This questionnaire has not appeared in any other English publication, and posted here with the author’s consent.
TRUMP VERSUS CLINTON RE: AMERICAN JEWS AND ISRAEL
Manfred Gerstenfeld answers basis questions put to him
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. What are the most important issues about the upcoming American election, insofar as it concerns Israel?
Will the new president continue to veto anti-Israeli resolutions in the Security Council?
Will the new president ask Israel again for one-sided concessions?
Will the new president ask Israel to halt building in the settlements as Obama did?
Will the new president react negatively to the huge criminality permeating Palestinian leadership and parts of Palestinian society?
Will the President pressure the Arab states to stop incitement against U.S ally Israel?
2. Why do you think most American Jews are pro-Clinton and anti-Trump?
Traditionally most American Jews are Democrats and liberals. In the past 50 years in all presidential elections more Jews have voted for the Democratic candidate than the Republican candidate. In addition many Jews who live in more sophisticated social environments in the United States do not like Trump’s abrasiveness and his style.
3) What would be the result for Jews (both in the USA and Israel) if Trump Wins?
If Trump wins we will likely see soon provocations from Russia and possibly China to find out how he behaves and whether he makes an effort to invert the decline of the United States status’ in the world which took place under the Obama presidency. This decline affects U.S society in general and American Jews as part of society similarly.
Under Trump most major Jewish organizations would probably gain far more access to the President and senior executives than was the case under Obama. This access might however exclude the more masochistic and extreme liberal Jewish organizations. At the same time Trump is likely to be more selective concerning the type of Muslim organizations his administration will invite. Overall the situation for Jews in the U.S will not change much due to his presidency. It may even improve if the Administration starts prohibiting the entrance of anti-Semitic immigrants into the U.S.
As far as Israel is concerned it is difficult to forecast as Trump is rather unpredictable. Yet he will probably better defend Israel than the Obama administration in international forums. Probably the absurd one-sided condemnations of Israel by the Obama administration each time Israel builds a few houses in the settlements will stop or diminish. He may also be the first President to explicitly tell off the Palestinians about their incitement, widespread criminality and absurd claim of return of fictitious refugees in a possible peace agreement. This as it so obvious that true Palestinian refugees are a tiny part of the millions of Palestinians falsely claiming to be refugees. There is even a possibility that Trump will move the American embassy to Jerusalem. He might also diminish subsidies to the Palestinians if they continue to fund terrorists in Israeli jails and keep glorifying terrorists. While there is support of anti-Semites for Trump, he is very much his own man and does not owe much to others.
4. What would be the result for Jews (both in the USA and Israel) if Clinton Wins?
As far as Jews are concerned probably major Jewish organizations would gain more access to the President and her immediate staff than was the case under Obama. Overall the situation for Jews in the U.S will not change much due to her presidency.
As far as Israel is concerned Clinton will probably have more understanding for Israel’s reality and be aware of the widespread ideological and other criminality in the Palestinian society. Obama and his administration have been ignoring this issue to a large extent. Dennis Ross a long-time adviser to the Clintons has however said that she should ask Israel in private to make concessions to the Palestinians rather than in public as Obama did.
Clinton has in her environment besides friends of Israel also Israel-haters. The Clinton Foundation has received funds from Arab states and that may influence some of her future decisions. One should not expect Clinton to follow the same policy as she did as Secretary of State under President Obama. There she had to follow Obama’s instructions. The current president has played a major role in deteriorating U.S.-Israel diplomatic relations.
Another consideration is whether vice presidential candidate senator Tim Kaine will have influence on American foreign policies. He is among the least sympathetic senators to Israel. He was one of the few senators who boycotted Netanyahu’s speech in Congress on Iran.
5. Is there any reason for fear (both for USA-Jews and Israeli Jews), whatsoever?
There is reason for fear for the world due to Obama’s policies. These have led to an unprecedented decline in the status and influence of the U.S in the world. It is only due to Obama’s negligence that Putin is challenging the United States. There is always reason for fear in the increasingly disturbed world order and even more so in the Middle East, which has become far more chaotic under the Obama administration. The best environments for Jews have historically been in societies where tension is relatively low.
