Israeli politicians: Trump win kills idea of Palestinian state
Former Israeli minister and right-wing religious leader Naftali Bennett on 'end of era of Palestinian state'
Israeli politicians have said Donald Trump’s stunning U.S. presidential election win represents the end of the two-state solution.
The American billionaire and reality TV star is set to be one of the most powerful presidents in modern U.S. history, as his party, which already controlled Congress, also won back control of the Senate.
In the run-up to the vote, Trump’s advisers said he would not prioritise a two-state solution – contrary to earlier suggestions – and Naftali Bennett, a former settler leader and prominent right-wing Israeli politician touted as a future prime minister, said the win would end the idea of a Palestinian state once and for all.
“Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the centre of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause,” he said.
“This is the position of the President-elect, as written in his platform, and it should be our policy, plain and simple. The era of a Palestinian state is over.”
The result also means that the U.S. could soon move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a controversial move loaded with symbolism, which his recent predecessors have all resisted.
Concern has been raised by some Jewish groups about Trump’s failure to wash his hands of the support he has received from white supremacists, alongside remarks variously described as “racist,” “misogynistic” and “divisive”.
His win was celebrated by Europe’s nationalists, including Nigel Farage of UKIP, Marine Le Pen of Front National in France, and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. All three have won electoral support for their anti-immigration campaigns – a message Trump supported, with calls to ban Muslims and wall-off “Mexican rapists”.
American Jews voted overwhelmingly Democrat, as they have done throughout history, but analysts suggested their influence had not been felt in this race.
Speaking to Jewish News, Simon Henderson, Baker Fellow at Washington Institute, said: “The Jewish angle was absent. There used to be a time that the Jewish vote in New York and Florida was key. Not in 2016.”
Asked whether a Trump win was good for Jews and Israel, he added: “These are big questions but the short answer is yes. There are some worrying aspects of the wider pro-Trump constituency, but the result also upsets the status quo, which has become comfortable with the Democrats. Challenges remain, but Trump’s closest Middle East adviser appears to be his lawyer, who is Jewish.”
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