President-elect Donald Trump speaking at a ‘Chase the Vote’ rally in Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, June 6, 2024.Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Trump’s Appointments Will Make Greater Israel Great Again

by · The Jewish Press

It’s difficult to say whether Ukraine or the “Palestinians” would suffer more from Trump’s re-election, as both are about to face serious setbacks to their national aspirations. In Ukraine, the President-elect poignantly rejected former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley because of their support for the Biden administration’s policy on Ukraine’s war with Russia. As to the two-state solution, so far Trump has been appointing declared enemies of the entire idea, including Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckaby who told reporters he would only use “Judea and Samaria” to refer to what is universally named “The West Bank.”

However, while Ukraine will persist as a sovereign nation, albeit minus two rogue districts, the “Palestinians” will likely (hopefully?) lose any realistic chance for independence. For Israel, this would mean the start of mobilization for new settlements, as well as a new policy of encouraging “voluntary emigration,” first from Gaza and later from the rest of the liberated territories.

No doubt, should the Trump administration pursue its promised campaign to roundup and expel more than ten million illegal migrants, Israel can expect at least a response of benign neglect, if not outright support for its own policy which, according to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, offers the PA Arabs to stay and accept the rule of a Jewish State, reject it and emigrate, or fight and die.

Haaretz pundit Hussein Ibish described Trump’s original, 2020 “Peace Plan of the Century” for the PA Arabs, saying, “Trump decided to treat them like obstreperous tenants who required forcible eviction from one of his New York properties. He decided to cut off their utilities, stop collecting the garbage, and essentially force them into capitulation.”

I looked up “obstreperous.” It means noisy and difficult to control.

On the money.

Here are Trump’s appointments we’ve already covered this week:

TULSI GABBARD

Tulsi Gabbard, a former US Representative from Hawaii, will be appointed Trump’s Director of National Intelligence. Elected as a Democrat, Gabbard later left Congress and eventually, the Democratic Party, becoming a prominent supporter of candidate Trump. Although she lacks direct experience in intelligence or service on the House Intelligence Committee, she is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve. Gabbard served in the Hawaii Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq with a medical unit, bringing military experience to the role, though without a traditional intelligence background.

Gabbard has been a vocal critic of what she calls the “neoliberal/neoconservative war machine,” arguing that it drives US involvement in “counterproductive, wasteful foreign wars” that have neither enhanced national security nor prevented the onset of a New Cold War and a nuclear arms race. She positions herself as a hawk in the fight against terrorism, advocating a strong stance on combating terrorist threats. However, she identifies as a dove when it comes to wars of regime change, which she views as harmful and unnecessary.

Gabbard has taken “controversial” positions on Russia-related issues which often match Trump’s. She opposed the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, arguing that such moves escalate tensions. Gabbard has also placed blame on NATO and the Biden White House for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, framing the invasion as President Putin’s response to Western actions. Additionally, she has claimed that Ukraine hosts secret bioweapons labs, allegedly with US government involvement.

Gabbard criticized the 2020 US airstrike that killed Iranian Quds Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani, labeling it an unconstitutional act of war by President Donald Trump, as it lacked congressional authorization.

After Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Gabbard vocally supported Israel, condemning Hamas as an Islamist terrorist organization. She reaffirmed her stance by attending the November 2023 March for Israel at the National Mall in Washington, DC.

MATT GAETZ

Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fl) has been appointed Attorney General, heading the Justice Department—a frequent target of criticism from President-elect Trump, who faced federal charges after leaving office. Gaetz has consistently echoed Trump’s critiques of the DOJ and has publicly defended individuals charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack.

In Congress, Gaetz has been a central figure in high-profile controversies, most notably leading the effort to oust Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023, resulting in the election of Speaker Mike Johnson.

Gaetz identified as a “libertarian populist.” He introduced legislation to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, as well as legislation to loosen federal restrictions on the cultivation of cannabis for research purposes. With him at the helm at the DOJ, supervising the activities of the FBI, the weed businesses in America can expect to attain greater legitimacy and to be shielded against wanton raids.

In April 2024, Matt Gaetz voted against a $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine, even though a significant portion of the funds was allocated to benefit his constituency. This vote underscored his ongoing opposition to extensive US involvement in the Ukraine war.

In December 2017, Gaetz backed President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, asserting that the move would increase pressure on the Palestinian Authority to acknowledge Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish state.

In 2019, Gaetz was among 60 representatives who voted against a resolution condemning Trump’s withdrawal of US forces from Syria, a decision widely criticized for abandoning Kurdish allies and potentially destabilizing the region further.

Following Hamas’ attack on Israel in 2023, Matt Gaetz voted to provide support to Israel, aligning with broader congressional efforts to back the country during the crisis.

Finally, on June 1, 2020, during the nationwide George Floyd protests, Gaetz tweeted, “Now that we clearly see Antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East?”

Pre-Elon Musk Twitter hid the tweet and labeled it as violating their rules on “glorifying violence.” In response, Gaetz dismissed the label as a “badge of honor,” accusing Twitter of enabling Antifa. He reiterated his stance, asserting that “our government should hunt [Antifa] down.”

THOMAS HOMAN

Homan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is Trump’s “border czar,” overseeing the US borders with Mexico and Canada, as well as maritime and aviation security.

Homan, known for his hardline stance on immigration, served under both the Obama and Trump administrations. During his tenure, ICE ramped up arrests of noncriminal migrants and conducted aggressive workplace raids. In July, Homan pledged to “run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen,” further solidifying his tough approach to immigration enforcement.

In 2015, President Barack Obama gave Homan a Presidential Rank Award as a Distinguished Executive. A Washington Post article responded, “Thomas Homan deports people. And he’s really good at it.”

At the July 2024 National Conservatism Conference, Homan proclaimed, “If Trump comes back in January, I’ll be on his heels coming back, and I will run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen. They ain’t seen [expletive] yet. Wait until 2025.” The following day, during a campaign rally, Trump indicated that he would bring Homan back for a second term in office.

On July 17, 2024, at the Republican National Convention, Homan criticized President Biden’s immigration policies, calling them “national suicide.” He also delivered a stern message to “millions of illegal aliens,” telling them to “start packing,” signaling his commitment to aggressive immigration enforcement should Trump win re-election.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his advocacy on environmental and health issues, will be Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy gained prominence as a vocal critic of using too many vaccines, a position that has drawn both support and controversy. After initially running for president as a Democrat, he switched to an independent bid before ultimately dropping out and endorsing Trump.

Trump has stated that Kennedy’s focus would be on addressing “harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives,” areas where Kennedy has long been active in raising concerns about public health and safety.

Kennedy has been a vocal critic of what he perceives as the systematic erosion of the American middle class. In a 2023 interview with UnHerd, he argued that US politicians have been “hollowing out the American middle class” while printing money that disproportionately benefits billionaires. He blamed the financial industry and the military-industrial complex for being funded at the expense of the middle class, and he claimed that corporate power has come to dominate the US government.

Kennedy has also criticized key regulatory agencies, alleging that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is controlled by the oil, coal, and pesticide industries and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is influenced by “Big Pharma.” He views a “vibrant middle class” as the backbone of a healthy economy and believes that its decline has led to broader economic deterioration.

Kennedy is a supporter of Israel. In December 2023, he had a passionate exchange with Breaking Points host Krystal Ball, where he strongly defended Israel’s actions amid the ongoing war against the aggressor Hamas. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach described Kennedy’s comments as “the single greatest defense of Israel on video since the start of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.”

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