The conviction of former US President Donald Trump last week has unleashed a storm of controversy in the United States. Some accuse the judiciary of being “weaponized,” while others maintain that, although no US law prevents the convicted former chief executive from running again in presidential elections, he should resign.
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In Israel, immersed in its battle against the terrorist organization Hamas and heavily dependent on the United States to negotiate the release of its hostages, many citizens are concerned that the court’s decision could weaken the United States and further endanger regional stability. .
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Trump was found guilty last Thursday of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about her alleged affair.
“This trial will cause a huge swath of society to lose confidence in the courts, be it a [veredicto] legitimate or not,” Israeli activist and blogger Malka Fleisher told The Media Line. “It’s so polarizing.”
Originally from Texas, he said that “conservative, patriotic America” with its family values and belief in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness “has long been an asset to Israel. It’s sad to see another piece of beautiful America being torn apart. A weakening America is bad for Israel and for the world.
Another American-Israeli citizen, Laura Ben-David, who now lives in Jerusalem, expressed concern that the former president’s condemnation will encourage the anti-Israel world to draw parallels between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump—and the political challenges in both. countries.
Although Netanyahu has not been convicted, the prime minister is on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His trial has dragged on through multiple elections, security operations and the recent war.
“People don’t see Netanyahu as [positivamente] as in the past, and there are many parallels between how both leaders just want to be in power and don’t seem to think about the good of the country,” Ben-David said. “Israel and the Jewish people are divided before Trump” It is difficult to get used to the idea that a convict is in charge of a country that is our strongest ally. “It’s very difficult to put my faith in someone like that despite everything he has done for us.”
He also noted concern that the conviction would “erode the public’s faith” in the justice system.
Immediately after the verdict, some Republican leaders vehemently criticized the courts, accusing them of making a biased decision solely because the defendant was Trump.
“Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury that reflects one of the most liberal enclaves in the United States” all in one effort to “trap” Donald Trump,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement. “If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would never have issued similar rulings, and the jury would never have returned a guilty verdict.”
Similarly, House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “The militarization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and today’s decision is further proof that Democrats will not stop.” “first and foremost to silence dissent and crush their political opponents.”
Perceptions about the Middle East
Regionally, there could also be repercussions, according to Aryeh Lightstone, who was a senior adviser to the US ambassador to Israel from 2017 to 2021 and was responsible for implementing the Abraham Accords. Lightstone, a Trump supporter, called the decision “terrible” and said such a ruling could damage the esteem of the United States in the Middle East.
“It sinks us even further in terms of being a reliable and sensible partner,” Lightstone said. “We look like a banana republic.
He said that since the beginning of the Hamas war, Israel’s partners in the Abraham Accord, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, as well as countries considering normalizing ties with Israel, such as Saudi Arabia, have been watching. closely the United States response to the conflict. He said the U.S. administration’s “wrong” public stance on Israel against Hamas, the country’s failure to sanction the International Criminal Court, and its brief halt to arms shipments to Israel, among other actions, “have been humiliating.” see.
The United States faces enormous internal challenges, Lightstone said, and “what it does for our esteem in the Middle East is it brings it down even further in terms of being a reliable and sensible partner.
“Middle Eastern countries will wait to see how the elections play out,” Lightstone continued. “I guess they would rather have a world under Trump than under Biden; look at the Middle East four years ago versus today.
Lightstone added that if candidate Trump wins the election despite the condemnation, he will restore regional respect for the US because he will demonstrate to Middle East leaders that the US’s strength is people and not leadership.
Palestinian perspectives
However, Palestinians in the region are likely to see things differently than Lightstone describes. Palestinian affairs analyst Khaled Abu Toameh told The Media Line that there were two leaders that Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza detest more than anyone: Trump and Netanyahu.
“The dream of most Arabs I know is to see one or both of them behind bars,” Abu Toameh said. “They’ve been talking a lot about it,” hopefully Netanyahu is going to jail, and they’ve been talking about Trump.
Although no regional leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, officially responded to the condemnation, Abu Toameh said there was widespread reaction in Arabic on social media.
“People are elated,” he said. “His biggest fear is that [Trump] come back to power, and they don’t want me to come back”
Palestinians described Trump as the most hostile American president in history. Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city while he was president. He also recognized the Golan Heights and deemed West Bank settlements not illegal, among other measures. At the same time, he cut millions in aid to the Palestinians.
“It’s not that they [los palestinos] They are very happy with Joe Biden. He is just the lesser of two evils,” admitted Abu Toameh. However, he said Palestinians hope Trump’s condemnation will be the beginning of his downfall.
Polling Insights
Several polls conducted after the ruling have raised doubts about Trump’s chances in the next election. While many Republican leaders believe the verdict may boost their prospects, others suggest Americans may now feel uneasy about Trump’s return to the White House.
A Reuters poll released over the weekend found that 10% of registered Republican voters were less likely to vote for Trump after his conviction. The survey also found that 56% of these voters said the case would not affect their vote, while 35% indicated they were more likely to support Trump.
Among registered independent voters, who are crucial to Trump’s electoral chances due to the smaller number of Republican voters compared to Democrats, 25% said the conviction made them less likely to support him in November. In contrast, 18% said they were more likely to vote for him, and 56% said the conviction would not influence his decision.
A separate ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 50% of Americans believe Trump’s guilty verdict was justified, and 49% think he should withdraw from the 2024 presidential race because of it. Opinions vary significantly by party affiliation: 83% of Democrats agree with the verdict, and 79% believe he should end his campaign, while only 16% of Republicans believe the verdict was correct. , and an equal percentage say they should drop out of the race.
How all this will play out will only be known in November, as a lot can change in the next five months. However, Knesset member Danny Danon (Likud) told The Media Line that the best outcome of the conviction could be for Israel to stop focusing on the US elections.
“Maybe the elections will be less about Israel now,” Danon said, suggesting this would allow Israel to focus on its priorities without being in the public eye. At the same time, Americans are focusing more on domestic issues.
