Amid this nightmare of global anti-Semitism with its attendant cries of: ‘kill the f***ing Jews, Allah Akbar, from the river to the sea,’ one can only lament the fact that Donald Trump is not president. President Biden may have acted as a "good friend" to Israel, and it is clear that the diplomatic task at hand is fraught with complications. But he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are sending mixed messages when they talk about how Gaza will be governed after hostilities end, and their vision of a two-state solution. Also, while so far giving Israel free rein, that have not yet used the legal tools at their disposal to tamp down the rabid Jew hatred engulfing American campuses. 

Love Trump or hate him, the world and world Jewry would be in a safer place with Trump at the helm.

While in office, Trump initiated an Executive Order on combatting anti-Semitism under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Law. The original law prohibited federal funding to any programs where prejudice was exhibited based on race, gender, or country of origin. To date, while Biden has not ended Trump’s Executive Order, in the throes of the worst manifestation of anti-Semitism in the United States, he has not utilized this legal weapon. Incomprehensibly, Biden has stated he will only now start investigating anti-Semitism. What investigation? Against the current huge spike in anti-Semitic events and the monolithic rage against Jews on college campuses, one can only wonder why an investigation is even necessary. It is not much of a stretch to opine that President Trump would have already successfully utilized Title VI litigations and the implementation of steps to quash the increasingly violent protests.

But it is even fairer to posit that if Trump were in the White House, the barbaric crimes committed against Israelis on October 7th might never have occurred. Why? Because Trump, while in the White House, implemented other pro-Israeli, pro-Jewish initiatives that previous occupants feared to touch: ‘It will set off another Intifada; it will destroy relations with the United States and all Arab countries; the Middle East will be up in flames.’ Really?

While in office Trump, with the help of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, initiated the Abraham Accords, bilateral agreements between select Arab nations and Israel. They sought to normalize relations and open trade routes that had been theretofore covert. The first agreements were signed at the White House on September 15, 2020, between Israel and the UAE and Israel and Bahrain. Similar agreements were subsequently signed between Israel and Morocco and Israel and Sudan. And no concomitant uprisings occurred. Moreover, Trump moved the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- the predicted Arab hurricane wasn’t even a light breeze. The embassy remains intact in Jerusalem. 

Prior to the October 7th attacks, it was believed that Saudi Arabia was on the verge of signing an accord as well.

In October 2023, during the Jewish High Holy Days, the University of Pennsylvania, with a Jewish student body of approximately 20%, incomprehensibly hosted a weekend program entitled ‘Palestine Writes,’ billed as a symposium on Palestinian arts and culture. However, just a cursory investigation of the long list of guest speakers highlighted revealed a who’s-who of Israeli haters and spewers of false historic narratives. Many Jewish organizations denounced the program and urged the university’s president and board to cancel. They refused. The program was presented and the feared vicious cries for Israel’s demise were included.

One of the more aggressive Penn students, Tara Trawnow, stole and burned an Israeli flag. Caught on television, she has now been arrested for her actions. Infuriatingly, she is not a citizen or a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or the United States. Rather, Trawnow has a student visa from Jordan. One can only imagine what would happen to an American student in Jordan with the temerity to steal and burn a Jordanian flag. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is correct in his assessment that troublemakers such as Trawnow should be shipped home. Does anyone doubt that Trump would not have already expeditiously exported Trawnow and her ilk?

Thankfully, Trump’s diplomatic triumphs persist. The Arab countries just held a summit. While they have condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, they have not entered the war. Hezb’allah, in Lebanon, has been lobbing bombs into Northern Israel, but to date, nothing too damaging. Jordan’s Queen Noor has complained, but Jordan is not attacking.

Jewish lives matter. Israeli lives matter. While campaigning in 2016, Donald Trump made a number of promises. He delivered on all of them.

Image: Trump White House