Why do Israelis want to see a second Donald Trump term?

As Americans head to the polls on Tuesday, many in Israel, including settlers of US origin in the occupied West Bank have expressed clear support for Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Recent polls showed that a majority of Israelis, 66 percent according to one conducted by Israel’s Channel 12 News, would prefer to see the former president enter the White House over his Democrat opponent Kamala Harris.

While the exact number of Israeli-Americans residing in Israel remains unknown due to limited official data, Israeli media reports suggest that there were approximately 200,000. 

A significant number of American-Israeli dual nationals reside in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with reports from 2015 indicating that appropriately 15 percent of West Bank settlers are American citizens – amounting to around 60,000 individuals. 

These settlements are widely viewed as obstacles to the peace process and the formal establishment of a Palestinian state.

The area has been occupied by Israel since 1967, but it could become Palestinian sovereign territory under a two-state solution favoured by the international community.

Many American citizens in Israel participated in the elections via absentee voting, which was highly encouraged by the US embassy.

“I’m proud to tell you that I voted for President Trump,” Eliana Passentin, 50, who moved to the West Bank settlement Eli from San Francisco as a child, told AFP.

“United States of America, our greatest ally, we thank you, but please understand we know how to run our country.”

What did Trump do for Israel during his previous term in the White House?

Among Israelis who vote for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling right-wing coalition, 93 percent support Trump’s candidacy, according to the Channel 12 poll.

Another settler, Gedaliah Blum, who was born in New Jersey, also told AFP he had voted for Trump based on the question of “what kind of future we want to have here in Israel”.

“Do we want a future that has an embargo threatened on Israel every time we defend ourselves?” he said, alluding to the Democrats’ stance on conditioning US support based on Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

“Trump is not going to pressure Israel to sign a ceasefire that will let Hamas remain in power in Gaza. They’re not going to push Israel to sign a peace agreement with Lebanon that will allow Hezbollah to remain in power.”

With Kamala Harris in the Oval Office, Israel will be under constant “pressure”, he added.

Trump prioritised Israel during his previous term, moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights and helping to normalise ties between Israel and several Arab states under the so-called Abraham Accords.

In the illegal settlement of Shiloh, where an estimated 20 percent of settlers hold US citizenship, New York-born Yisrael Medad, 77, told AFP he believed Trump would be good not only for the US but also for “America’s friends abroad, including Israel”.

“I think the policies that a Republican candidate such as Trump are promoting are most beneficial for the administration, Congress and the American people,” he said.

Medad said that Trump would treat Israel more “fairly in terms of not denying its rights to defend itself… not only in a physical sense but also on the ideological front”.

Referring to a recent incident at a Democratic campaign rally in which Harris did not push back against a demonstrator who said Israel was committing a “genocide” in Gaza, Medad said: “That’s not the type of candidate I want in the White House.”

What has Trump promised to do for Israel?

Trump has pledged to continue his strong support for Israel by expanding on key policies from his previous term.

He has also promised to maintain unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel, especially regarding its actions in Gaza and the West Bank, ensuring that no international conditions be placed on US military aid.

Trump has also vowed to advance the so-called Abraham Accords by seeking more normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab states – notable Saudi Arabia, which he views as a path to stability and security for Israel.

He has also emphasised he would stand “firm” against Israel with a “maximum pressure” stance, which may see the reimposing of sanctions and preventing Iran’s influence in the region, which he claims will directly benefit Israel’s security.

Trump has also opposed international pressure on illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, stating he would reject any calls to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank and would support Israel’s annexation of further Palestinian territories.