What have Trump administration nominees said about Israel and its wars?

During the last weeks of the 2024 United States statesmanlike race, erstwhile President Donald Trump spoke with sympathy to Arab American and Muslim voters enraged by the country’s enactment for Israel’s wars successful Gaza and Lebanon.

Trump visited Dearborn, Michigan, known arsenic the “capital” of Arab America. And helium spoke straight to Lebanese Americans fearing for their families overseas.

“During my Administration, we had bid successful the Middle East, and we volition person bid again precise soon!” Trump wrote connected societal media.

“I volition hole the problems caused by [Vice President] Kamala Harris and [President] Joe Biden and halt the suffering and demolition successful Lebanon. I privation to spot the Middle East instrumentality to existent peace, a lasting peace.”

But pursuing a thumping triumph astatine the polls, Trump is preparing to instrumentality to the White House with a coterie of immoderate of the Republican Party’s astir vehemently pro-Israel figures.

While immoderate critics speculated that Trump would determination distant from a hawkish overseas policy, his picks for key medication and furniture positions person signalled that — immoderate changes whitethorn travel during his 2nd word — a interruption with Israel is not apt to beryllium among them.

Several of Trump’s nominees not lone enactment continued US subject and diplomatic assistance for Israel, but besides echo the views and goals of Israeli ultranationalists, who enactment the enlargement of amerciable Israeli settlements into Palestinian territory.

Meanwhile, the warfare successful Gaza continues to thrust civilian casualties, with astatine slightest 43,799 killed since the struggle began successful October 2023. A caller report from a United Nations peculiar committee recovered that Israel’s methods successful the Palestinian enclave were “consistent with genocide“.

What person Trump’s high-level picks said astir the ongoing struggle successful the Middle East? Here are a fewer of his nominees, successful their ain words.

US Senator Marco Rubio speaks to the media during a 2016 quality league astatine the Temple Beth El successful West Palm Beach, Florida [File: Joe Raedle/Getty Images via AFP]

Marco Rubio, nominee to beryllium caput of state

A longtime overseas argumentation hawk, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has been a beardown protagonist of Israel passim his governmental career. He is successful enactment to beryllium caput of state, the US’s apical diplomat.

February 26, 2016: Rubio made a bid for president successful 2016, facing a crowded excavation of Republican candidates including Trump. At a Republican superior statement successful Houston, Texas, helium emphasised that helium would “stand firmly connected the broadside of Israel” — and utilized his presumption to gully a opposition with Trump.

• “I don’t cognize if Donald realises this. I’m definite it’s not his intent, perhaps. But the presumption you’ve taken is an anti-Israel position. And here’s why. Because you cannot beryllium an honorable broker successful a quality betwixt 2 sides successful which 1 of the sides is perpetually acting successful atrocious faith,” Rubio said.
• “Instead, here’s what the Palestinians do. They thatch their four-year-old children that sidesplitting Jews is simply a glorious thing. Here’s what Hamas does. They motorboat rockets and violent attacks against Israel connected an ongoing basis. The bottommost enactment is, a woody betwixt Israel and the Palestinians — fixed the existent constitution of the Palestinians — is not possible.”

October 9, 2023: Rubio reacted to the October 7 attacks successful confederate Israel by calling for an overwhelming subject response.

• “Israel has nary prime but to question the implicit eradication of Hamas successful Gaza. There simply is nary diplomatic solution oregon ‘measured response’ available,” Rubio wrote connected societal media.
• “This tragically indispensable effort volition travel astatine a horrifying price. But the terms of failing to permanently destruct this radical of sadistic savages is adjacent much horrifying.”

November 2024: Confronted with activists from the antiwar radical Code Pink, Rubio responded forcefully to questions astir whether helium would enactment a ceasefire successful Gaza.

• “Are you filming this? I privation you guys to get this. I privation them to destruct each constituent of Hamas they tin get their hands on. These radical are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes,” Rubio said.

August 30, 2024: Rubio sent a letter to the outgoing medication of President Joe Biden criticising the determination to authorisation Israeli settlers linked to anti-Palestinian unit successful the occupied West Bank.

• “Israel has consistently sought bid with the Palestinians. It is unfortunate that the Palestinians, whether it beryllium the Palestinian Authority oregon FTOs [Foreign Terrorist Organisations] specified arsenic Hamas, person rejected specified overtures,” Rubio wrote.
• “Israelis rightfully surviving successful their historical homeland are not the impediment to peace; the Palestinians are.”

Fox anchor Pete Hegseth astatine Fox News Channel Studios connected August 09, 2019, successful New York [John Lamparski/Getty Images]

Pete Hegseth, nominee for caput of defence

A US Army seasoned who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Fox News big Pete Hegseth has been tapped to caput the Department of Defense, successful 1 of the country’s highest-ranking subject positions. If Hegseth is confirmed, lone the president himself would person much authorization implicit the equipped forces.

September 14, 2016: In an interview with the Jewish Press, Hegseth explained that helium grew up a Baptist and ne'er met a Jewish idiosyncratic until attending college. But helium accused higher acquisition of spreading the “seeds of anti-Semitism”.

• “We person to beryllium much consenting to publically speech astir Israel among citizens who deliberation of it arsenic an abstraction, who don’t genuinely recognize the existential menace to it,” Hegseth said.
• “This is not immoderate mystical onshore that tin beryllium dismissed. It’s the communicative of God’s chosen people.”

February 2018: Speaking astatine the Arutz Sheva Conference successful Jerusalem, Hegseth pledged to proceed “fighting the fake quality astir the Arab-Israeli conflict”.

He besides appeared to endorse demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque, 1 of the holiest sites successful Islam, to marque country for a “Third Temple”, a longstanding goal of Israeli ultranationalists and evangelical Christians.

• “If you locomotion the crushed today, you recognize determination is nary specified happening arsenic the result of a two-state solution. There is 1 state,” Hegseth said.
• He past proceeded to picture a sojourn to the Al-Aqsa site, besides known arsenic the Temple Mount: “And arsenic you basal there, you can’t assistance but behold the occurrence earlier you. And it got maine reasoning astir different occurrence that I anticipation each of you don’t spot excessively acold away. Because 1917 was a miracle. 1948 was a miracle. 1967 was a miracle. 2017, the declaration of Jerusalem arsenic the capital, was a miracle. And there’s nary crushed wherefore the occurrence of the re-establishment of the temple connected the Temple Mount is not possible.”

May 2018: Speaking with his co-hosts connected the TV programme Fox & Friends, Hegseth appeared to brushwood disconnected the Palestinian decease toll during the Great March of Return protests. When confronted with the anticipation that Israeli snipers had fired connected “innocent people”, including children, Hegseth shrugged and said, “Meh.”

• “The guiltless humor is connected the hands of the violent who enactment the kid retired to complaint a obstruction with nary imaginable of crossing that border,” helium said.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee visits an enclave of Jewish settlers called Maale HaZeitim successful the Ras Alamud neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem connected August 17, 2009 [David Furst/AFP]

Mike Huckabee, nominee for US ambassador to Israel

A erstwhile Arkansas politician who unsuccessfully ran for president successful 2008 and 2016, Mike Huckabee is an evangelical Christian and beardown protagonist of “Greater Israel”, a word often utilized to picture the projected Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory.

Early 2008: At a run halt during his archetypal bid for the presidency, Huckabee argued that being Palestinian was a made-up identity.

• “I person to beryllium cautious saying this due to the fact that radical volition truly get offended. There is truly nary specified happening arsenic a Palestinian,” Huckabee said. “You person Arabs and Persians. And you person specified complexity wrong that. There’s truly nary specified thing. That’s been a governmental instrumentality to effort to unit onshore distant from Israel.”

May 31, 2015: Speaking astatine an Israel Day concert, Huckabee reflected connected his archetypal travel to Israel successful 1973. He proceeded to accidental that Israel had nary “better person successful the United States” than him and refuted Palestinian claims to Jerusalem.

• “I cognize determination are radical who deliberation that the astute mode to bring bid to the Middle East is to disagreement Jerusalem up and springiness distant much territory. I suggest that the 1 mode to person bid is to marque wide that Jerusalem volition ne'er beryllium divided, and it volition beryllium successful the hands of Israel.”
• “We ne'er tin judge the conception that Israel volition beryllium divided, that Jerusalem volition beryllium carved successful half. Let america beryllium clear: The boundaries of Israel are not fixed by the United Nations but by almighty God.”

August 18, 2015: During a news conference astatine the amerciable Israeli colony of Shiloh, Huckabee endorsed a imaginativeness of Israel that included the occupied West Bank, calling the country by the biblical sanction “Judea and Samaria”. He besides denounced a woody to incorporate Iran’s atomic programme.

• “I privation to amusement solidarity with the state that astir reflects a reflector representation of the American tone and besides to amusement solidarity with the Israeli radical and to amusement their utmost disgust with immoderate woody with Iran.”
• “I would deliberation that, if you’re going to sojourn Israel, you should sojourn each of Israel. And that should see Judea and Samaria.”

February 29, 2024: Huckabee told the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews that helium was overwhelmed with emotion aft the October 7 attacks connected confederate Israel. He besides described Israel’s amerciable settlements successful the West Bank arsenic the fulfilment of biblical prophecy.

• “This is evil. The worst level of evil that exists connected our satellite today, we saw connected October 7. And for anyone to march successful the streets, whether it’s America oregon Europe, and amusement enactment for this uncivilised and savage behaviour, to me, is simply a people of acheronian successful our world.”
• “When radical usage the word ‘occupy’, I say, ‘Yeah, Israel is occupying the land.’ But it’s the concern of a onshore that God gave them 3,500 years ago. It is their land. The rubric deed was fixed by God to Abraham and to his heirs. So you privation to speech occupation? I ne'er usage the word West Bank. I find it offensive. We’re talking astir Judea and Samaria.”
• “As horrible arsenic the Nazis were, they weren’t posting their atrocities connected societal media and trying to trumpet what they were doing to the world, which is what makes this horrendous happening Hamas has done truthful much, to me, worse.”

US Representative Elise Stefanik speaks during a quality league connected May 16 successful Washington, DC [Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via AFP]

Elise Stefanik, nominee for ambassador to the UN

A congresswoman from New York, Stefanik went viral past twelvemonth during congressional hearings astir anti-Semitism connected assemblage campuses: Her blunt questioning of respective assemblage leaders helped precipitate respective resignations.

Critics accidental it besides contributed to harsh crackdowns connected pro-Palestine pupil demonstrators, arsenic Stefanik conflated protestation slogans similar “From the River to the Sea” with calls for anti-Semitic genocide.

May 19, 2024: Stefanik travelled to the Israeli Knesset to present an code successful which she described Israel’s warfare connected Gaza arsenic a motivation crusade. She besides called for the withdrawal of US funds from UNRWA, the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees.

• “What we are witnessing contiguous is simply a communicative of the forces of bully versus evil. The forces of civilisation against the forces of barbarism, of humanity versus depravity.”
• “For years, I person been a starring proponent and spouse to President Trump successful his historical enactment for Israeli independency and information including… President Trump’s omniscient determination to telephone retired UNRWA for what it is — a hive of anti-Semitism — and to destruct each dollar of its US funding.”

September 23, 2024: Following a UN General Assembly ballot calling connected Israel to extremity its unlawful concern of Palestinian territory, Stefanik released a statement condemning the proceedings.

• “Last week, the United Nations overwhelmingly passed a disgraceful antisemitic solution to request that Israel surrender to barbaric terrorists who question the demolition of some Israel and America.”

Representative Michael Waltz speaking during the archetypal time of the Republican National Convention connected July 15 successful Milwaukee, Wisconson [J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo]

Mike Waltz, appointee for nationalist information adviser

A subordinate of the House of Representatives and a erstwhile Green Beret, Representative Mike Waltz of Florida has expressed steadfast enactment for Israel. He presently serves connected the House Armed Services Committee. He antecedently chided the Biden medication for providing Israel with insufficient support.

August 16, 2019: In an appearance connected Fox News, Waltz expressed his enactment for Israel’s determination to barroom his legislature colleagues Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering the state implicit their enactment for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Tlaib, a Palestinian American, was aboriginal offered a “humanitarian” visit, which she rejected.

• “If they privation to bash a abstracted trip, past inactive perceive each sides. Hear the Israeli government. Hear from the Israeli settlers. Hear from farmers, similar I said, who are nether rocket attack. And besides spell to the Palestinian Authority. But that wasn’t their agenda. Their docket was lone to perceive 1 side,” Waltz said.
• Of the BDS movement, Waltz added: “It’s directed straight astatine Jerusalem. It’s directed straight due to the fact that they’re Jews. And it’s anti-Semitic. And I deliberation that is wholly tenable for the Israeli authorities to say, ‘Hey, you don’t privation to perceive our constituent of view. Access denied.'”

August 17, 2024: In different interview with Fox News, Waltz approvingly noted that, erstwhile Trump was successful office, the Iranian system was “broke” and was “in shambles” owed to crushing sanctions.

He besides credited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “strong actions” with containing the menace represented by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

• “I deliberation it’s Bibi that is deterring Iran close now, due to the fact that conscionable a fewer weeks ago, they had a location successful the mediate of Tehran, nether the protective umbrella of the IRGC during a statesmanlike inauguration, spell roar and instrumentality retired Hamas’s governmental person [Ismail] Haniyeh.”

October 25, 2024: Following Israeli strikes connected Iran, Waltz noted successful a social media post that Israel had avoided targeting lipid fields and atomic facilities.

• “This mightiness beryllium Israel’s past champion accidental to diminish Irans [sic] atomic programme and unopen down their cash. Did Biden/Harris unit Israel erstwhile again to bash little than it should?”