Nov 3, 20202 min read

What are Israelis Saying About the US Presidential Election?

As a tour guide of Israel, I'm always being asked what Israelis think about the US and especially about particular US presidents. Today of course, all eyes are on the US and the presidential election. So I've collected a variety of voices for you to see what people are saying here in Israel about the candidates, the challenges the next president will face and the US-Israel relationship.

One thing that is important to note - and in my role as an Israel tour guide I always remind people of this, is that Israelis generally would vote for which candidate they deem to be better for Israel. They are not affected by the president's domestic policies and don't follow the day-to-day news cycle of the US. They for the most part, only see how the US President (or candidate) interacts with Israel. And for US voters, that is only part of the equation - and for many of them, only a small and insignificant part, especially when compared to the issues of coronavirus, the economy, the Supreme Court, the environment and many more.

Without further ado, here is what Israelis are talking about...

An excellent piece on who Israelis would be voting for today...

https://www.timesofisrael.com/who-would-israelis-be-voting-for-today/

What is the Israeli press saying? Here's a rundown of the various papers and their positions on the two candidates: https://www.timesofisrael.com/here-let-me-cast-that-ballot-for-you-what-the-press-is-saying-on-november-3/

Two well-written, clear, unbiased and straightforward looks at the elections, Trump and Israel and what Israel should expect should either candidate win...

https://jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/324196/why-israelis-see-the-u-s-election-so-differently/

https://www.jpost.com/us-elections/what-is-at-stake-for-israel-in-tuesdays-election-analysis-647770

Issues with the bi-partisan relationship between Israel and the USA:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/preferring-trump-netanyahu-is-still-prepared-to-score-points-with-biden-victory/

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/whats-good-for-israel-bi-partisan-support/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/opposition-leader-accuses-netanyahu-of-alienating-democrats-for-personal-gain/

Who do the Palestinians want to win and why?

https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-desperate-for-a-biden-victory-hold-their-breaths-as-america-votes/

Some thoughts on what happens next:

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HkF4cLp00P

https://www.jpost.com/us-elections/five-middle-east-foreign-policy-crises-for-next-us-president-647872

A fascinating article about the Israel issue in the 1948 presidential election... https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-a-nascent-israel-was-a-key-issue-in-trumans-stunning-1948-election-upset/