Can Pro-Israel Democrats Finally Say ‘Thank you President Trump’?

The political challenge of the moment is clear: can longstanding opponents of President Donald Trump from the pro-Israel community loudly, unambiguously, say “Thank you for doing the right thing and attacking Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities”?

My daughter-in-law woke my son on Sunday morning in Jerusalem to Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA.” Most Israelis woke up that morning – to another round of sirens blaring, yet another missile barrage, which makes many of us think, “It would be so much worse if we hadn’t hit Iran now and the Mullahs had nukes!” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed: “President Trump is courageously leading the free world. He is a tremendous friend of Israel, an unparalleled friend.”

Nevertheless, so many American Jews and non-Jewish members of the pro-Israel community detest Donald Trump. Too many stayed too quiet when he moved America’s embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 and brokered the Abraham Accords two years later, let alone spearheaded an overdue fight against campus antisemitism. But, now, with Trump’s base splitting, with most journalists prereporting the troubles Trump’s “gamble” will cause as he “Pulls U.S. Military Back into Middle East Wars,” those who care about Israel should stand up for Israel – and applaud Trump’s noble action, which put America First, too.

In a healthy, sophisticated democracy, it’s possible to agree with a president sometimes without betraying your best friends, your party, your country. Moreover, there was an American tradition, especially during the Cold War, of bipartisanship in foreign policy, consecrated by the expression, “politics stops at the water’s edge.” It’s also basic gamesmanship – you gain credibility to fight on other fronts by sifting, not being fanatic. Saying “thank you” when your president does good, buys street cred to blast him when he doesn’t.

In his fascinating, timely new book, “Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish Art of Constructive Disagreement,” Israel’s former ambassador to the U.K., Daniel Taub, urges us to recreate the Talmudic approach to argument, politics and life, which involves living humbly with complexity, ambiguities, even contradictions. The typical political argument, these days, Taub laments, “is not really an argument at all, but rather a form of political performance art or a protestation of identity, such that it might be better avoided.”

Here, then, is a compelling opportunity to resist the all-or-nothing polarization of today, which is hurting America’s body politic and Americans’ souls. Go deep and be bold. Don’t just approach this transactionally, thinking, “Okay, I’ll thank Trump today so I can blast him tomorrow.” The most ardent never-Trumpers should be asking themselves, without abandoning valid criticisms of other actions, if there’s anything good about Trump, especially regarding foreign policy. It’s worth contemplating what positive impulses and insights led him to make this move that few believe Kamala Harris would have made.

Many Americans – and American Jews especially – should scrutinize their current worldviews, which often rely too much on diplomacy, underestimate the evil of some enemies, downplay genuine threats to America, and don’t appreciate the power of a little unpredictability at the top. Start this long-term reevaluation with so many Americans’ refusal to see how deranged, dangerous, and dishonest the Iranian Mullahs and Revolutionary Guards have been for decades.

In the short-term, however, there’s a crisis and a need to stand tall. Give this whole debate an ally-check.  The far-Left and far-Right horseshoe alliance opposing Trump’s Iran bombing provides moral clarity. Who wants to ally with Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib? If they all agree on something – that’s a warning to reevaluate that position!

Wouldn’t you rather join the Muscular Middle supporting Trump in degrading a regime that has killed as many as 1,000 Americans, spread terrorism worldwide, threatened America, Israel and the West with destruction, is rushing to go nuclear, and amassed hundreds of ballistic missiles it’s now aiming at civilians who live 1,000 miles away?

Most Israelis don’t take this war – or any military action – lightly. We know what it’s like to see wonderful young people die just because we want to live in the Jewish homeland. In the last week alone, we’ve seen apartment towers collapse, hospitals bombed, research labs destroyed, hundreds injured, and, so far, 24 holy souls — Arabs, Jews, and Ukrainians seeking cancer treatment —  murdered.

So, it’s ironic – at the risk of over-generalizing: Israelis know what war is like, yet don’t avoid it when it’s justified … most American Jews have no experience with war but abhor it far more categorically. Since my children enlisted, many American Jews ask me, “How much longer do your kids have to serve,” as if their sacred army service is a prison sentence; most Israelis ask, “Where are your kids serving and is it mashmauti, meaningful?”

These days my most loving, supportive American Jewish friends say, “Boy, I hope this war ends quickly.” Most Israelis say, “I hope this war ends successfully.”

America’s Silenced Majority must stand up against the fanatics from both extremes and explain why Israel’s actions, and America’s follow-up, sadly, became unavoidable. Make the case for a surgical attack degrading Iran’s nuclear and ballistic power.  Learn the Iranian dictatorship’s aggressive history, count up its massive weaponry, analyze the perverse, illiberal, inhumane ideology.

Speak to friends in the Persian community if you believed diplomacy was working or ever would work with Iran’s Islamist theocrats. Speak to friends in the Israeli community if you want to better understand how a justified war can potentially create a more just world.

Do your homework. Read about Iran’s terrorist crimes over decades, its Ring of Fire strategy to overwhelm Israel, its assaults on the Great Satan – America – in Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere. Imagine the inhibiting impact Trump’s actions had on China’s hunger for Taiwan, and other bad actors globally. And before you echo the sloppy talk about the “War Powers Act,” note that Trump has 48 hours to notify Congress of what he did, cannot keep armed forces in action for more than 60 days without Congressional authorization, and has not brazenly violated the act as Bill Clinton did in Kosovo and Barack Obama did in Libya.

Finally, as the therapists say “do the work” – on yourselves, individually and collectively. Examine your own “conceptzias,” blinding conceptions. Why have so many underestimated the mullahs’ manipulations and overestimated the efficacy of diplomacy for so long? How is it that so many American Jews are still desperately seeking “dialogue” with pro-Palestinian activists who target them, call them “genocidal,” or, as fellow Jews, use sacred Jewish prayers to pray for Hamas terrorists or Iranian Revolutionary Guards?  Tolerance, respect for others, empathy, are all noble – but so are solidarity, caution, and self-preservation.  

I have no predictive powers. Trump’s bombing and Israel’s war may prove disastrous. But leaders in tough situations have to make the tough calls. Both Israel and America did what they needed to do, when the opportunity was ripe – and the Iranians were weak yet still unrelenting in their dastardly plans.

In wartime, mere inches – and sheer luck – determine whether you’re a live hero or a dead fool. Iran seems debilitated and the American-Israel alliance seems headed toward victory. Regardless of tomorrow, Donald Trump’s decision and America’s firepower have brought us closer to that goal – and are worthy of bipartisan celebrations today.

Gil Troy, a senior fellow in Zionist Thought at the Jewish People Policy Institute, is an American presidential historian. His latest books, “To Resist the Academic Intifada: Letters to My Students on Defending the Zionist Dream” and “The Essential Guide to October 7th and its Aftermath” were just published.