How will an American Muslim endorsement of Trump affect Israel?

What a surprise it must be to U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and her Democratic party, who thought they had the American Muslim vote all sewn up, only to find out that many of them have, instead, decided to vote for Donald Trump.

With less than two weeks away from the U.S. elections, the trend towards Trump, among this unexpected voter bloc, is growing, to the point that Arab Americans, anxious to see an end to the Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah conflict, have decided to throw in their lot with the former president, concluding that a Harris administration will not be able to accomplish such a feat. 

This is, on many levels, an unanticipated boost for the candidate, who has supported the Israeli prime minister, telling him to do what he has to do, unlike the Biden/Harris/Blinken team whose chorus of “Ceasefire Now,” has been the only tune they know. Most American Muslims know that Trump sponsored the Abraham Accords, a plan which would establish diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and Israel, ushering a new era of peace and cooperation between nations which were once hostile to the Jewish state.

So, the question is why would they prefer a candidate who is favorable to Israel, rather than one whose party consists of Squad members who are antagonistic and bitterly opposed to helping or advancing Israel in any way? Knowing how progressives have openly come out against Jews, Zionism and Israel’s conduct of the war, aren’t they more closely aligned to the Muslim community’s stand as it relates to the Middle East and their belief that Israel should not have a presence in that part of the world?

Perhaps, that might actually be the reason that they have decided to move in the direction of Trump. Because if they help him to win the presidency, one which is being represented as too close to call, might he then not feel obligated to reward them in some tangible way? And would that come through a show of less support for Israel – such as not providing weapons when needed or, similar to the present administration, trying to force deadlines to wrap up the war whether its goals are completed or not?

These are important questions to ask, because it would be good to know what their expectations are before embracing such an endorsement. For now, they say they are more hopeful to see an end to the war, but what about afterwards? One of the reasons that American Muslims are not voting for Harris is that they are “angry with the Biden administration – and, by extension, Kamala Harris – for its support for Israel.” So how do they deal with Trump’s latest statement, “If, and when, I’m president, the US will once again be stronger and closer [to Israel] than it was ever before. I will support Israel’s right to win its war.”

What is happening is a bit perplexing. Because it was “earlier this year when a number of Muslim community leaders refused to meet with Democratic campaign officials, rather than Biden administration representatives to discuss the war in Gaza.  Weeks later, more than 100,000 people in Michigan voted ‘uncommitted’ in the Democratic primaries in a protest vote against Biden’s Gaza policy.”

But those voters did not come back to the party, even when replaced by the more left-leaning Harris. One such local leader, Hassan Abdel Salam, director of the “Abandon Harris” effort enforced his disappointment with Harris, blaming her for the decision to “fund the State of Israel.” Apparently, it was lost on him that each time Harris was questioned about the war, which has taken place for over a year, she has resoundingly called for a ceasefire, squarely blaming Israel for the deaths and deplorable conditions under which Gazans are living, never once pointing a finger at the Hamas leadership who clearly jeopardized their people by perpetrating a savage massacre upon Israeli innocents and further launching a constant barrage of deadly missiles into Israel for over the last year.  

She never berated Hamas terrorists for stealing and pilfering humanitarian aid, intended for the use of Gazans, but rather demanded that Israel provide more and more assistance to the people whose government is focused on eradicating the Jews. Does that sound like a candidate who is supportive of Israel?

So, given what everyone knows, why does the American Muslim community believe that their shared goals of no Jewish presence in the Middle East would be better served through a Trump presidency? It could be that they are relying upon the America First agenda, which seeks to put American needs front and center, and who can argue with that? It is what every country should aspire to do – work towards the good of its citizens first and foremost.

But while some view American financial assistance, for countries at war, as antithetical to those goals, Israel’s fight against the spreading global terrorism of groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, cannot be myopically looked upon as not being in the interest of the American people. Given America’s open borders, which have been facilitated over the past four years, by the Biden administration, the likelihood of terrorists, having infiltrated the U.S., is highly probable, and so cooperation with Israel, which is on the front line of this fight, should be considered a great asset to the American people.

Will a Trump administration, however, see it that way? It remains to be seen. But there are still some concerns as to the expectation of a virulently anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bloc, aligning with a prospective president who not only has expressed great support for Israel but who will, undoubtedly, try to revive the stalled Abraham Accords agreement which was shelved once Joe Biden took office.

It will be interesting to see how the American Muslim community reacts to the continuation of that direction, because, more than likely, it’s one which will be pursued. Will they have buyer’s remorse or will they seek to apply pressure on the Trump administration in an attempt to thwart those plans? 

On a bright note, there is some hope as the Abraham Accords were, in the past, successful at opening up a dialogue between a delegation of 13 Muslim Americans, who agreed to visit Israel back in 2022 to interact with their Jewish counterparts. One visitor, an imam, named Talib Shareef, educated under the Nation of Islam, actually said that the Abraham Accords gave him hope.

So, perhaps, the tide is shifting for this community. Peace is the endgame, but so is the acknowledgement and respect for the ancient Jewish homeland, fundamental principles which, hopefully, Trump will never abandon.