Despite Trump bluster, Israelis prefer Clinton
A SURVEY CARRIED out two weeks ago by the Peace Index project, under the auspices of the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, found that a clear majority of Israelis — 43 per cent — would prefer Hillary Clinton to win the US presidential election, versus only 26.5 per cent who favour Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Despite this preference, the survey also found that 63 per cent of Jewish Israelis believe that if elected, Mrs Clinton will pressure Israel, more than Mr Trump, to make progress in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians. Only eight per cent believe that a President Trump would pressure Israel more. Confused? So is Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel’s prime minister is widely seen as an expert on the intricacies of American politics, especially given he himself is a player in that arena. And just like other experts, this election has him stumped as well.
The official stance of every foreign leader is: “We don’t take sides in other countries’ internal politics.” It is rarely true, of course. This time, however, it seems Mr Netanyahu is genuinely ambivalent. From conversations with a number of sources close to him (no one will breathe a word on the topic in public), the picture that emerges of deep concerns over both candidates.
Mr Netanyahu’s relations with both Clintons — Bill and Hillary — have been rocky. There is a fear that both Mrs Clinton and some of her advisers are prepared to be much tougher with the current Israeli government than the Obama administration, which failed to act on its criticisms of Israel.
On the other hand, while Mr Trump has gone out of his way to sound proIsrael and Netanyahu-friendly, he is still largely an unknown as far as foreign policy is concerned.
Many of the serious Republican politicians and pundits that Mr Netanyahu respects belong to the growing camp in the GOP which has refused to endorse the party’s candidate. However, Mr Netanyahu’s patron, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, gave $25m to the Trump campaign this week.
With the Middle East in turmoil and a major war raging just over the border, it seems most Israelis would prefer a president with more experience. For all Mr Trump’s promises to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, the feeling is that Mrs Clinton is a safer bet.