American Thanks Trump for Bringing Him, His Wife Home from War-Torn Israel
Yitz Friedman — with the Washington-based American Accountability Foundation — thanked former President Donald Trump for making it possible for him and his wife to get back to the U.S. from Israel after war broke out.
Friedman was in the Jewish state when Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, launched its surprise attack on Saturday, killing at least 1,000 people, including at least 11 Americans.
“I would like to thank President Trump. After days of fear and anxiety in Israel, I am finally on my way home to the US. Almost every airline canceled all flights, including our flight home,” Friedman posted on X on Tuesday.
Rockets fired by terrorists from the Gaza Strip have hit near Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, The Times of Israel reported Monday.
“We [weren’t] sure what to do,” Friedman recounted. “Luckily, one [of] the few airlines still running flights is Emirates. My wife and I just flew from Tel Aviv – passing three or four armed military checkpoints to get to the airport – and are now safe in Dubai waiting for our connecting flight to the US.”
The American explained how Trump had made his flight to the United Arab Emirates possible through the Abraham Accords, a historic peace effort under which Israel and the UAE agreed to normalize relations.
“If not for the Trump Abraham Accords, this would be unthinkable. There would be no flights from Israel to the UAE,” Friedman wrote. “To be able to fly to a friendly Arab country when even American flights won’t dare, at a time of war, is miraculous.”
“Thanks to Trump’s efforts, thousands of American citizens have a way home from a very dangerous situation. Even as it seems the Middle East is imploding, this historic peace agreement is making things a little better,” he concluded.
I would like to thank President Trump.
After days of fear and anxiety in Israel, I am finally on my way home to the US.
Almost every airline canceled all flights, including our flight home. We we’re sure what to do.
Luckily, one if the few airlines still running flights is…
— Yitz Friedman (@friedman_yitz) October 10, 2023
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem posted photos from the first flight from Ben Gurion Airport to the UAE in August 2020, while Trump was president.
The U.S. representatives in the delegation included National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and Trump senior White House advisor Jared Kushner, who made the flight along with Israeli officials.
The first direct El-Al flight to the United Arab Emirates departs Ben Gurion Airport today!
NSA Robert O’Brien, Senior Advisor Jared Kushner and a delegation of Israeli officials headed by NSA Meir Ben-Shabbat travel to Abu Dhabi to advance the 🇮🇱-🇦🇪 peace accord. #AbrahamAccord pic.twitter.com/9mgolph4fx— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) August 31, 2020
The next month, Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahrain Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyanisigns signed the Abraham Accords at the White House.
The Trump administration had brokered the peace deal between Israel and the two Arab nations.
White House Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony
Full video here: https://t.co/GdFUCsLfzt pic.twitter.com/xEzOzCUroG
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 15, 2020
The accords were named for the common ancestor of the Jews and Arabs, Abraham, who is written about in the Bible.
Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social that he can restore peace to the Middle East.
“I KEPT ISRAEL SAFE! NOBODY ELSE WILL, NOBODY ELSE CAN, AND I KNOW ALL OF THE PLAYERS!!!” he wrote.
Speaking in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, on Monday, the former president said, “When I was your president, we had peace through strength, and now we have weakness, conflict, and chaos.”
“The atrocities we’re witnessing in Israel would never have happened if I was president,” he added.
“When I was president, we had peace through strength. And now we have weakness, conflict, and chaos.” — President Trump speaks on national security record, ongoing tragedy in Israel pic.twitter.com/9ICK2HfE8o
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) October 9, 2023
Last month, the Biden administration announced it was green-lighting the release of $6 billion to Iran in exchange for five American hostages.
Meanwhile, Iran was helping plan the attack Hamas launched against Israel on Saturday, according to The Wall Street Journal — though Tehran has denied any involvement.
Conservative commentator Mark Levin perhaps best summarized the difference between Trump’s and President Joe Biden’s Middle East policies.
“Trump cut off funds to the Palestinians, unleashed unprecedented peace initiatives in the Abraham Accords, killed the Iran deal, was starving the Iranian regime of resources with crushing sanctions,” Levin posted on social media.
Meanwhile, he said, “Biden not only reversed it all, including funding the Palestinians and Iran, but undermined Netanyahu at every turn, refused to meet with him, demanded that Israel make more concessions to the Palestinians.”
“Appeasement and worse has consequences,” Levin said.
Trump cut off funds to the Palestinians, unleashed unprecedented peace initiatives in the Abraham Accords, killed the Iran deal, was starving the Iranian regime of resources with crushing sanctions, and Biden not only reversed it all, including funding the Palestinians and Iran,…
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) October 7, 2023
Say what you will about Trump, but the truth is the world was safer, the economy was stronger and America was much more respected when he was president.
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