Bibi And Trump

It was just another news conference between two world leaders. It was late Monday afternoon and Bibi Netanyahu was in Palm Beach to meet with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. I watched them and listened to them closely. I thought it was an emotional moment for both leaders and it was.

Trump talked about how great a leader Netanyahu was, especially during war. And Bibi said more than a few times that Mr. Trump was the greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House.

Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed that sentiment in a moving fashion. It was at that moment that I saw a look on Trump’s face that I believe communicated that he understood why G-d had saved his life that day in Butler, Pennsylvania, when an assassin’s bullet nicked his right ear.

Perhaps his daughter Ivanka explained it to him, or maybe it was Jared or one of their children. It’s what Mordechai said to Esther in the Megillah when she hesitated to approach King Achashverosh. He told her that perhaps it was for this moment in history that she was created and placed in this position as a queen and a favorite of the king.

At 79-years-old, Trump understands why he survived a bullet that was headed directly for the center of his forehead. When we think back to the Biden and Obama presidencies, it was just plain frightening what they tried to pull on Israel. Reflecting on their attitudes toward Israel, there’s no way to compute it aside from the fact that their policies encouraged Hamas to attack Israel, and for Iran and other enemies of Jews and Israel to do likewise.

Sure, it was a brief moment, but it was beautiful. Bibi conveyed satisfaction with a look on his face that was positively shining. And Trump also conveyed a feeling of closeness—that he understood Bibi and how similar Israel is to the U.S.

It was a brief amount in time that definitively communicated the absurdity of Israel being accused of committing genocide in Gaza. Trump said that Hamas has a small window of opportunity to fulfill their commitment to disarm. If not, they will be disarmed swiftly and effectively by far more powerful forces. As Israel’s leaders have repeatedly stated: Hamas must be destroyed.

Trump stated that he believes more than half of the Palestinians would leave Gaza and move elsewhere if given the chance. In fact, they both said that a survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that nearly half (49%) of Gaza’s residents would leave the territory if given the opportunity. I just don’t understand how one takes such a poll among Gazans. Gaza has been flattened. There’s almost nothing there. Their home phones certainly are not working. Are we supposed to believe that there is such good cell phone service?

All in all, it was a great moment. It looked like Israel and the U.S. were never closer. People are naturally concerned about the future. But Trump has more than three years to his term in office. That’s enough time to effectuate changes that will become baked in, creating a new reality for the world. That can include many things, among them the expansion of the Abraham Accords and a literal shift in the fundamentals of the relationship between Israel and the many Muslim countries, which many considered the natural enemies of the Jews and Israel.

The wild U.S.-based Islamists like Zohran Mamdani and Ilhan Omar along with many others, are out of line and have a thought process not in sync with the Muslim leaders around the world. The world is wearing straight legged jeans and Mamdani and Omar are wearing bell bottoms. They are out of line and not to be taken seriously.

All of the college campus pro-Hamas demonstrations at the end of the day, with peace coming to the Middle East, are just out of style. Their thinking is backward and becoming obsolete. The other day at Mar-a-Lago, the faces of Bibi and Trump shone. It’s the start of a new era. Trump didn’t say the words but it looked to me like he might be thinking them, and the words which are jam-packed with meaning are: Am Yisrael Chai. n

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.