[italic] From The Times of Israel (an Israeli newspaper/website)[/italic]
[bold] In Rosh Hashanah call with community leaders, president again appears to suggest US Jews are loyal to Israel, warns things could turn sour for Israel if they don’t vote Republican [/bold]
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest again that American Jews are loyal to Israel, as he urged community leaders to get out the vote for him in a brief pre-Rosh Hashanah phone call Wednesday.
Trump signed off the 20-minute call by telling the Jewish leaders, “We really appreciate you… We love your country also.”
The comments echoed others he has made in the past that suggest that American Jews are loyal to Israel, including at a White House Hanukkah party two years ago.
The remarks have been criticized for appearing to carry an accusation of dual loyalty, redolent of classic anti-Semitic canards that caused Jews to be regarded with suspicion for centuries.
Introducing his Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who played a key role in the US brokering of historic deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed Tuesday at the White House, Trump called him “an unbelievable leader for Israel.”
“Here I have a son-in-law and a daughter who are Jewish, I have beautiful grandchildren that are Jewish, I have all of these incredible achievements,” he said in a recording of the off-the-record call played for The Times of Israel.
“I can honestly say that there’s been no greater president for the Jewish people in history than Donald Trump,” Kushner chimed in.
Appearing to blur the line between White House events and campaigning, Trump pressed listeners to canvas for him in the upcoming presidential election and asserted that Israel would suffer if he is not reelected this fall.
Foreign Affairs Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords on the South Lawn of the White House on September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP) “I have to say this, whatever you can do in terms of November 3 is going to be very important because if we don’t win, Israel is in big trouble,” Trump said.
Arthur Stark, the chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, asked about Trump’s plans to assist Israel in confronting actors such as Iran and Turkey who back terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Trump’s reply: Vote Republican.
“This is really a time that’s very important in the life of Israel and the safety of Israel. And we will do a great job,” he said. “If the other side gets in all bets are off. I think it’ll be a whole different story. I think it’ll be exactly the opposite.”
[CONT'D]