during his last presidency.
The US and Israel have been strong allies since Israel’s formation in 1948, with the US being the first to recognize Israel as an independent nation. Since then, the two have continued to support each other economically, militarily, and strategically. Because Israel and the US are historical allies, the US government will always “support” Israel, at least on paper. This is why it is far more telling to look at the physical actions rather than the carefully crafted speeches to decipher who really has Israel’s and America’s best interests at heart. Below, I have broken down the main things each candidate has already done in terms of Israel and what the physical effect was as well as what they promise to do in the future. It is so important to be objective in this election and focus on the policies and actions of our candidates and not get stuck on their personalities and words. Personality is easy to fabricate, policy is not.
What Has Each Candidate Already Done?
Trump
1. Abraham Accords 2020
● Peace deal between Israel and the UAE, Israel and Bahrain, and later joined by Sudan and Morocco; Saudi Arabia was monumentally en route to joining up until October 2023
● First time Israel established diplomatic relations with an Arab nation since 1994
Israel-Jordan treaty
● Aligned two of the US’s prominent allies (Israel, UAE) together against the mutual threat of Iran
● Lead to cooperation on investment, tourism, security, technology, and energy and to the countries allowing regular direct flights, open embassies, and trade ambassadors with each other
● Promised but unachieved by many past presidents including Clinton, Bush, and Obama
2. Moved US Embassy to Jerusalem, 2018
●Officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
● Reaffirmed Israel’s rights as a sovereign nation to determine its own capital and have that be globally recognized
● Attempted since 1995 when Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act but nothing was actually done until Trump in 2018
● Fulfilled campaign promise of President Trump, something many before him promised but weren’t able to achieve, including Bush and Obama
3. Withdrew from Iran Nuclear Deal and Imposed Heavy Sanctions, 2018
● Ended the Obama-era nuclear deal that was lining Iran’s pockets to fund terrorism
Harris (Biden-Harris)
1. Arms and Aid
● Passed $95 billion aid bill for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan in April 2024, with Israel
receiving around $14.1 billion, with many strings and conditions attached, and $9.5 bn for humanitarian aid for these 3 places with Gaza receiving an additional $1 bn
● Strings attached: threatened to withdraw weapons aid from Israel upon their entrance into Rafah, which Israel had to do to continue to target Hamas militants, leading to Hamas refusing a deal knowing the US wouldn’t be backing Israel; important to note that Rafah is where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was finally eliminated by the IDF
● Providing Israel with arms and aid is nothing new, this is expected as we are allies
● Much of the US humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilians has been diverted by Hamas and repurposed for terrorist activity
● In September 2023, Biden-Harris gave Iran access to $16 billion in frozen funds as part of a hostage deal. Shortly after, Hamas, who receives millions from Iran annually, launched the October 7th attack
2. Harris Refused to Host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
● PM Netanyahu delivered a speech to the US Congress on July 24, 2024. VP Harris skipped the congressional speech of the US’s biggest middle eastern ally for a “previously scheduled event”, a reunion of her Zeta Phi Beta sorority in Indianapolis
● After Harris briefly met with him the next day, Netanyahu was hosted that weekend by former President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence
Okay, Now What?
I know, it’s a little late – the election is almost a week out – but if this helps to convince just one undecided voter to make a decision, I will feel that this article served its purpose. I am not here to tell you who to vote for or to make any stances for you, rather I am here to put forth the facts surrounding this critical election with specific regard to Israel and antisemitism. I am also happy to speak to anyone personally about the various other important platforms up for debate this election. The voter registration deadline in California has passed but the rules on this are very lax (welcome to California!) and it is completely fine to just show up on election day (or earlier at in-person polling site) and register right there. More info about Same Day Voter Registration here: sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg. For out-of-state voters, the only way to vote is by mail – if you are registered, a ballot has been mailed to your residence and someone must now mail it to you and then you can drop it off. Here is some info on polling centers and mail-in ballot dropboxes in LA: caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/. UCLA has one in De Neve Plaza that is open from October 26-November 5 for same-day voter registration!
As daunting as this seems (and is), we must remember that God is on our side and has provided us with the intellect and capability to form decisions and act on them. It is up to us to utilize these God-given gifts. Am Yisroel Chai.
Image Via Flickr
Further Sources
● Ben Shapiro Breaks Down Trump’s Middle East Peace Deal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mLCa-Du_IY
● The Significance of Trump Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6_ARuC_QQk
● Statement by President Trump on Jerusalem
il.usembassy.gov/statement-by-president-trump-on-jerusalem/
● Billions in Aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3754718/supplemental-bill-becomes-law-providesbillions-in-aid-for-ukraine-israel-taiwan/
● US to Provide Iran Access to $16 billion in Frozen Funds
● www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/08/15/u-s-to-provide-iran-access-to-16-billion-in-frozen-funds/
● Kamala Harris’s Absence from Netanyahu’s Congressional Address
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-811774
● How Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Differ (and Agree) on Middle East Policy
https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-donald-trump-and-kamala-harris-differ-and-agree-on-middleeast-policy/
Cover Image via PICYRL
The views expressed in this post reflect the views of the author(s) and not UCLA or ASUCLA Communications Board.
