In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) shared insights from his recent visit to Israel, his first since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Kustoff, one of two Jewish Republican members of Congress, toured both northern and southern regions of the country.

"People were able to tell me their stories about survival, about those who were killed or taken hostage," Kustoff recounted. "The meetings were very emotional. It's one thing to get a briefing in Washington and another to come to Israel, to see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears. I'm very impressed by the resilience of the Israeli people, by their hope, and by their strong morale against this barbaric terror."

When asked about the message he would convey to Americans, Kustoff emphasized, "The American people stand strongly behind Israel, and our Congress stands strongly behind Israel, despite some loud voices that truthfully don't support Israel." He added, "The spirit of the Israeli people is strong. Israelis know they will win, and they also know that Americans support them. The US knows that Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East."

Addressing concerns about rising antisemitism globally, Kustoff acknowledged the disturbing images from American campuses but maintained that these represent a small portion of the population. "I'm convinced that some of them are paid instigators," he said. "But there's no doubt they exist, and it's a constant reminder to us that we can never stop fighting."

Kustoff highlighted the strong support for Israel among evangelical Christians in his district, noting that their backing has intensified since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.

Regarding the upcoming US presidential election, Kustoff expressed confidence in former President Donald Trump's prospects. "I think regardless of whether Biden stays in the race or not, Trump will be the winner in November," he predicted. When asked if a Trump victory would be better for Israel, Kustoff responded unequivocally, "There's no doubt about that."

The congressman also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit. "I have the ultimate faith and trust in Prime Minister Netanyahu," Kustoff stated. "I don't intend to guess for a moment what decisions he will make for Israel and the Israeli people or what he needs to do in the coming months."

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Governor Ron DeSantis, who has recently entered the Republican presidential primaries, gave Israel Hayom an exclusive interview on Thursday – the first to an Israeli outlet as an official candidate in the 2024 race. During the interview, he discussed a whole range of issues while attacking the Biden administration over its policies toward Israel and its government.

DeSantis, 44, announced his presidential bid in May, and according to the polls, he currently has the best shot at beating former President Donald Trump in the fight over his party's nomination among all other contenders. His vocal message against woke ideology championed by Democratic progressives had him coast to reelection this past November, and he has vowed that he would run on the same ticket as the Republican standard bearer should he become the nominee.

Gray skies and relentless rain blanketed Tallahassee, Florida's sleepy capital, as I walked into his office. His dual role as a presidential contender and governor means that his schedule is almost beyond what is humanly possible. When he campaigns, he hops between US states and travels thousands of miles in the air. If he is exhausted from the effort, it doesn't show. DeSantis, it seems, has a lot of stamina.

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Q: I would like to begin, of course, with the Israel-US ties. It's been six months since the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office, and he is yet to be invited by the Biden administration. How do you view this policy? 

"I think it's disgraceful. The US-Israel relationship should be ironclad. We have no better ally in the Middle East. And we have such strong cultural and religious ties to the State of Israel, for them to be treating Israel really with the back of their hand. I think it's a mistake, but I think it's part and parcel of how this administration sees the world. I mean, they're more interested in kowtowing to Iran than standing by our allies. And so, you know, my view as president would be we're going to have a really strong US-Israel relationship, and that'll be something that Americans can be proud of."

Video: Ron DeSantis speaks with Israel Hayom

Q: When it comes to Israel, our number one priority is Iran. If you become president, what will you do regarding Tehran and its nuclear facilities? 

"Well, the whole Obama-Khamenei deal [2015 nuclear agreement] was a total disaster and Biden is trying to resuscitate that and basically, when you give concessions to the Iranians, they use that money to be able to foment terrorism. They will put that money into weapons development. And so I think squeezing Iran, making sure that they understand that their pursuit of this is going to be bad for them economically, diplomatically, and potentially even militarily, that is the way the only thing that the mullahs understand – strength. You can't try to cozy up to them. It just doesn't work. So we would be supportive of Israel's predicament. And obviously, we would have a much stronger posture against Iran."

Q: As I recall, you had a part in pushing the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Would you support Israel applying its sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria or some part of it? 

"So just on the embassy, I don't think Biden's fully committed to keeping the embassy there. He doesn't believe Jerusalem is going to be the undivided capital of Israel, but I think that their [Biden's] view would be pre-1967 and we reject that. I mean, Jerusalem is the indivisible, undivided capital of the Jewish people. And so with me, it would be very clear that that's just the way it's going to ride.

"Now in terms of Judea and Samaria, I've always rejected this idea that it's occupied territory. I mean, these are some of the most historic Jewish lands going all the way back to biblical times. Yes, there was a partition plan with the UN in the 1940s. But the Arabs rejected the Partition Plan. It'd be one thing if they accepted it. Israel was willing to accept, they rejected it. And then they chose to wage war for many decades.

"And so it's not occupied territory. It is disputed territory, and I think Israel's claim is the most superior in terms of anybody else for it. I was the first major elected official as governor in 2019, to do public events in Judea and Samaria. at Ariel University, and we wanted to break the stigma that somehow this is not appropriate to be doing and when we have imposed our anti-BDS sanctions on companies that have targeted Israel, it's usually been they've been targeting Jews living in Judea and Samaria. And so we said that's unacceptable. So whether it was Ben&Jerry's or Airbnb, and then we most recently just did legislation. Morningstar tried to include BDS criteria for ESG. And we said 'Absolutely not, that's not going to fly in the state of Florida'."

Q: So if Israel decided to apply its law on some parts of the Jordan Valley or other parts of Judea and Samaria, would you support it? 

"I think Israel has the strongest claim of right in Judea and Samaria. Of anybody. I do not believe it's occupied territory. I think it's been disputed territory, and I think they have the right to act appropriately."

Q: When you say that only strength works, do you mean military action as well? 

"I think we have a great deterrent capacity, but it's not as good as it used to be. One of the things I'll do as president is rebuild some of our military capacity because – particularly when you look at our ability to project power – we have like 200 navy ships in the Navy. We used to have almost 600 back in [Ronald] Reagan's day. So there's a lot that we need to do. But at the end of the day, I can say this – Iran represents an existential threat to the State of Israel. Now they would love to wipe Israel off the map. They would love to wipe out America, don't get me wrong. I mean, there's no love lost for either.  

"But given Israel's geographic proximity to Iran, Israel's relatively small size, they could potentially – if armed with nuclear weapons – try to completely annihilate Israel in a way that they may not have the capability to go after us yet. So I think for Israel, you don't get a more significant threat.  

"Using a nuclear weapon on another country is something that you would not want to do because you could get a nuclear response so why would you want that mutually assured destruction that kept the nukes in check during the Cold War, and it keeps most civilized countries in check from wanting to do that? However, this Iranian regime with the ayatollahs may view that as positive because it may coincide with their apocalyptic vision for the end of time. So I think from that perspective, Israel has a right to defend itself and the US should be supportive of them taking whatever action they need to defend themselves."  

Q: What is your opinion about the possible nuclear understanding between the US and Iran? 

"First of all, you have to understand, obviously the US has suffered terrorist attacks, 9/11 and whatnot. But if you look at what nation-state has killed more Americans since 1979, Iran has killed more Americans, whether it's the Marine barracks in Beirut, they killed at least 1,000 US troops in Iraq by funding Shia militia, and so the idea that we're going to have some understanding, I just don't see that in the cards."

Q: I know you are a great supporter of the Jewish community here. But people who claim to be your supporters also have flags with swastikas and so forth. What do you tell those people?

"That's a farce though you understand they'll wear masks. The media doesn't investigate who these people are. They are trying to manufacture some association with me. I can tell you, if someone honestly carried around a swastika, I'm the last guy they would want [to support]. I am the most pro-Israel governor in America. We have taken steps to support our Jewish community here, spending a massive amount of money for security for Jewish day schools because they could be targeted with antisemitic attacks. We just passed a bill to help combat some of the property crime antisemitic property crimes. We have the First Amendment you can burn a cross on your yard but you can't put it in front of someone else's property. You can display a swastika if you want. It's protected under the First Amendment, but you can't project that on a synagogue which is private property. So we've been very strong on that. But be very careful about what some of these political people are doing. They're trying to create a narrative as if somehow these people have a foothold in Florida. That is not true. We have more Jewish migration into Florida, particularly Orthodox Jews, who are usually the ones targeted with antisemitic attacks than anybody any place in the United States and so if you see one of those as a journalist, go ask those people. Ask them, 'Who are you? Why do you have your face covered? Why are you doing this?' And the flags will oftentimes be creased, clearly they've never been used before. So they're just being put out, so I'd be very careful and suspicious of that stuff."

Q: America is deeply involved in supporting Ukraine. On the other hand, we see China become more and more involved, primarily in the Middle East. What is more risky for America? Is it Ukraine or China, which I just heard is now preparing to build a base not far from here in Cuba? How do you see all that?

"China is our number one geopolitical threat by far? First of all, they're near-peer competitors, their economy has grown leaps and bounds over the last generation largely because of poor American policy that has allowed them to capture so much manufacturing strength, and our economy, unfortunately, has become very dependent on China for really key ingredients. When COVID hit almost everything we needed had to come from China. Why would you want to put yourself in that position, to have an adversary that you have to rely on? It's not just medical, it's ammunition, it's things for our nuclear weapons. Almost everything that we do in some respects is tied to China. Not a good position for you to be in. What has Xi Jinping done? Xi is the most ideological Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. He has ambitions beyond Mainland China. And you see it obviously, of course in the Pacific, it's discussed, but in our own hemisphere here in the West, what he's done in Central America and now this news about Cuba, putting what an East dropping station, putting something a potential training base there, the US needs to have a 21st century Monroe Doctrine where we're looking out for our backyard, and some of these other hostile powers should not just be able to come in come in here and do that. Why are they doing that though? They're doing it because they know they're not gonna get any pushback from Biden. They flew a spy balloon clear across the continental United States. The US government presumably knew or tracked this; they did nothing about it until it already finished going across the country. And if people had not noticed it, our US government may not have done anything about it. And so when they see stuff like that, that's going to embolden them to project more power, but I think it's very important that we maintain good alliances in the Pacific. South Korea and Japan are now getting along. They almost never get along. I mean, they've had tensions for decades, right, but they're getting along because they both see the mutual threat posed by China."

Q: As Florida governor who may one day be president, what would you do, for example, with such a base so close to Florida?

"Well, I can tell you what I've done as governor. We're limited in what we can do. We recognize the role that Chinese influence has played in the United States. So we eliminated these Confucius Institutes from our universities. We didn't have a lot of them. It's basically propaganda for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) so we got rid of those. We also prohibited CCP-linked businesses and individuals from purchasing land in Florida because they want to gobble up farmland. They want to gobble up land near military bases and other strategic locations. So we said not in Florida, so we've taken really strong action to protect Floridians against it. At the end of the day, when you're talking about something with Cuba. That's something only the president of the United States is going to be able to deal with. I have not heard President Biden sound a peep about this. And I have no idea if he has any plans or if he's just gonna let it happen. But you remember during the 1960s when Kennedy was president, they didn't let the Soviets come and just put nuclear missiles in Cuba. That was viewed as a huge threat to us. So why would you want China to have a military outpost right there 90 miles off our shore? I think it'd be a huge threat to our security."

Q: You are famous for fighting the woke agenda. Why are you so strongly against it?

"It's basically a form of Cultural Marxism in the United States. They're trying to elevate identity politics, at the expense of merit and achievement. And they really are waging a war on truth itself. What is your identity? Where are you in the pecking order? And so for example, Woke is very anti-Israel. Why? Because Israel is a successful country and they buy into a lot of tropes about that. And so it's very nasty in terms of how they view Israel."

Q: Woke is a risk for Israel?

"No question about that. I mean, they would side with Palestinian Arabs over Israel on any issue, they would be very supportive of making concessions to Iran, that mindset 100%. But it also ridiculous things like saying that men can get pregnant, they are saying that in the United States right now. And it's like, wait a minute, is your society rooted in truth or not? You got to be rooted in truth two plus two has to equal four. And so we recognize that it's a threat to just solid thinking, it also affects people's lives in these ways. When woke overtakes the economy with things like ESG, the average person becomes poor as a result of those policies. When woke overtakes education, the average student ends up dumber. As a result of that, when woke overtakes criminal justice, the average family becomes less safe in their communities because, in places like San Francisco, prosecutors let criminals get away with crimes. You can rob someone's house with some of these prosecutors, and they won't bring charges against you; that hollows out those communities. And so as it infects institutions in American life, those institutions really become corrupted. So really, we're fighting back here saying, we need to restore sanity in this country, and we need to return normalcy to our communities and our institutions have to have integrity."

Q: There is a very famous trial going on here against the former president, what is your position about all the charges against him?

"Well, look, I think people are innocent until proven guilty. We've had a problem in this country for many years now, with these Washington, DC agencies pursuing a political agenda, and we've seen it go back 10-12 years, when the IRS was targeting conservative groups. These are small conservative sit groups of citizens, nonprofit groups that the IRS was targeting with disfavored treatment. When Trump became president they [the agencies] concocted the Russia collusion hoax which was a conspiracy theory and it was designed to kneecap his presidency and even drag him out of office. He has obviously professed his innocence; he's innocent until proven guilty. But what my mission is going to be as president...we're going to clean house in those agencies. We are not going to let political power be weaponized against political opponents. We are going to make sure that there's accountability because people have to have confidence in the justice system. Look at Hunter Biden. If he were a Republican he would have been in jail a long time ago and yet he gets a slap on the wrist he basically gets diversion on the gun charge, which usually people are not allowed to get. Why would he be treated that way? Well because he's connected to the DC elite class. That's not right. You can't have two standards of justice and so you know his case. I think we see through that prism of how these agencies have been behaving in these regards."

Q: Your abortion law in Florida, some say is too tough, with the cutoff being roughly six weeks. What do you say about that? 

"In Florida, these are done by legislature In the governor signs. The law restricts abortion when there's a detectable heartbeat for the unborn baby, that's when the protections are for life attached. They did provide exceptions for rape and incest and the life of the mother and victims of human trafficking. But at the end of the day, we want to promote a culture of life. I believe that abortion should not just be a form of birth control. We also take action. Not everyone's born into perfect circumstances. You have people that are poor and so we've done a lot to lift people up. We've provided more health coverage, we've provided more foster and adoption services, we've provided more help for single mothers; that's really making a difference even apart from that whole debate. If a mother feels like she's going to have support, that's going to be something that she's gonna then be able to pursue. So we were able to do that and I think that's something that's going to end up working out very well for us."

Since launching his campaign in a glitch-ridden online conversation on Twitter Space with Elon Musk, DeSantis' standing has been far from ideal among Republican voters, who according to one poll support Trump decisively over his challenger 61% to 23%. 

De Santis was barred from speaking freely about the campaign during the interview because of legal reasons: The conversation was held at the governor's office in Florida. The law prohibits using state resources for campaigning. 

And yet, there is no mistaking the very different tune coming out of DeSantis compared to what we have become used to from President Joe Biden when it comes to Israel. In fact, it looks as though there is almost no difference in the views he and Trump have on Israel. 

"The Left is gonna absolutely destroy this country even more than it is if Biden remains in office," DeSantis has recently warned on the campaign trail.

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I was sorry to hear of the passing of Sheldon Adelson, a Jew who loved his people and loved Israel. He was a huge American patriot, who saw anchoring the alliance between Israel and the US as a mission. While alive, his story about a kid who sold newspaper becoming a successful businessman fired up the imaginations of everyone around him. His determination and ability to spot opportunities, take risks, be daring, and carry out plans were his trademarks.

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Aside from his global businesses, in the last few decades Sheldon used his abilities to influence public life. It would be hard to count the many and varied philanthropic initiatives to which Sheldon contributed his wealth, most of which deepen the ties between the Jewish people to their land and legacy.

Sheldon fostered links between Diaspora Jewry and the state of Israel by giving to Yad Vashem, Taglit-Birthright, Garin Tzabar - Israeli Lone Soldier IDF Program, and medical and academic projects. The Innovation Center at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and the Adelson School of Medicine at Ariel University, where we met last Hanukkah, were an investment in Israeli research, medicine, and development. The importance of founding such an institution at this time cannot be overstated. Generations of doctors and other medical workers will thank him for the initiatives, and we will all benefit from the fruits of the investment and the belief that beat in Adelson when he was determined to launch an excellent new faculty of medicine that opened its doors to all Israelis and everyone who wants to learn.

In places where there were no men, Sheldon "strove to be a man," to invest his wealth and time, to be there, to help and offer support.

More than anything, Sheldon believed in the strategic alliance between Israel and the US, and saw deepening the ties between the two countries as the surest investment in the future of the Jewish people and the state of Israel.

I extend my condolences to Miriam, the love of his life, and his partner on the path of contributing to building up the nation and the land, as well as to the entire family.

May his memory be a blessing.

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In Israel there is a consensus that he has been the best president for Israel in American history, whereas our brothers in America see things in the opposite light. Only 20% of US Jews voted for him in 2016 and intend to do so again. The vast majority supports the Democratic Party and loathe the best president the Jewish people have ever seen with every fiber of their being. A stiff-necked people, if you will, updated for the 2000s.

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The Jewish establishment, as well as the American media – where Jews are hardly underrepresented – is hostile to Trump and he is unable to understand why.

"So many of you voted for people in the last administration. Someday, you'll have to explain that to me, because I don't think they liked Israel too much, I'm sorry," he told the Israeli American Conference earlier this month.

Trump then went on to discuss the Jewish community's efforts to block the appointment of the current US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who has played a key role in many of the historic steps Trump has taken.

"We have to get the people of our country, of this country, to love Israel more … Because you have people that are Jewish people, that are great people – they don't love Israel enough," Trump said, bringing the audience to its feet.

Trump already knew that later that same week, he would issue an executive order on battling on-campus anti-Semitism, as violence against Jews in America is something that can no longer be ignored: Eleven people were murdered at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year. A woman was murdered and three others wounded in the shooting at a Chabad synagogue in Poway, California in April. Between the two deadly attacks there was a string of physical and verbal assaults on Jewish people and institutions throughout the US.

From hatred to partnership

Trump's speech at the IAC was a watershed moment for both the Jewish community in the US and his presidency.

When a US president goes directly from a meeting of NATO leaders in London to a Florida resort solely to speak at the largest organization of Israelis living abroad, it shows that the Oval Office is home to the first "Jewish" president – perhaps not in terms of his ethnicity, but certainly in terms of his thinking and his openness to the Jewish lifestyle.

True, there was nothing new or dramatic in his speech, but for Trump, it's never been about content – American voters realized that long ago, while the Democrats and much of the media were still insisting on treating Trump like a babbling child instead of looking at his overall message.

Not only did Trump speak directly to the participants in an event organized by a group that defines itself as a "living bridge" between Israel and American Jewry, mere days later he signed the executive order banning BDS activity on college campuses that receive federal funding. There is a reason he is listening to and embracing the Jews.

Yes, these gestures could serve his own interests, but above all, they shows us that Trump isn't like other US presidents, who saw Israel and the Jews through a political or religious prism. For Trump, the Jews are part of his family. Trump's words last week show the change he has undergone in the past three years, from a candidate who looked suspiciously on Jews and Israel as opponents to a president who sees them as partners in every sense.

America's second capital

So Trump took advantage of the second anniversary of his recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel to declare (if not explicitly) Jerusalem America's second capital. By signing the executive order, he has changed the federal definition of Jewishness from a religion to a nationality.

How important is it to Trump to make these gestures? Very – because he needs to reinvent himself and he cannot depend on the goodwill of the voters and the flourishing economy.

Trump is heading into the most fateful year of his life. He will have to get himself reelected on his own merits and not as a vote against the previous administration. His speech to the IAC and the executive order, which also defines anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism, will serve him well at the voting booths, especially with Florida Jewish voters in a position to tip the scales in his favor and give him the state's 29 electoral votes.

"The Jewish state has never had a better friend in the White House than your president, Donald J. Trump," he told the IAC, making it clear that while American Jews might have the Jewish state, their president was in Washington.

These words fit in well with a letter then-President George Washington wrote to the Jews, in which he told them that "It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support."

Not 'me,' but rather 'you'

The path that has taken Trump to such intense identification with Israel and the Jewish people started off somewhat differently. When he announced his candidacy in 2015, many thought he was getting into the race as a media gimmick or to use the campaign to boost his business affairs. Whether he really wanted to run for president or not, Trump was surprised by his sudden popularity with the unseen America. He realized that his strength lay with constantly campaigning, because the president had to give people a good reason to get out of bed in the morning and feel hope and pride.

The people also realized something the media refused to: it's not enough to talk to the voters – candidates have to talk about the voters. Instead of focusing on "I," Trump focused on "you" – and won. Indeed, even those who detest Trump would agree that he is an iconic president, one who symbolizes a change in the times as well as a change in outlook.

Trump rebranded the Republican Party from one that was known as a friend of corporations and the wealthy into a party that looks after the ordinary worker. Trump took the party from supporting free trade at any price to one that does not hesitate to apply sanctions and tariffs on its big rival, China.

Trump also managed to build a new coalition of voters that includes not only his Republican base, but also independent and anti-establishment voters who were charmed by the fact that he didn't play by the rules and was not hampered by political correctness, like the Democrats. But Trump can't assume that his coalition of voters will remain strong. Polls are showing him in a precarious position in certain key states, especially if Joe Biden wins the Democratic primaries.

The first 'Jewish' president

The war on BDS that Trump declared last week could have ramifications for the direction in which the US federal government is heading, as well as the US Constitution. On one hand, Trump and the Republicans will argue that freedom of speech is also freedom not to support speech that does not serve the federal government's interest. On the other, Democrats – led by Congresswomen Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) – will insist that the First Amendment forbids the government from placing conditions on resources and intervening in content that is taught and promoted at public universities and colleges.

Trump is betting that the Supreme Court will side with him. The court will say that while the First Amendment allows a free market of opinions and that every citizen has a right to express his or her own opinion, no matter how scandalous, the First Amendment does not require the government to remain neutral.

His decision to change the rules and turn the Republican Party into one that fights for minorities in general and Jews in particular, could be another sign that Trump is trying to "steal" one of the characteristics most identified with the Democrats.

Whether he wins or loses the battle for hearts and minds, Trump has laid down the basic outline for his campaign. The battle for the American spirit began in Florida. The first "Jewish" president has put his full weight behind branding the Republican Party as the most pro-Zionist since Harry Truman's campaign in 1948. He hopes it will serve him, and the nation, well on Nov. 3.

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Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and other US secretaries of state are participating in the trip with the American Jewish Committee's Project Interchange.

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They are participating in a weeklong seminar that organizers said is designed to "enhance US-Israel relations at the vital state level."

The National Association of Secretaries of State said it is the first time it has sent a delegation to Israel to work with Project Interchange.

Association president Paul Pate, who is Iowa's secretary of state, said his colleagues are "uniquely on the forefront of today's most complex issues, including election cybersecurity" and will benefit from this week's seminar.

The delegation will also visit Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem, as well as meet with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah.

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US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Mark Green and Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz signed the global partnership agreement in Jerusalem to enable "the American and Israeli private sectors to help increase employment opportunities and build resilient communities" and further "development cooperation in water, education, technology, science, agriculture, cyber-security and humanitarian assistance," according to USAID.

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"Today's occasion is an opportunity to celebrate this bond, which has driven all dimensions of our bilateral relationship. It is also an opportunity to renew and deepen our friendship through even closer collaboration, friendship in action, shared values in operation," Green said in a speech. "It's only natural that our two development agencies work together. After all, we very much share the same vision."

Regarding USAID's counterpart in Israel, Green said that "MASHAV's vision to empower other nations to improve their own lives closely parallels USAID's goal of fostering self-reliance. And fostering self-reliance in people, in communities, and in countries where we work and those whom we assist."

Self-reliance has been a core part of Green's agenda at the helm of the agency that is tasked with administering US assistance.

During his visit to Israel, Green also met with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Great to meet with David Friedman @USAmbIsrael in #Jerusalem today. The U.S. will continue to stand beside our great ally #Israel to ensure a strong and prosperous future. pic.twitter.com/7GMYOLgYxm

— Mark Green (@USAIDMarkGreen) 21 באוגוסט 2019

In February, USAID halted all projects in Gaza and the West Bank in accordance with the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA), which provides protections for American victims of international terrorism.

Two months beforehand, Green told JNS, "We do have strict guidelines on who we work with, and that's simply not just what we do, but across the US government. [There] are guidelines that we follow. We follow administration policy."

Currently, there is legislation pending in the Senate that would amend the ATCA and reauthorize resuming the projects in the West Bank and Gaza, even though such a decision would ultimately be left to the Trump administration.

Green made no mention in his speech on Wednesday of the halted USAID projects for the Palestinians.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The move infuriated Democrats and risked turning Israel into even more of a partisan issue at a time when Americans are fiercely divided and Trump faces a tough fight for re-election.

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And yet the pursuit of such allegedly short-sighted policies has kept Netanyahu and his Likud party in power for more than a decade, making him the longest-serving leader in Israel's history. The latest move, popular among his right-wing base, comes as he seeks an unprecedented fourth term in next month's elections.

Israel's steady, two-decade lurch to the Right shows no sign of reversing. Its refusal to accede to international demands for concessions to the Palestinians has not only brought any serious consequences from Washington but is now being rewarded and encouraged by the White House.

"Since Likud came to power in 1977, Israel has lived with dire warnings about the growing rift between American and Israeli Jews, or about the contradiction between Israel's claims to be a democracy and its undemocratic rule over more than one million Palestinians," said Nathan Thrall, the head of the Arab-Israeli Project at the Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank. "The sky has not yet fallen."

Last week Netanyahu barred the entry of Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), newly-elected Muslim congresswomen who have been fierce critics of Trump and of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Netanyahu said that the two were banned over their support of the international boycott movement, but Israel had said as recently as last month that all members of Congress would be welcome.

Instead, the decision seems to have been made in response to Trump, who has sought to make the left-wing congresswomen the face of the Democratic Party as he seeks to fire up his base ahead of the 2020 elections. Trump said he spoke to "people over there" about the visit, without elaborating, and tweeted that it would be a "show of weakness" for Israel to let them in.

In the wake of the decision, Israeli commentators and analysts said Netanyahu had blatantly disregarded a bedrock principle of Israeli foreign policy – that it remains above America's partisan fray.

Netanyahu's critics issued similar laments a decade ago when he dismissed calls from a popular and newly elected President Barack Obama to freeze the growth of settlements in the West Bank in order to relaunch peace talks with the Palestinians. Netanyahu had a notoriously prickly relationship with President Barack Obama and was widely seen as siding with Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 US elections, allegations the prime minister denied. In 2015, Netanyahu drew fire after addressing a joint session of Congress to argue against Obama's nuclear deal with Iran – an extraordinary breach of US protocol.

But Israel suffered few if any consequences. Obama signed the largest military aid deal ever concluded with Israel – or any other country – in his last year in office. The Obama administration also largely shielded Israel from criticism at the UN and other international bodies, even as the peace process went nowhere and settlements continually expanded.

Under Trump, things have only gotten better for Netanyahu. The US has withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and cut aid to the Palestinians – all without calling for a Palestinian state or a suspension of the Judea and Samaria settlement activity.

Those moves proved divisive in the United States – but not in Israel, where polls find that Trump is more popular than in his own country.

The partisan alliance between Trump and Netanyahu is "really dangerous in terms of Israeli national interests," said Gayil Talshir, a political science professor at Hebrew University. "But I don't think the voters in Israel vote on these kinds of issues."

The decision to bar Tlaib and Omar could pay further dividends. Netanyahu has spoken of annexing parts of the Judea and Samaria, something for which US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has expressed support. That would be seen by the Palestinians and much of the international community as yet another major blow to any hopes for a two-state solution but could give Netanyahu a boost ahead of next month's elections.

His supporters, meanwhile, say it's the Israeli media that endangers national interests.

"The same media that enlisted to advance President Obama's suicidal peace plans and nuclear agreement, and which cast every one of the historic measures that President Donald Trump took in Israel as dangerous, has now committed itself to a nightmarish depiction of the damage that supposedly has been caused to our relations with the Democratic Party," columnist Eldad Beck wrote Sunday in Israel Hayom daily.

Netanyahu's luck could, however, run out.

He faces a pre-indictment hearing and a series of corruption cases. He has denied any wrongdoing and, like Trump, has accused the media and law enforcement of a witch-hunt. After failing to form a coalition government following April's elections, Netanyahu dissolved parliament, forcing a repeat vote scheduled for Sept. 17.

There's also the possibility that Trump might lose re-election, and that the next US president could be one of the many Democrats who criticized the decision to bar the congresswomen. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also criticized it, but she said that the US relationship with Israel can "withstand" Trump and Netanyahu.

"The decreasing support for Israel among progressives is a very slow-moving and long term threat," Thrall said. "It has not yet translated into any changes in policy or even in proposals by Democrats to change policy... So Israel and Netanyahu don't have much to worry about right now."

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International exchanges also occur among this set of legislators that don't often get prime-time headlines. Just recently, in fact, a bipartisan delegation of US mayors – four Democrats and one Republican – visited Israel with the American Jewish Committee's Project Interchange as part of an effort to enhance US-Israel relations and learn practical tools at the municipal level.

Led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the trip included the following mayors: Shane Bemis of Gresham, Ore., Michelle De La Isla of Topeka, Kan., Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Kathy Sheehan of Albany, NY.

"Los Angeles and Israel share so much – vibrant cultures, beautiful landscapes, diverse communities, ties of family and friends, our experiences as dreamers and our common belief in democracy," said Garcetti in a statement by AJC. "Our delegation is showing how cities lead on the world stage, how mayors get things done and how urban centers can tackle everything from innovation and climate change to immigration and economic growth."

According to AJC, the visit is intended to provide these local policymakers with a firsthand understanding of Israel, and its economic and social entrepreneurship. AJC said that the goal is for these mayors to observe Israel's democracy, diverse society, and regional challenges.

During the visit, the mayors met with their Israeli counterparts to discuss best practices for their home communities on smart-city development, economic growth technology startups, urban revitalization and city administration. They also spoke with an executive from Intel in Israel.

"Part of the reason I travel outside of not only my city and state but our country is we see our city as an opportunity, especially in the technology area, wherein Israel it is a startup capital of the world, really, in the largest hub of tech outside of Silicon Valley," said Kriseman. "We think there are opportunities for companies that may have started in Israel to locate a branch of their business, their US location, in our city, so we're going to continue to look for opportunities."

Kriseman mentioned meeting several times in the past with the Florida-Israel Business Alliance and an Israeli business called ECOncrete, which uses environmentally friendly concrete methods and first started in St. Petersburg.

Sheehan told JNS about a meeting with one Israeli startup that could help them better connect with their constituents.

This startup has "a new product that is focused solely on municipalities and helping us to better understand public sentiment, so that's something that's of interest to me to follow up on," he said.

"AJC has worked closely with mayors and municipal leaders for decades on issues of mutual concern," said Melanie Maron Pell, AJC managing director of regional offices, who joined the delegation in Israel. "The mayors learn a great deal about high-tech and economic development, immigration absorption, diversity and emergency services that will assist them in their governance of their respective cities."

In addition to visiting significant historical and cultural sites, the delegation visited Tel Aviv; Haifa; Israel's borders, including up north near Lebanon; and Jerusalem, including the Old City. The delegation also met with Palestinian civic and business leaders in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Several sessions dealing with Israel's strategic environment, diversity and coexistence, and interreligious cooperation were discussed, according to AJC.

Sheehan mentioned hearing about "some of the approaches around workforce development and workforce issues," adding that while Israel currently has a low unemployment rate, the West Bank and Gaza exhibit the opposite.

On the trip, she did observe efforts in the West Bank to recruit engineers in improving the area's technology sector and universities "to ensure that they're accessing the full workforce that is available."

The mayors also met with top leaders across the political and social spectrum, including President Reuven Rivlin, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, high-ranking government officials, leaders of Israel's minority communities, and Jewish and Arab civil society leaders. They also received a briefing from Brig. Gen. Nitzan Nuriel regarding the security situation in neighborhoods near the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.

Bemis recalled that one of the most memorable moments of the trip was going to an event at a small community school in Kiryat Shmona.

"It felt exactly like I was in my own city. The parents were the same, videotaping … the kids. Parents had smiles on their face. The kids were singing the same way, albeit in a different language," he described. "And the grandparents were there."

He continued, saying "it was just so familiar to the mayors because it was like, 'Kids are all the same, no matter where they are. Obviously, parents are still the same, no matter where they are."

City issues are comparable

The delegation also observed how Israel balances the preservation of its heritage with modern municipal management and the provision of social services.

Sheehan said that Haifa, like Albany, is a diverse city, specifically in terms of religion.

"In looking at the differences even among communities we visited in Israel, it also sort of resonated because I look at New York State, for example, and you have New York City with its own issues," she said. "And then you have the rest of New York State, which is very different."

"You sort of see the same thing in Israel," she continued. "There's Tel Aviv, which is a very different place than some of the cities we visited that were clearly different from the cities we visited in the West Bank, but also different from some of the northern cities we visited."

While the mayors saw many of the aspects that make Israel special, one of the biggest takeaways was that no matter whether they are in small-town America or in the Middle East, many of the daily challenges remain comparable.

"The issues of a mayor are not that dissimilar, no matter where they are in the world," said Bemis, who cited garbage pickup and potholes as examples. "One of the other big takeaways that the mayors felt was that a mayor is a mayor, no matter where they're at. The issues are almost always the same."

 Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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