US President-elect Donald Trump with his daughter Ivanka
Photo: Getty Images
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner: Israel’s insurance policy
Op-ed: For the first time in its history, instead of leaning on a world power, Israel is leaning on the marital relationship between the US president-elect’s daughter and her Jewish husband. We should hope and pray, therefore, that this marriage lasts many years, or at least until the end of the president’s term.
Since the State of Israel’s establishment, a key condition for its survival has been leaning on a global world power to guarantee military support, financial aid and international cover. This was a necessary rule in the existence rules that were set and fixed by Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion.
Now, for the first time in its history, instead of leaning on a world power, Israel is leaning on a marital relationship: The relationship between a businesswoman and model named Ivanka Trump and her Jewish husband, a real estate investor named Jared Kushner. Their family has become the insurance policy of the State of Israel and its policy.
The Kushner family. An insurance policy for the new US administration’s commitment to the State of Israel
Ivanka, a convert whose Hebrew name is Yael, is the daughter of US President-elect Donald Trump. The young high society couple has three small children. This family, Israelis believe, is an insurance policy for the new American administration’s commitment to the State of Israel and its policy.
We should hope and pray, therefore, that Ivanka and Jared’s marriage lasts many good years, or at least until the end of the president’s term. Because if it doesn’t, Heaven forbid, if the relationship starts going downhill, we will see plenty of slurs and financial lawsuits flying around. Then the president, or his associates, will say that the Jewish real estate investor was only interested in money. From the very beginning, all he wanted was money.
General Evelyn Hugh Barker was the commander of the British forces in the Land of Israel before the state’s establishment. He was known for opposing our independence and doing everything in his power to prevent the development of Zionist development in Israel. Barker ordered the British army to boycott the Jews and their businesses and produce. He entered the anti-Semitic lexicon and the Land of Israel mythology when he said that the Jews should be punished “in a way the race dislikes as much as any, by striking at their pockets.” For years, right-wing leaders, and mostly the late Menachem Begin, used to condemn this statement and present it as a laughing stock of ancient anti-Semitism and hatred.
At the beginning of the Republican presidential campaign, Trump turned to America’s Jews and teased them: “You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money!” Such a comment about Jews and money had not been made for many years, particularly not by an American president. He also said that Israel, like any other country, would have to pay for the aid it received. If he is a man of his word—and let’s hope that he isn’t—we are in deep trouble. Where are we going to get $38 billion from? Even if we stop funneling money to the settlers and to the Haredim and even if we cancel the Public Broadcasting Corporation, we will still be tens of billions of shekels short.
Before the last strait, Trump changed his tone and declared his great love for Israel since the day he was born. It’s true that he was born in 1946, two years before the state’s establishment, but let’s ignore mathematical errors for now.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He should end his political career for the right reasons, not for the criminal one (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)
Investigators from the Israel Police’s National Fraud Investigation Unit met Sunday night with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the man who had already overcome four previous police investigations. The man who managed to outsmart the Book of Proverbs and King Solomon by disproving the old saying, “he who hates bribes will live.” I don’t know about you, but I hope he will overcome his fifth investigation as well. We have already had a president, a prime minister, senior ministers, mayors, police and army officers who ended their public service in court, and that’s really quite enough.
Netanyahu “has lost it,” as former Prime Minister Ehud Barak tweeted. He is leading to the state’s deterioration to bi-nationality or apartheid abyss. He is unstitching the thin seams of Israeli coexistence between Jews and Arabs, the right wing and the left, religious Jews and secular Jews. He is demonstrating rude ingratitude towards US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. He has miserably failed in handling the cost of living and the housing crisis. He is making an effort to downsize the law and legal system, human rights organizations and the free press. He has brought about a disgraceful defeat at the United Nations. (Ben-Gurion is often quoted as saying “Um Shmum” to show contempt for the UN, but he was deeply afraid of the world powers and obeyed them, as did Begin).
In short, this may be an exaggerated, hypocritical and self-righteous demand, but it’s important that Netanyahu end his political career for the right reasons, not for the criminal one.
Amnon Abramovich is a Channel 2 News commentator.
