Letter: The Race for Jewish Votes

Dear editor:

Far more important than electing the first female American president is electing someone who will reverse the errors made by the Biden-Harris administration (lack of control at our borders, the DOJ being used as a political weapon, growing unrest in the Middle East, including attacks on American military personnel as well as attacks on Israel). (“The Race for Jewish Votes” Boulder Jewish News August 15, 2024.)

There is good reason for American Jews, indeed for all Americans, to feel that life was better for them under the Trump Administration than it is now. America was energy-independent, even exporting oil. That kept oil prices low, here and abroad. Some Arab countries began to realize that they could no longer rely solely on an oil economy. This encouraged them to enter the Abraham Accords, seeking Israel’s help in exploring new sources of income, in addition to getting help in defending against Iran’s attempt to establish hegemony in the Middle East.

And the Iranian threat was kept under control as the Trump Administration applied sanctions on Iran and prevented Iran from selling oil. Forced to the brink of bankruptcy, Iran could not fund its proxies and things were quiet in the Middle East. That changed under the Biden/Harris Administration which saw Hamas’ October 7 atrocities inflicted on Israel, Houthis disrupting shipping in the Red Sea and attacking US military installations, and Hezbollah firing missiles at Israeli population centers.

While Pres. Biden initially supported Israel’s efforts to prevent Hamas from keeping its vow to inflict a thousand October 7’s on Israel, he soon succumbed to the anti-Israel members of his party, constantly calling on Israel to work harder to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza (ignoring the fact that military experts, such as Major John Spencer and Colonel Richard Kemp, were praising the success of the IDF’s exemplary efforts in minimizing collateral damage and decrying Hamas’ using the Palestinians in Gaza as human shields). President Biden’s words flamed numerous demonstrations by anti-Israel, antisemitic groups which accused Israel of attempting genocide against the Palestinians. Furthermore, the Biden/Harris administration’s calling for an early ceasefire, even demanding that Israel curtail its efforts to clean Rafah of Hamas’ control, may have doomed Israel’s  chances of achieving a decisive victory over the terrorists, possibly rendering the demilitarization of Gaza an impossibility.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/opinion/israel-hamas-war-military.html

I can not guarantee that Hamas would not have attacked Israel if Donald Trump had been in office on October 7. However, I do believe that a return Trump Administration policies is the first step in finally achieving Peace in the Middle East.

Toby F. Block
Atlanta, GA