The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States came as a great relief to nationally minded Israelis. During his first term, Trump proved himself to be the most pro-Israel American president by his actions as well as his rhetoric. He moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, halted funding for UNRWA, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and declared that Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria were legal under international law.

However, despite the excitement over his potential second term, Israel is sitting on its proverbial hands, expecting Trump to be more Zionist than the State of Israel itself.

The laws recently passed against UNRWA are clear proof that when Israel takes the initiative, allied states follow suit. On his first day in office, Trump paused all international aid, pending a thorough review. The new President is expected to soon halt UNRWA funding once again, after it had been reinstated by President Biden.

A civil suit against UNRWA senior officials for the critical role it played in funding the Hamas terror organization is currently ongoing in New York. In contrast to the previous administration, Trump is likely to declare that UNRWA and its employees do not enjoy diplomatic immunity from lawsuits. Senator Ted Cruz is promoting legislation that will allow American citizens to sue international organizations that support terror, UNRWA among them. At the same time, however, the Israeli Department of Justice insists that UNRWA has full diplomatic immunity. In a recent hearing at the Knesset Finance Committee, the representative from the Department of Justice claimed that under international law, the question of UNRWA's immunity was as simple as one plus one.

Despite the representative's supreme confidence, nine senior jurists and diplomats, among them former US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, filed a brief with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York detailing why UNRWA is, in fact, not protected by immunity. If such a position is possible, why does the Israeli Department of Justice insist on impeding American efforts to sue UNRWA?

Upon assuming the presidency, Trump signed an Executive Order to reinstate personal sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor. Republican lawmakers are moving to pass legislation to impose harsh sanctions on the ICC and the states cooperating with it, in an effort to paralyze its activities. Already two decades ago, the US passed a law that prohibited the state from cooperating with the ICC. But despite years of discussions in Israel, a similar bill was only recently laid on the Knesset table, put forward by Knesset Member Amit Halevi. The "Bill Proposal for the Protection of Israelis" mirrors American law and sets criminal prohibitions on civilians passing information on soldiers or public officials to the ICC. Yet for weeks now, the Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs has delayed any discussion of the bill, claiming that legal counsel has not yet formed its final position. The question arises once more: How can we expect the US to crush the Court when we ourselves won't take even such a minimal step?

As is well known, the UNIFIL organization serves as the "UNRWA of Lebanon", in the sense that it provides human shield and cover for the Hezbollah terror organization. As a Danish UNIFIL soldier recently testified, "We were completely subordinate to Hezbollah." During the IDF's ground operation in Lebanon, Hezbollah tunnels were discovered in close proximity to UNIFIL positions.

UNIFIL's mandate is set to expire in August, and President Trump is considering vetoing its renewal – a move that would lead to its complete dissolution. Trump nearly vetoed it during his first term, but according to reports, Israeli security officials were the ones who convinced him that UNIFIL serves as a moderating element in Lebanon. This time around, we must not save UNIFIL, which has proven itself to be an abject failure at its core.

The next four years will present the State of Israel with significant opportunities, but we must remember that the ball is in Jerusalem's court, not Washington's. A friendly administration in the White House is no excuse to sit by and do nothing. The successful legislation in the fight against UNRWA demonstrates that Israel can lead significant strategic initiatives if it dares to act. Trump will not help those who do not help themselves.

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Following more than two decades of efforts on the part of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and other anti-Israel elements, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. It is already clear to many leaders that seeking the arrest of the head of a democratic state while it is waging a justified war against a murderous terror organization puts the court to shame. The instruments mobilized against us now will be used in the future against other democracies in the service of terror organizations and dictatorships.

According to reports, the incoming Trump administration is considering severe sanctions against senior court officials, similar to the steps taken in 2020. However, Israel must not leave the Americans to battle the ICC alone. In recent days, two former Australian prime ministers, Tony Abbot and Scott Morrison, called on Australia to withdraw from the court due to the outrageous warrants. The leading candidate for the Canadian premiership, leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre, attacked Trudeau as "ridiculous" and "extreme" for declaring he would arrest Netanyahu and Galant if they visited Canada. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has already invited Netanyahu to Budapest and declared that his state rejects the warrants. Argentina's President Javier Milei also announced he would not honor them. Israel must persistently work to persuade influential states to withdraw from the court. The ICC operates on the strength of its member states' cooperation, and a withdrawal of major states would be a serious blow to it.

The Knesset must pass an Israeli version of the American Servicemembers' Protection Act immediately. This law would authorize the government to use all the means at its disposal to release Israeli detainees. The arrest of Israeli officials or citizens would be considered an act of war. The law would prohibit all government agents from maintaining ties to the ICC, thus eliminating jurists' temptation to play the court's pseudo-legal game. The law should include the provision that any cooperation with the ICC on the part of Israeli non-profits would constitute a criminal offense. It is well known that extremist domestic organizations provide foreign countries with the personal details of Israeli citizens in order to prompt sanctions against them. The prime minister prevented the promotion of such a law in the past, but Israel cannot expect the Americans to protect it while it refuses to do the minimum needed for its own self-defense.

The incoming Trump administration understands that the US is next in line and how undeveloped states will weaponize the court to curtail America's freedom of action. Therefore, we must call on the American administration to resist settling for symbolic sanctions but actively collapse the court. The Biden administration has already shown the way by issuing sanctions against Jewish sheepherders in Samaria. We expect the US to address the strategic harm to its most important ally with the same severity it addresses graffiti sprayed on Arab houses in Judea and Samaria.

The PA has worked methodically and determinedly to weaponize the ICC against Israel since before it was even established, without ever paying a price for doing so. The Palestinian attempt to isolate and alienate Israel must lead to their own isolation instead. Israel must prevent PA senior officials from traveling and the reception of state visits.

Israel must take meaningful action against states that commit to enforcing the arrest warrants. Spain, which declared it would arrest Netanyahu and Galant if they stepped foot on its soil, operates an unrecognized consulate in Jerusalem that refuses to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the city and serves as a de facto representative of the PA. It is high time to stop turning a blind eye to this consulate and order its complete shutdown, converting the building into an Israeli government office. France expressed a somewhat more moderate view; therefore, Israel should close the Jerusalem-based French culture center for Palestinians and clarify that the next step would be shuttering the French consulate in the city.

The ICC has failed at its noble task of holding international criminals to account. Israel now has a historic opportunity to expose the court's derelictions of duty. Israel must fight back and work to dismantle the court with everything it has.

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