Despite pledges early in the primary season tomaintain neutrality in dealings with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Donald Trump has since emphasized his pro-Israel bona fides and hinted at a major deviation from policies supported by presidents of both parties since the 1967 Six Day War, including the two-state solution, Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria, and America’s embassy in Israel.
In an attempt to woo Jewish voters and supporters of Israel, Trump has relied heavily on proxies, including his daughter Ivanka, an Orthodox Jewish convert, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as campaign spokespeople and advisers.
On Thursday, David Friedman, a long-time Trump confidant highlighted the Republican nominee’s ardent support for Israel, adding that his general election opponent would be “terrible” for Israel, and had no love for the Jewish state.
Speaking with Yediot Ahronot, Friedman said the GOP nominee ‘trusts’ Israel, a subtle jab at incumbent President Barack Obama, whose feud with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu strained relations between the two allies over the past seven and a half years.
"Trump policy first and foremost is to trust Israel that they know what they are doing,” said Friedman. “Israel has now been independent for 70 years. They're a grown up country. They are not a client state of the United States. They are a partner with the United States in a global war on terrorism. We trust our partner and we want our partner to be secure and safe. We trust them to do the right thing." READ MORE
