Donald Trump has won a crushing victory over Kamala Harris in the United States presidential elections. The Israeli government hoped Trump's return and a large percentage of Israelis, prayed for Trump's victory. Now we can breathe easy.
Israel has a clear and distinct interest in Trump's election to the presidency. Trump was one of the most pro-Israel presidents in the history of the United States, in the eyes of many in Israel he is considered an ardent supporter of Israel and works to promote its interests in the international arena. In about two and a half months, on January 20, 2025, Trump will be sworn in again, this time as the 47th president of the United States, and this is the time to remember why Israel needs him:
First, the firm support for Israel and its security: Trump is one of the American leaders who expressed unequivocal and uncompromising support for Israel's security. During his previous term, he took steps such as moving the United States embassy to Jerusalem, a move considered a historic breakthrough in terms of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Trump also removed the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran and imposed extensive sanctions on it, which reduced its ability to develop nuclear weapons, a threat that the State of Israel considers an existential danger, especially in these days of war.
Second, promoting normalization with Arab countries: during his previous term, Trump led the "Abraham Accords", a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. These agreements created new partnerships and opened doors for cooperation in many fields, including economy, security, tourism and technology. About two and a half years ago, during an official visit to Morocco on behalf of the World Federation of Moroccan Jewry, I personally experienced the ties between Israel and the Maghreb, which are a consequence of the Abraham Accords.
Now with his return to the White House, estimates are that Trump will continue to work to strengthen normalization in the region and bring more Arab countries to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, thereby helping to reduce tensions in the region.
Third, the tough attitude towards Iran. Trump took an aggressive approach towards Iran, which led to the imposition of heavy economic sanctions and the reduction of Iran's ability to finance terrorist organizations in the Middle East. This approach led to the economic and military weakening of Iran, and directly affected the ability of Hezbollah and Hamas to pose a significant threat to Israel. Israel sees Iran as one of the main threats to its security, and the Trump administration is considered to have supported dealing with this threat, by exerting economic and political pressure that will of course continue in Trump's new term.
Fourth, the deepening of economic cooperation. During Trump's term, growing economic cooperation between the United States and Israel is evident. He encouraged American investments in Israel and created collaborations in areas such as technology, security and medical innovation. Economic cooperation between the countries can help strengthen the Israeli economy and create more jobs in Israel, especially in the high-tech and defense industries.
Fifth, influence on the UN and international organizations. Trump has taken a critical stance towards the UN and many international institutions that have often been characterized by a critical atmosphere towards Israel. He ordered the United States to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council due to what he called "anti-Israeli bias", and this step gave Israel important political support in the fight against unfair condemnations in international institutions. Trump's return may continue to contribute to Israel's defense in the diplomatic arena.
And a final word: besides Trump there were several other winners in this election. First, these are the election betting agencies in the United States, which for the first time became legal and generated a lot of interest among the public and the media. The betting market offers citizens, and people around the world, a chance to guess the results of the US elections, with the possibility of betting on candidates, key states, and the turnout. Some of the bets are concentrated on the "swing" state races, which often decide the results of the general election. Betting sites offer Odds ratio varies according to trends and polls, and sometimes even reflect the public mood better than traditional polls.
Pollsters in the US no longer have enough hats to cover their disappointment with the results of the election after they kept predicting that "it will be close, it will be tense until the end," Harris wins in the key states, that's how they tried to engineer us but Trump won a landslide victory. Congratulations also to Elon Musk who bet on the right horse.
Trump's great victory this week is an important reminder of the strong and courageous alliance between Israel and the United States that will go back to its great days. God Bless Israel. God bless America
Avi Nachmani is the spokesman for the World Federation of Moroccan Jewry