Exclusive - Author of New Book 'Trump and the Jews': He's 'Most Pro-Israel President Ever'
David Rubin, Israeli author of a new book about President Donald Trump and the Jewish people, has no doubt about where the president stands on relations with its closest ally in the Middle East: the 45th president is the most pro-Israel leader to ever occupy the Oval Office.
In an interview with The Western Journal, Rubin, author of “Trump and the Jews,” explained: “I used to say he’s the most pro-Israel president since Harry Truman, who was the first president to recognize the re-established country of Israel.”
Rubin continued, “But now, having seen how things have developed since I started writing the book, there is no question he’s the most pro-Israel president ever.”
To back up his claim, Rubin pointed to some key actions Trump has taken in support of Israel.
First and foremost, unsurprisingly, was Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, becoming the first nation in the world to do so.
The move happened in May, 70 years to the month after Truman made the United States the first country in the world to officially recognize Israel, just 11 minutes after it proclaimed independence in 1948.
https://t.co/J21mp9M4nd New book by David Rubin, 'the trusted voice of Israel' https://t.co/J21mp9M4nd
— Chaim Mazo (@Chaim_Mazo) September 30, 2018
Rubin, who was born and reared in New York before moving to Israel, said moving the embassy, which previous U.S. presidents had failed to do, took “tremendous courage.”
“Only a President Trump could have done something like this,” the author said, arguing the same hard-nosed, brash persona that often rubs the president’s detractors the wrong way, also manifests in strength of resolve.
The former mayor of Shiloh, an Israeli town in the West Bank, also appreciates that Trump is no longer “spouting the mantra” of “land for peace.”
“It’s historically incorrect to divide up the land of Israel,” Rubin said. “And it’s politically illogical to hand over the heartland of Israel, to hand over the mountainous region that overlooks Israel’s one international airport, to hand it over to a band of Islamic terrorists called the Palestinian Authority and Fatah and Hamas.”
Fatah terrorists ambushed and shot up Rubin’s car shortly after he left office as Shiloh’s mayor in 2001, severely wounding both him and his then-3-year-old son.
Rubin told The Western Journal Trump’s primary focus has been on creating peace between Israel and neighboring countries, rather than trying to push through a deal between the Palestinians and Israel.
The author said that new focus has been bearing fruit with warmer relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and other nations in the region.
In an interview with Fox Business in May, Rubin noted that Bahrain has taken a more favorable view toward Israel’s right to defend itself against Iranian attacks from within Syria.
David Rubin, former mayor of Shiloh, Israel: "There are some very interesting things happening, you never would have seen any of this happening just a couple years ago." pic.twitter.com/3qmsZ5hyD3
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) May 14, 2018
Rubin dedicated a few chapters in his book to discussing the Jewish community in America, including how it views Trump.
He argued although Trump has great respect for the Jews and has included them in key positions in his administration, not the least of which being his own son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a majority of American Jews are politically liberal and vehemently oppose the president.
However, the author believes that is changing.
A poll taken by the American Jewish Committee published in June found 71 percent disapproved of Trump’s handling of the presidency, but that is a six-point improvement from September 2017, when 77 percent did, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
Meanwhile, in Israel, Trump enjoys strong support.
President Trump has a moment of prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's old city, placed a note in the holy stones.#POTUSinIsrael pic.twitter.com/1ASF0KswvH
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 22, 2017
A survey conducted for Haaretz newspapers in July determined that 49 percent of Israelis strongly approved of the U.S. president and 23 percent slightly approved, while only 22 percent disapproved, according to The Times of Israel.
By comparison, only 19 percent strongly approved of former President Barack Obama, 30 percent slightly approved and 46 percent disapproved.
Rubin said that overall, under Trump, “There has been a shift and a strengthening of that America Israel relationship and that can only be a good thing, both for Israel and for America.”
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