November 19, 2024
Sondra Oster Baras
What an astounding result in the US elections! Donald Trump was elected president, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris by a significant majority of both the electoral and popular votes. While this regime change will have significant effect on many issues in the US, as an Israeli, I want to share with you my thoughts, which reflect the thoughts of so many in Israel, on how this change will affect Israel.
President Joe Biden declared himself a true friend of Israel and in many ways he was. When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th of last year, he immediately rushed military aid to Israel and sent aircraft carriers to the area to signal American military support for the Israeli response to the horrific attack. Unfortunately, however, and to the shock of many, on the very day of the Hamas attack, protests began all over the US, and particularly on university campuses, supporting the Hamas attacks and accusing Israel of genocide. The Biden Administration did nothing to curb what became a growing tide of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric and protests all across the country. And then came the pressure on the Israeli government, to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, even though Hamas was stealing the aid. The Administration then pressured Israel to agree to a cease-fire before Hamas had been defeated. It tried to prevent Israel from pursuing the war effectively, which caused the IDF to wait weeks before entering Rafah. And finally, it halted delivery of vital ammunition to force the hand of Netanyahu.
Netanyahu gambled and won. He strung the administration along, while hoping that Trump would win. When Trump did win, the entire country celebrated. There is no question that Trump is pro-Israel to a degree that Biden has never been. As Trump has recently announced his various cabinet appointments, we have even more cause for optimism.
Mike Huckabee will be the US Secretary of State, the individual responsible for the foreign relations of the US. Huckabee himself has long been not only a supporter of Israel but an outspoken advocate for Jewish control of Judea and Samaria. I once had the privilege of meeting Mike Huckabee and his wife Janet when they led a tour to Israel. I was amazed at this political figure who was so pro-Israel. And when he spoke about Israel, he clearly reflected both his spiritual, pastoral background, as well as his political savvy. It is so rare to have a pro-Israel pastor go into politics and even rarer for a politician to retain his pro-Israel ideology. What a brilliant choice!
We are also very excited about the appointment of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as US Ambassador to the UN. We well remember her intense grilling of three university presidents regarding the horrible anti-Semitism on their campuses. She challenged them as to whether calling for the genocide of Jews on their campuses violated their rules of harassment. The university presidents each answered that it depended on the context. By enabling the public to see and understand how deeply flawed these campuses were under the leadership of these very problematic presidents, the heads of Penn and MIT were forced to resign. Stefanik became a hero in Israel!
There are more appointments that bode well for US-Israel relations once Trump returns to the helm. And of course, we remember Trump’s statement just before the elections that Israel should be able to attack the nuclear power infrastructure in Iran: “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to hit? I mean, it’s the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons,” he declared in a televised interview. From our vantage point, Trump and his various advisors and cabinet appointees understand what so many in the west don’t: that the Middle East is a place for hard deals and tough response to aggression. Forgiving terrorism in the Middle East is a sure recipe for growing it.
Sondra and Ed Baras, with former Ambassador David Friedman
A few weeks before the election, I was invited to a reception in honor of Ambassador David Friedman, former US ambassador to Israel under President Trump. Friedman has recently written a book entitled One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope To Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Friedman was in Israel to launch the book’s Hebrew translation. Friedman outlines his plan for Israel to apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria without affording full citizenship to the Arabs residing there. He puts forth a convincing argument to finally bury any notion of a two-state solution and instead, to look for solutions that will ensure Israeli control of the Biblical Heartland while enabling the Palestinian Arabs to benefit from Israel’s higher standard of living.
My husband Ed and I remember David from our days at Columbia University. Ed and David were classmates and David was very excited to see Ed again after all these years. It was actually amusing though, because we were all rather embarrassed at our Columbia affiliation given how anti-Israel Columbia has become. As we chatted, we expressed our hope that his plan would be accepted by Trump, should he become president.
It is not yet clear if Friedman will become part of the new US administration. But given the Trump cabinet appointees, it is very possible that Friedman’s book will become the basis of US government policy. And what a miracle that would be!
We face a critical crossroads and you can help us achieve the final death knell to the two-state solution and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. As long-time supporters of CFOIC Heartland and the settlement movement, you have the understanding and the commitment necessary to make a difference. As Washington DC changes its colors rapidly, we need to ensure that Christian support for Judea and Samaria is heard around the world. Whether you feel called to pray, to donate, to raise your voices locally — every action will help strengthen Judea and Samaria and create the atmosphere for a new vision for the Biblical Heartland. With God’s help!