Is it any surprise — as we posed on our editorial page last week — that a new Israel Democracy Institute poll found that a growing number of Israelis are now concerned that Trump might abandon Israel?
After witnessing the unexpected blow-up between Trump, Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when at the end of a fruitful 50-minute conversation, the US president and his deputy treated the beleaguered Ukrainian president like a truant child, anyone who has relied on Trump’s support should feel concerned.
I’m surprised by the surprise. While I understood why many in pro-Israel circles believed Trump was the better choice, I never got why some placed so much trust in him (Netanyahu included). If there is anything that defines Trump, it’s his unpredictability.
The Feb. 28 meeting with Zelensky is the perfect example. So when it comes to Trump having your back — rely, but have a plan B.
Since Oct. 7, a question that keeps going through my mind is, who is standing up to the moment? Which Jewish and non-Jewish leaders, thrust into the post-Oct. 7 world, are rising to the occasion? A big one, for me, is Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who travels far and wide, speaking to whomever he can about Hamas’ evil and advocating tirelessly for the hostages and Israelis in general.
Another person who met the moment — Volodymyr Zelensky. As president of Ukraine, a country often treated by Russia as a vassal state, Zelensky surely expected provocations by the Russian bear. But a full-scale invasion? Did the former comedian foresee a wartime presidency?
Zelensky has been a powerful role model to people the world over. He will not stop on behalf of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian nation, which Russia wishes, at worst, to destroy, at best, to erode. (Lest anyone accuse me of being a Russophobe, I am the farthest from. I love the language, culture and its people. Russia does not equal Putin.)
Like Israel, Ukraine did not start the war it is now mired in. It is fighting an aggressor that doesn’t believe Ukraine should exist as a nation-state. (Sound familiar?)
Trump and Vance believe that Ukraine should be open to accepting terms that will lead to its demise. Unlike Trump and Vance, Zelensky has citizens killed, injured or devastated in war — to answer to.
Would we want Israel to accept such terms?
Can Trump really call himself the best negotiator if he expects one side — the non-aggressor side — to capitulate?
PS: All’s fair in love and war, I suppose. As of press time, Zelensky and Trump are set to sign the mineral deal.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
