‘I Can Finally Breathe’: Israel Welcomes Trump’s Election Victory

The news of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election was met with enthusiasm across much of Israel on Wednesday morning, starting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effusive congratulations to the president-elect and extending — if polls are to be believed — to an overwhelming majority of the population.

“Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” Netanyahu wrote on X/Twitter.

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” he added, before signing off, “in true friendship.”

In the run-up to the election, several polls showed that Trump was clearly the favorite for Israelis. The Israel Democracy Institute found that nearly two-thirds of Israelis believe Trump is better for Israel’s interests, compared with only 13 percent who say his election opponent, incumbent US Vice President Kamala Harris, would have made a better fit.

“I just feel like I can finally breathe a sigh of relief,” Elad Bookman, who was up late Tuesday night at an election watch party, told The Algemeiner.

“We know that Trump is good for Israel because we’ve seen him in action,” Bookman went on, citing Trump’s history of pro-Israel policies in his former tenure. These include moving the US embassy to Jerusalem; declaring Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic region on Israel’s northern border previously controlled by Syria; withdrawing from the nuclear deal with Iran, which placed temporary restrictions on the regime’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions; and brokering the Abraham Accords, normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab and Muslim countries.

But Helit Barel, a former senior official at Israel’s National Security Council and an expert on US-Israel relations, cautioned that questions remain about how his policies will influence Israel’s regional concerns, saying “the true impact of a Trump presidency versus the current one remains to be seen.”

For Barel, the most pressing foreign policy challenge awaiting Trump is Iran’s proximity to nuclear capability. “Obviously Trump will not want to see Iran crossing that threshold on his watch,” she said, but added that the president-elect may falter in engaging Iran with direct military action, especially because of the economic costs associated with doing so.

“He’s not interested in expensive wars, and he’s quite focused on the economy, which is foremost on the minds of the American public,” Barrel told The Algemeiner.

Alternatively, while Trump had clearly been “antagonistic” toward the Obama administrations -brokered Iran nuclear deal, withdrawing from it in 2018, he may want to negotiate a new agreement, with much stricter terms. “He may take advantage of the fact that Iran appears to be desperate for a deal,” she said.

Barel also cautioned against over-enthusiasm on Netanyahu’s part, pointing to a checkered history between the two leaders, which includes Trump’s anger over Netanyahu’s decision not to participate in the strike on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and ire at the Israeli leader’s perceived betrayal in congratulating incumbent US President Joe Biden after the 2020 election. She also noted more recent criticisms of the Israeli premier’s wartime leadership in Gaza.

“We’ll find out if he’s truly moved past the grievances he had with Netanyahu,” she said.

But according to Attila Somfalvi, a political commentator and journalist with Ynet, the election result translated into a “happy day” for Netanyahu.

“Netanyahu woke up to a better prospect for the future,” Somfalvi said. “From a political standpoint, it’s important to remember that Netanyahu and Trump are on good terms, and so are their respective circles.”

According to Somfalvi, the two leaders had spoken on the phone several times in recent months, discussing matters regarding Iran.

“Trump reportedly told Netanyahu, ‘Do what you need to do.’ So it’s very possible he gave a green light here, with the idea of resolving the Iranian issue by Jan. 20,” Somfalvi said, referring to the date when Trump will officially return to the White House.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday also congratulated Trump’s “historic return to the White House,” calling him “a true and dear friend of Israel, and a champion of peace and cooperation in our region.”

“I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ironclad bond between our peoples, to build a future of peace and security for the Middle East, and to uphold our shared values,” he wrote on X.

Gideon Sa’ar, the incoming foreign minister set to take over from Israel Katz, congratulated Trump “on a truly historic victory.”

“As a true friend of Israel with a proven commitment to Israel’s security, we welcome your strong and dedicated leadership as we work to build a better future of security and cooperation for the Middle East,” Sa’ar wrote on X.

In a move that rocked Israel, Netanyahu on Tuesday night fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing a “lack of trust.”

Katz, who is replacing Gallant, posted a photo of himself along with Trump, writing, “Together, we’ll strengthen the US-Israel alliance, bring back the hostages [seized by Hamas during its rampage across southern Israel last Oct. 7], and stand firm to defeat the axis of evil led by Iran.”

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