The reaction to the former American president's post entitled Truth Social is nothing more than a hysterical - purposeful - misinterpretation of his words, which were neither threatening nor anti-Semitic, writes Israeli writer Ruthie Blum in her opinion piece in the columns of Israel Hayom.
The latest uproar surrounding former U.S. President Donald Trump comments he made Sunday about American Jews — and they were directed at American Jews.
"No president has done more for Israel than I have"
- he wrote on his platform called Truth Social.
"However, somewhat surprisingly, our wonderful evangelicals appreciate this much more than Jewish people, especially those in the United States"
Everything Trump wrote is true except for the "surprisingly" part.
The majority of Jews living in the United States would not support a Republican president even if his life or the existence of Israel depended on it. Before the 2012 elections, there was an apt joke in Jerusalem that if then-President Barack Obama bombed Tel Aviv with a nuclear bomb, the number of Jewish votes for him would drop to 75%.
Trump continued:
“However, those living in Israel are a different matter; they have the highest support in the world. I could easily be prime minister there!"
Again, while characteristically smug, what he said is accurate.
During his tenure, many Israeli fans joked that they wanted to elect him as prime minister.
And for good reason.
He canceled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal with Iran. He moved the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which he recognized as the capital of Israel. He cut funding to UNRWA, which supports terrorists. He closed the Palestinian Authority's representation in Washington. He recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. His State Department deleted the word "occupied" from references to Judea and Samaria (West Bank). He classified Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. And he brokered the historic Abraham Accords.
Yet his political and personal enemies were furious that he dared to admit that he was Israel's best friend in the White House. What really angered them was his warning that "American Jews need to pull themselves together and appreciate what they have in Israel before it's too late!".
The reaction was nothing short of hysterical, and not in a funny way.
"We don't need a former president seeking the favor of extremists and anti-Semites to educate us about the relationship between the USA and Israel"
tweeted Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “This is not about some kind of quid pro quo; it rests on common values and security interests. This "Jewish interpretation" is offensive and disgusting".
Greenblatt is actually the one who has no right to talk about "shared values" with Israel, whose harshest critics he regularly defends. He's the one who could use a hearty dose of "Jewish exegesis" to remind him of what he's supposed to do.
The American Jewish Democratic Council hurled equally vile vitriol down his neck.
"Another shameless anti-Semitism from the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump"
the group tweeted.
"The threat of the Jew against Americans and the continued use of the topos of anti-Semitic dual loyalty fuels hatred against Jews. We will not let Donald Trump threaten us, and Jewish Americans will reject the bigotry of the Republican Party in November (in the midterm elections).
The idiocy of this comment in particular is remarkable. Indeed, Trump did not "threaten" and certainly did not refer to the "topos of dual loyalty".
On the contrary, he called on Jews to invest more, not less, in Israel's future and prosperity.
And he warned that failure in this regard would have negative consequences for the Jewish state. What's wrong with that, let alone anti-Semitic? The answer is nothing.
Still, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeated the false accusation, though "plagiarized" would be a better term.
"Donald Trump's comments were anti-Semitic, as you all know, and insulting to both Jews and our allies in Israel," he told reporters on Monday. "But let's be aware that Donald Trump has been allied with extremist and anti-Semitic figures for years. … We must weed out anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly head. We have to say this. As for Israel, our relationship is rock solid and based on shared values and interests. Donald Trump obviously doesn't understand that either."
Indeed? Perhaps he should tell his boss that anti-Semitism needs to be "rooted out" from the Democratic Party and its supporters in academia, where it has "reared its ugly head with a vengeance."
Perhaps you should reconsider the concept of "rock solid". You know, because the Biden administration refers to Palestinian terrorists and the Israeli military as “both parties” when urging restraint and de-escalation.
The White House announcement brings to mind a 2014 comment by comedian Jay Leno, who said that
Then-President Barack Obama really knows "how unbreakable the American-Israeli bond is, as he has been trying to break it for years."
It was Trump who reversed this, much to the dismay of the very progressive Jewish organizations that had slandered him. They and several media outlets went so far as to compare his statements to those of rapper/designer Kanye West (aka Ye), whose recent outbursts have been filled with violent rhetoric and unapologetic anti-Semitism.
A clever trick, since West is a pro-Trump conservative. But comparing Kim Kardashian's ex-husband to a proven ally of Israel isn't just disingenuous, it's transparent.
Not only does it serve to draw attention to Trump's subpoena to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riots, but it's a pathetic attempt to prevent the likely defeat of Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. Among those worried about the Democratic Party, Jews are prominent.
While Trump is not alone in lamenting his behavior at the polls, he makes the mistake of taking this century-old phenomenon personally. As the late sociologist Milton Himmelfarb famously pointed out in Commentary magazine in 1973:
"Jews make as much as Episcopalians, but vote like Puerto Ricans."
Fortunately, there are exceptions to this rule. The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), for example, announced on Friday that it would award the Theodor Herzl medal to Trump. The award will be presented at the organization's gala in New York on November 13 to "Israel's best friend who has ever been in the White House."
Kudos to ZOA for this.
Featured Image: Andy Jacobsohn
