Donald Trump honors Theodor Herzl’s legacy

By João Lemos Esteves

On the same day Benjamin Netanyahu had been formally tapped by President Herzog to form the next government, justice was delivered to former US President, Donald J. Trump: The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) awarded him the Theodor Herzl Medallion. This award had been granted very parsimoniously – the list of its recipients is very limited.

They all share a deep commitment to defending the zionist cause, which is to say to defend the existence, the security, and the bolstering of the Jewish state. Contrary to what the opponents of the State of Israel (unsuccessfully) preach, Zionism is not an idea of division; rather, it is a concept and an experience of union, tolerance and cooperation. Israel shows this every single day, regardless of who the prime minister or the president are at some moment in Israel’s blessed and history.

As ZOA’s President (the tireless Morton Klein) brilliantly pointed out, “President Trump was Israel’s best friend at the White House”. No other President has been so effective, outspoken and consequential in his support for the Jewish State for all four years leading the United States and the free world. This does not mean that previous Presidents were not supportive or friends of Israel – on the contrary, Israel is supported by Democrats and Republicans alike, uniting people who often seem irredeemably divided. “The Squad” of the US Congress does not represent (far from that!) the “Squad” that really matters – the majority of the American People. They do not represent not even the majority of the Democratic Party. The future of the alliance between Israel and the United States is bright and very promising.

And for that, former President Trump holds a large share of the merit – it is a fact that the promises he delivered during his tenure in office surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. The Trump administration did not shy away from supporting Israel, resisting to the “noisy minority” which kept shouting anti-semitic mantras to boycott Trump’s foreign policy agenda of peace, viable dialogue, and necessary swift action.

I do firmly believe Trump’s unequivocal support for Israel comes from his sincere desire to make the good thing, to be on the right side of history – it is not just a political calculation, otherwise Trump would not bear the costs of defying all the antisemitic agitprop. Fortunately, Trump had the courage to bravely stand up with Israel, acknowledging that the enemies of Israel are the enemies of the United States of America. When President Donald Trump recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, he sent a powerful message to Lebanon that Hezbollah’s terrorist activities would no longer be tolerated and would hurt, first and foremost, the Lebanese people themselves. By doing so, the Trump administration was pushing for (more) political stability in Lebanon which would ultimately have a positive impact in all Middle East. The Golan Heights – including Ramat Trump – will always be a very important and beautiful part of Israel.

When President Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem (the eternal capital of Israel), he sent a powerful message to the World that the existence of the State of Israel, with a unified Jerusalem, is no longer a question; it is an irreversible fact. On the other hand, being the first country to move the Embassy to Jerusalem brought the United States even closer to Israel, making this officially the strongest alliance ever forged by modern diplomacy.

Only a true, genuine friend of Israel would take such brave and decisive action – doing the right thing never comes without a cost. It requires courage and true determination – like the one President Trump revealed when he authorized (alongside Secretary Mike Pompeo) the killing of the barbarian terrorist Qassem Soleimani (by the time the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saving thousands of innocent lives from dying on the hands of that ruthless murderer.

These two major decisions by President Trump have reshaped the Middle East forever, paving the way to the so-called Abraham Accords. By isolating the terrorist Iranian ayatollah regime, the Trump administration helped create the right framework for Israel to establish diplomatic, cultural and economic ties with several Muslim countries, spreading a new wave of hope for enduring peace between the Jewish Eternal State of Israel and the Islamic world. Without the moving of the US Embassy to Jerusalem and the killing of General Soleimani, the Abraham Accords would likely be just a mirage. Of course, Donald Trump has accomplished so much with the help of such talented hard-working people at his office, at the State Department, and at the US intelligence agencies.

Additionally, President Trump pulled off some very important measures to fight against antisemitism within the United States as well as abroad. Even his harshest critics must recognize that only a leader like Donald Trump could do so much for the United States and Israel in such a short period of time (just one term!).

Will Trump have the opportunity to take the Israel-United States unbreakable alliance to new heights again?

João Lemos Esteves is a lecturer in the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon as well as a political and security analyst.

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