Hearts in throats across Israel as US votes tallied
Several of her Israeli followers were furious to hear how the Israeli actress voted, reacting in comments like “It hurts to see that Israelis living in the United States, and who are aware of how important Trump is to Israel, are still voting for Biden, especially when it the person voting is a celebrity.” There was a flood of expletives and personal attacks. She was called an “enemy of Israel.” Reactions included such gems as, “It’s unbelievable that Israelis living in the United States voted for the most anti-Semitic person in politics,” or “It looks like her desire to fit in with the Hollywood crowd is stronger than her desire for us to have a president who is a true friend of Israel. Let me remind you that you come from Israel!”
The online fighting was as intense as though the election were for an Israeli prime minister. Former Labor Party chair Shelly Yechimovich tweeted, “My relationship with God is one-sided. I don’t believe in him. Still, in times of serious trouble, I ask him for things, in case he really does exist. He was never petty about it either. He usually answered me. So, God, I’m asking you once again: Help us get rid of Trump. This time, if it happens, I promise that this week I will light Sabbath candles for the first time in my life.”
In addition to hundreds of likes and retweets, she also came under attack. Many people railed over her lack of gratitude to Israel’s closest friend.
Israel’s own political crisis ensured that the election would become a major issue in local politics. Conventional wisdom holds that a Trump victory would be a victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his US ally’s defeat would be harmful to him.
Netanyahu has maintained radio silence over the last few days and instructed senior Likud officials to follow his lead. They were not to give interviews or even to comment on the election. In the last few days, he has steered clear of press conferences and any other interactions with the press to avoid being asked about the US election before they are announced.
While those who ignored Netanyahu’s request and spoke up expressed their love and appreciation for Trump, they started speaking about him in the past tense.
Housing Minister Yitzhak Cohen of Shas said in an interview on Knesset TV, “It really is a pity that President Trump will not be serving a second term. He was wonderful about everything to do with the State of Israel. On issues concerning the Jewish people, he was absolutely fantastic.” Chairman of Yisrael Beitenu Avigdor Liberman said, “There can be no doubt that President Trump did a few things that no one before him dared to do despite all their promises, like moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. And there was his effort to advance formal relations between Israel and the Gulf States.’’
Still, both men went on to emphasize that the alliance of interests between Israel and the United States will not suffer if Joe Biden occupies the White House.
The Likud’s Minister for Settlement Tzachi Hanegbi showed a little more temerity. He expressed concern about how the election will impact the Iranian problem, saying to Channel 20, “Trump’s policy of applying maximum pressure actually works. We can see the results. The Iranian economy is collapsing. If the current policy changes and we return to the old nuclear agreement, there will be conflict between Israel and Iran. We can’t just sit and watch it happen.”
Israeli polls show Trump is one of the most popular US presidents ever. When he was first elected in 2016, people knew him mainly as a billionaire playboy. But his warm and intimate relationship with Netanyahu and the gifts he nonchalantly showered on Israel made him the subject of intense veneration among the ideological right and Israelis in general. Israelis fell in love with him. He was considered a true friend, making the US election perhaps as dramatic for them as for Americans.