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November 9, 2016 11:01 am
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What Trump’s Presidency Will Spell for Israel and Jewish Concerns

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avatar by Dovid Efune

Opinion
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Photo: Wikipedia.

President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Photo: Wikipedia.

It’s being hailed as the greatest upset in modern political history. But, in truth, the election of billionaire businessman Donald Trump should have come as no surprise to the careful observer.

Brewing in the heart of the United States, among the disenfranchised working class, has been a growing resentment of the country’s political elites — their arrogance, condescension, political overreach and imposed political correctness. On Tuesday, the American voter left no doubt as to who was in charge.

Among the many significant positions taken by President Barack Obama in opposition to the will of the electorate have been his stance on relations with Israel and his approach to the Iranian regime.

Trump has promised to change all that, and chances are that he will, significantly so. We will likely see an end to the current administration’s deliberate “daylight” policy towards the Jewish state, and the rightful return of Obama-aligned fringe groups like J-Street to the political margins. The Trump campaign has promised to respond harshly to the UN’s outrageous behavior towards Israel, and to investigate organized anti-Israel hate groups on campus. A Trump administration is also likely to show far more respect for the will of the Israeli public on matters of peacemaking.

Despite the occasional comment on the campaign trail, Trump has consistently expressed his affection for the Jewish state over almost four decades. True, he has much to learn about the intricacies — and in some cases the basics — of Middle East geopolitics. But, as president, he will have an army of agencies at his disposal to help with the education process.

With regard to the Islamic Republic, despite bold assertions in the regime-controlled media that “we don’t really care” who the next president will be, Trump’s victory undoubtedly has overwhelmed the mullahs with trepidation. Welcome news indeed. Rest assured, we will now begin to see a different, more conciliatory tone from Tehran, effective immediately.

Finally, if Trump is to make good on his acceptance speech promise to “bind the wounds of division” and bring Americans “together as one united people,” his first point of order to ease the sensitivities of the US Jewish community, especially the 71% who voted for Hillary Clinton, should be to allay fears over the rise of white supremacism in the US.

To be sure, though Trump is surely no antisemite, a certain brand of parasitic Jew-hater — the cowardly kind, the kind that hides in the anonymous shadows of social media and preys on unsuspecting journalists with Jewish last names — has firmly latched onto his coattails. Were he to sharply kick them to the curb on his way into the Oval Office, it would lay the groundwork for a broad and constructive relationship with all major Jewish groups throughout the course of his presidency.

Dovid Efune is the editor-in-chief and director of The Algemeiner.

The opinions presented by Algemeiner bloggers are solely theirs and do not represent those of The Algemeiner, its publishers or editors. If you would like to share your views with a blog post on The Algemeiner, please be in touch through our Contact page.

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