Election Day in the United States is here, and it seems the only thing we can agree on is that this is a crucial one.

Having served in the first Trump Administration, I unsurprisingly want my former boss of almost a quarter-century to win, and think he represents the best path for America, the Middle East, and world Jewry. But I think there is something more important to say this Election Day.

Regardless of who wins, the next few years will be critical to the future of the West. Whether the free world is led by Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, good people across the globe will have a role to play in shoring up our security, improving Western nations' standing, and maintaining our place as technological innovators and economic powerhouses.

While this is true across the West, I'll focus on two countries struggling with severe division: Israel and the US. Regardless of who is at the helm of those two great nations, the best way to achieve our basic desires for these countries is to try to heal internal divisions and improve our sense of unity.

In the US and Israel, arguments over how to handle tense social and political issues are everywhere. To some degree, that's healthy and natural. We should argue about how best to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, judicial reform, the secular-religious divide, and more. But heated times like these, which prime us to see the world as your-team-versus-mine, often devolve into division and enmity.

Even arguing respectfully is not enough. Especially at moments like these, we need to recognize that when bad actors sense our division, they smell blood. Debate is a strength but treating our friends like enemies is a dangerous form of weakness.

True unity requires working together, even when we don't agree on many details. Right and left, secular and religious, and yes, Arab and minority citizens too – all need a seat at the table, a common set of rights and obligations, and a willingness to subdue self-interest at times in favor of the good of the community. Building bridges with those we disagree with, explaining why we disagree and seeking compromise when possible or conveying legitimate reasons why compromise may not be possible – those are prerequisites to healthy unity.

In both countries, I believe that one of our basic unifying commitments must be achieving stability through strength. Acknowledge and fight those who threaten our citizens or way of life. But do so with an eye towards connecting with individuals and nations that have been caught up in conflicts but are not themselves guilty of inflaming them, and who may be willing to partner with us to reduce or even seek to extinguish the violence.

To that end, I hope that Israel and the United States will show warmth and understanding towards Israel's Arab neighbors – those who signed the Abraham Accords and those who have not yet but hopefully will someday. We hardly agree on everything, but we need each other economically, diplomatically and from a security perspective in a region where some leaders seek only chaos, violence and destruction.

One more note on unity between allies: To truly succeed as a world power, Israelis must learn to put themselves in the shoes of their now-allies and not-yet-allies and better understand their needs and decisions. All of those countries, from the US to the Arab states, are independent in some ways and intertwined in many others – including some that have little or nothing to do with Israel. Just as Israel is an independent nation with a unique set of problems and the right to make its own decisions, its allies and neighbors are too. If Americans choose to take a path Israelis would prefer they didn't, which may happen from time to time, that is not automatically a sign of abandonment. Neither side of our bilateral alliance can afford to give up on the other, no matter how much we may question the other side's policy choices. Arab states also have their own limitations, goals, and expectations to contend with, and those may be different from Israel's. That does not mean that common ground cannot be found.

Am Yisrael Chai is a promise, but it is also a mission: What are we doing to ensure the Nation of Israel lives? Rejecting division and taking steps towards unifying the good people and great nations of the world is central to that mission. On this Election Day, I pray for the forces of true unity to prevail. God bless America, Israel, and its new allies, and its not-yet-allies. God bless the Israel Defense Forces who embody unity in their righteous fight against evil, thereby protecting not only the State of Israel, but Jews all over the world.

Jason D. Greenblatt was the White House Middle East envoy in the Trump administration. He is the author of In the Path of Abraham: How Donald Trump Made Peace in the Middle East—and How to Stop Joe Biden From Unmaking It, Senior Director of Arab-Israel Diplomacy for the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs and the founder of Abraham Venture LLC. Follow him on X: @GreenblattJD

The post Why Trump represents the best path for America appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

As the lighthearted expression goes, the future is one of the hardest things to predict. That did not stop New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman from offering grim prophecies about Israel and the incoming Israeli government coalition in a piece entitled "The Israel We Knew Is Gone." There's nothing lighthearted about the future he foresees for the Jewish state. But his bleak predictions, presented as unalterable facts, are not backed up by reality.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Friedman leads off his piece by steering the reader towards the conclusion that Benjamin Netanyahu will soon preside over a parade of right-wing horribles whose very existence dooms not just the new coalition but Israel itself.

Once Friedman's Halloween-like portrayal of Netanyahu's team is lodged in the reader's brain, he goes on to suggest that Israel's "rowdy" new government is just a trial run for what we can expect in the US in 2024. In other words: Be afraid America, be very afraid, because what happens in Israel doesn't stay in Israel. Inevitably, Friedman frets, right-wing madness will spread to our liberal shores.

Apparently, members of the Israeli government must pass muster not just with Israeli voters but also with members of Congress, Biden administration gatekeepers and newspaper columnists like Friedman. But in reality, Israel, like the US, gets to choose its own leaders through free and fair elections.

Friedman then leaps to the conclusion that if Jews on American campuses share his distaste for even two members of the new Israeli government, they will turn their backs on Israel once and for all.

Jews on college campuses have enough trouble these days, suffering cancel culture if they speak up in favor of the Jewish state or fail to defend the Palestinians in or out of the lecture hall. Progressive politics isn't cafeteria-style, in which you get to pick and choose which issues you support. If you back Israel over the Palestinians, you subject yourself to being shunned in a way that hearkens back to the Salem witch trials. Friedman's remarks just add fuel to that fire.

Friedman then claims that several Arab countries entered the Abraham Accords just because "they wanted to trade with Israel." Not, as Seinfeld would say, that there's anything wrong with that. More importantly, the Arab nations made peace with Israel because they're tired of pointless, expensive hostilities and they recognize a common enemy in Iran.

Friedman ought to have more respect for the courageous Arab governments that normalized their relations with Israel, and for those who may have quietly supported it from behind closed doors. One hopes more countries will do so as time goes on, despite Friedman's apparent belief that those Arab countries are only in it for the money.

Friedman is also concerned that members of Congress will be "fleeing" from reporters asking about support for Israel. While Israel has many stalwart friends in the US Capitol on both sides of the aisle, some Congress members have seldom been models of courage when it comes to speaking up for the Jewish state. Nothing new there.

A lot of folks on both sides in the aisle here in the United States don't love every single member of Congress or every single Biden cabinet member. But they aren't turning in their passports and ripping up the Constitution.

Friedman quotes Moshe Halbertal, a Hebrew University philosopher, and argues that Israeli hawkishness towards the Palestinians has created a mentality in which Israelis now view every Israeli Arab as a potential terrorist. There is no basis for this accusation, and Friedman offers nothing to back it up.

Israel, like any sovereign nation, has a right to keep its citizens safe – all of its citizens. In fact, that may be a leader's most important job. It is also why voters brought Netanyahu back to power. They know that he stands for security and not weakness in the Middle East, which is still the world's most dangerous neighborhood.

Friedman has a deep distaste for Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir, and appears to be using Ben-Gvir's statements as a way to attack Israel's new government in its entirety. I too am uncomfortable with some of Ben-Gvir's past comments and actions. I hope that he has matured and moderated his views, as he claims. However, this discomfort doesn't mean I surrender my love and staunch support for the State of Israel. I don't agree with some of President Joe Biden's policies, and I abhor comments made by the "Squad." Yet I remain an American patriot.

Similarly, I abhor Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas's anti-American comments, his financial rewards to those who harm and murder Israelis and his statements on the Holocaust. Yet I would still work with Palestinians and their leaders to try to improve their lives and forge peace between them and Israel.

We don't burn everything down just because we disagree, however strongly, with the views of some of those in power.

Friedman doesn't have to love Netanyahu or his coalition partners. It would behoove Friedman, however, to allow the future to play out before coming to such dark and drastic conclusions. His doomsaying is not fair to Israel's voters, Israel's new administration or Israel's young and impressionable supporters here in the United States.

The right approach is for the White House, Congress and Thomas Friedman to let Netanyahu govern and criticize him as he governs, rather than condemn him and the State of Israel in advance. I believe Netanyahu is the right man for the job at this very complicated and dangerous time, and that the Israel we know will continue to thrive, prosper and be a light unto the world. Time will tell who is correct.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Thomas Friedman should give Netanyahu a chance appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

When I was approached by CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash to participate in a new documentary "Rising Hate: Antisemitism in America," I was at first ambivalent. Not because I believe all of CNN's anchors, hosts and pundits are biased, though some are.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

I have no doubt that bias, manipulation, misleading information and other flaws exist in CNN's coverage. To be fair, I would say that about some other mainstream media outlets as well. I am also well aware of CNN's predisposition to portray former President Donald Trump in a negative light, perhaps more than many other networks.

Despite my misgivings, I decided to participate. If CNN was airing a special episode about antisemitism, that in itself was noteworthy. I cannot just speak to or write for audiences who think as I do or believe as I believe. I want to share my thoughts with those who do not think as I do, or believe as I believe, in order for those audiences to make decisions based on a wider spectrum of information.

I also wanted to argue against the notion that the former president is antisemitic, and fosters or condones antisemitism. My experience throughout over two decades of working for him proved otherwise. He was a boss who supported and encouraged my religious observance. I publicly defended Trump against these accusations in The Washington Post, The Forward and other outlets. I also describe his approach to me being an observant Jew in my new book In the Path of Abraham.

I was not disappointed with my decision to participate. Though I may disagree with how Bash (at times) and CNN (often) cover Trump, I found her to be thoroughly professional and interested in hearing my thoughts. She asked tough but fair questions. She probed but didn't attack or try to manipulate. I could tell from the roughly one-hour interview that we had that she was sincere in trying to understand and share my perspective.

She and senior producer Melissa Dunst Lipman also lined up a roster of important guests, including Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, US special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism, and Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League (as far as I know we are not related). I do not share the same views as he does on certain issues (including about Trump), and I have some issues with the approach of the ADL to some of its work. But he certainly is an important player in terms of his thoughts and work to fight antisemitism.

I also appreciate that as a result of my interview, CNN aired a clip of the infamous episode from Charlottesville that is rarely shown, which depicts Trump clearly saying that neo-Nazis and the white nationalists "should be condemned totally." CNN finally debunked the myth that he did not condemn the antisemites who were present there.

It should also have aired other examples of Trump's many condemnations of antisemitism. One example is when, after the murders at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018, Trump said that this "evil, antisemitic attack is an assault on … humanity," how we must work "together to extract the hateful poison of antisemitism from our world" and that those seeking the Jews' "destruction, we will seek their destruction." A clearer condemnation, especially from a president of the United States, would be difficult to find.

For those who think CNN did not do a good enough job on the episode, let's first acknowledge that this was an important episode; kudos to them for getting this done. Yet, I wanted to share several (hopefully, constructive) criticisms about the episode.

First, one hour to deal with such an important, complicated subject is too short. I understand the nature of today's media environment, but I hope that the cable-news network will build on this coverage over time. Perhaps CNN can do a follow-up, behind-the-scenes episode and share portions of the interviews that were left on the cutting room floor, to be posted online for those who want to go deeper on the issues.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories! 

I also think the topic of left-wing versus right-wing antisemitism needs much more discussion. While I laud CNN for making the point that antisemitism can be found on both the left and the right, I disagree with the view that right-wing antisemitism is more dangerous. The violence and penchant for extremism and murderous actions can be found on both sides.

I also think it is important to focus on how anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism overlap; indeed, it would be hard to argue that you can be against the Jewish State of Israel and not be antisemitic. That's not to say you can't be against Israeli government positions or policies. Nor is it to say that you cannot be pro-Palestinian. But if you hate Israel and its existence, then you are an antisemite, plain and simple. The episode also touched on the anti-Israel bias on college campuses, but this pernicious issue needs a much deeper dive. Anti-Zionism is a contemporary manifestation of antisemitism. These days, college students are thrust into the dangerous front lines of the hate hurled at Jews and Israel.

CNN may not have gotten everything right, but the network should be commended for the effort. Now I hope they build on this. With more education, perhaps we can begin to turn the tide against antisemitism. Thank you to Bash, Dunst Lipman and all those who worked on this episode, as well as my fellow guests on the show, those I agreed with, and those I disagreed with, for speaking out against the world's oldest hatred.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post For CNN and antisemitism, not perfect but a good start appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

One thing that has remained somewhat of a constant is El Al. While today it has fancier planes and flies to many more places around the globe, including incredibly as of this week, to Abu Dhabi, there is a warm feeling that overcomes me when I get on an El Al flight.

During my time in the White House I was required to fly a US carrier, unless there was a very specific reason not to. I think that is a smart rule. My airline of choice was United, and I was always pleased with the friendly service. It also felt good to be on a US carrier. But there was one trip where there was an issue with my flight and I ended up on an El Al plane, and I have to say, it felt great. There is something about getting on an El Al plane when flying to or from Israel. Oh sure, there are the occasional uncomfortable moments when for religious reasons people try to be reseated and sometimes people are unwilling, or cannot cooperate. Eventually, everyone settles down. And yes, there are times when there are people who pray in the aisles or galley areas when and where they are not supposed to – we should be better than that. And lots of kids running around. But that's why it is so special. It feels like coming home. It feels like family. The flight attendants try their best to manage the bustling, active crowd; they try their best to provide service with a heart and warmth, and the security and pilots are top notch.

Even before the massive difficulties caused by COVID-19, El Al had been suffering financially. Big changes need to take place to fix these difficulties. COVID-19 has significantly expanded these challenges. Serious solutions must be found to strengthen El Al and to get it ready for the new future.

Today we face an incredible opportunity. Hopefully, we are a lot closer to the end of COVID-19. No one can be sure when it will finally end, but people are thirsting to travel. A favorite tourist destination is Israel. Israel has so much to offer – history, fun, spirituality, adventure, an incredibly friendly – and sometimes opinionated – population, beaches, hikes, religious sites, world-class museums, great food and so much more. Israel needs a national carrier that can show its best side and get people to and from Israel with the level of service, style and sophistication that a powerful country like Israel deserves. To do this, changes need to be made. El Al needs a major cash infusion and other changes to give it the shot in the arm it desperately needs and deserves.

As with all processes of this magnitude, there are layers of complexities and politics to contend with. No surprises there, and I am no stranger to those issues. We are hopefully approaching the other side of COVID-19, and with the newly announced Abraham Accord between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain announcing they are permitting all flights to fly over their airspace (hint, that includes El Al), there is no more important time to focus on the issue of El Al. It is time for El Al to properly get ready to spread its wings again, get people back to work, and get people to and from Israel in a manner deserving of a powerful country like Israel.

May the best man, or woman, win.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post El Al: What a history, what a future! appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

My parents were luckier than most. My father's family was able to flee Hungary in time to save themselves. My paternal grandmother painstakingly tried to line up all the necessary visas to enable her family to escape Hungary. It was a desperately frustrating task, where the consequences meant life or death. One day, after months of my grandmother trying and failing, a German diplomat gave her the visas that she was so desperately seeking. My mother's family was liberated by the Soviet army. After the war, her family made their way back to Debrecen, Hungary, where they were reunited. They continued living in Debrecen until the Hungarian Revolution, at which point they fled Hungary and moved to the United States.

When asked to recount some of my most memorable moments during my nearly three years at the White House, I often speak about a Holocaust-related experience. One day I was privileged to visit the memorial commemorating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising with the Vice President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Israel, and the Prime Minister of Poland. For me to be able to stand there with them as a proud American, a proud Jew, and a Senior White House official was remarkable. Later that day I gave a speech in Warsaw and I was in awe when I realized that right in the front row listening to me were three elderly Righteous Among the Nations individuals who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

While I have remained on lockdown with my family for several weeks as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, I have had more time to reflect and try to grow as a person. Time to reflect and grow often eludes me during our fast-paced, normal lives. I hope to change this when we emerge from this isolation. I often think about the German diplomat and the three Righteous Among the Nations individuals who I met in Warsaw who, together with so many others, heroically put themselves and their families at great risk to save Jews.

It is clear from this current crisis that all of humanity is in this together. We are all partners in this world. Among the many things humanity must work on together is to expose and root out all forms of hatred, wherever it exists. My experience over the past three years at the White House gives me hope that perhaps humanity is ready for this. I am not starry-eyed or naive. I recognize that today, even in the United States, this beautiful "land of the free," the age-old pernicious ideology of anti-Semitism is nipping, biting and in some cases now ferociously attacking our communities.

But I have also learned to be an optimist, a pessimist and a realist at the same time. Jews today have unparalleled freedoms compared to prior generations. We also have the State of Israel, an exceptional country that has developed into something remarkable – a beacon of light, despite the many threats and attacks on its very existence from the moment of its creation and continuing through today.

Things have also changed in the Middle East. My experience in the Middle East during my time working at the White House was very positive.  The leadership in the Middle East who I worked with was always respectful of my religious observance. My Arab hosts always accommodated my religious requirements as best as they could and always did so graciously. I experienced warmth, open minds and a willingness and desire to engage.

Humanity is in the midst of great challenges and stress. On this Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2020, let us remember the cruelty that man is capable of and what happens when evil is allowed to prevail. But let us also remember the goodness and heroism of humanity, the tremendous good humanity is capable of and what we must all strive for. Let us hug our children tighter and teach our children about hate and the devastating consequences of hatred. But let us also teach them how we can join together to fight it. Let us teach them how to stand up for all of humanity.

God bless all of humanity.

Jason D. Greenblatt is a former assistant to the president and special representative for international negotiations in the Trump administration. He is now a partner at OurCrowd, the world's largest equity crowdfunding platform. Follow him on Twitter at @GreenblattJD.

The post Humanity is in this together appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A New York Times article titled "Plan to storm fence gets bloody preview in Gaza," by Iyad Abuheweila and David Halbfinger, is one of several recent reports that have started to capture more accurately the reality of Gaza, why the people there are suffering, and what these so-called protests are really about. As with so many issues with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, things are not black and white.

The article does not shy away from hard facts. The authors describe Israeli concerns about "the idea of swarming across the barrier, a mass of tens of thousands of people too numerous for Israeli soldiers to arrest or even to shoot." They cite an Israeli colonel's explanation that the protesters are "trying to infiltrate into Israel, damage our infrastructure and kill Israelis," and that Hamas leader Ismail Radwan urged protesters not to fear death, but instead to welcome martyrdom. For additional context, let's not forget that another leader, Yahya Sinwar, exhorted protesters on April 6 to "tear down the wall and tear out their [Israelis'] hearts."

The April 27 New York Times opinion piece titled "Why I March in Gaza," by Abu Shammalah, is an instructive contrast to the Abuheweila-Halbfinger article. This op-ed has touching aspects – written by a father who says he cherishes his life, speaks about his precious children and his wife. But he also describes the protesters as unarmed, when many are actually armed. And his characterization of the protests as nonviolent ignores the protesters who are quite violent. An inspiring description of how "kites flew" toward the fence must be balanced by pointing out that petrol bombs and swastikas were attached to some of those kites.

Many blame Israel, Egypt and/or the Palestinian Authority for the situation in Gaza. Too few, however, focus their criticism on Hamas, which has been the de facto ruling entity of Gaza for a decade.

Let's get real about this: Hamas, and its enablers, such as Iran, are squarely to blame for the desperate situation in Gaza. Hamas has consistently put its own destructive priorities above those of Gaza's weary and increasingly desperate population.

The Israelis have indicated that they want to do more to help the people of Gaza, if they could be assured that additional things they allow into Gaza will not be repurposed into weapons or used to build tunnels to attack Israel. Israel might choose to ease restrictions on travel if it could be assured that those who are crossing into and through Israel will not commit acts of terror or be smuggling weapons or cash to be used for terrorism.

Egypt could also do more to help the people of Gaza, but Egypt shares the same legitimate security concerns as Israel. President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority could restore all salaries and payments in Gaza. But Abbas also has legitimate concerns, even if the steps he has taken are unfortunate and damaging. Certainly, we would not want to see the Palestinian Authority running an above-ground government and Hamas running a shadow government below ground. But neither Israel, Egypt nor the Palestinian Authority are the actual cause of the problems; they can only be part of the solution if given the right opportunity.

Deep and pervasive donor fatigue has set in. In the 15 months I have been on the job, I have heard only quick, temporary, small fixes for the people of Gaza. Donors understand that none of us can significantly change the situation in Gaza in the current environment. No one wants to spend money building and rebuilding, only to find what they build is damaged or destroyed in yet another conflict. I have met many people from Gaza – impressive, resilient people. But there will be a limit to what we can do for them while Hamas is in charge. Hamas has managed to bring the people of Gaza, a people with a proud history and great potential, nearly back to the stone age. What an embarrassment, what desolation, what failure.

I believe that given a real choice, the people of Gaza would reject this failed Hamas experiment. The fact is, Palestinians in Gaza need to be reunited with their West Bank counterparts under a single, responsible Palestinian Authority leadership. The future that Shammalah says he wants for his children – "a chance to thrive"– is the future we all are striving to achieve for Gaza and its children.

The post Gaza: A failed experiment by Hamas appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.