Donald Trump has now made his three most important foreign policy appointments. Senator Marco Rubio will be Secretary of State. Representative Mike Waltz will be the new National Security Advisor. Representative Elise Stefanik will be the American ambassador to the UN. There are many questions about how this new administration will deal with an aggressive China and its claims both to Taiwan and to large parts of the South China Sea that our allies in the region, such as the Philippines, dispute. There are questions as to how the Trump administration will deal with North Korea, which continues to enlarge its nuclear arsenal and sends rockets flying so threateningly near South Korea. There are questions as to how Washington will deal with the Ukraine-Russia war, and whether it will continue to send tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. There are questions as to how much support the Americans will provide to NATO, and how it may pressure those NATO countries that have not been spending the required 2% of their GDP on defense spending to now do so.
But there is no question about what will happen to US-Israel relations. In his first term, Trump proved to be the most pro-Israel president in American history. He moved the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel had annexed in 1981. He recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. His Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, declared that Israeli settlements were “not inconsistent with international law.” Trump cut off all funding both to the Palestinian Authority and to UNRWA. He shut down the PLO office in Washington. He ended the Iran Deal and imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran. The three people who will now hold the three key foreign policy positions as Secretary of State, National Security Adviser, and Ambassador to the UN — Marco Rubio, Mark Waltz, and Elise Stefanik, respectively — are known for their strong support of Israel, including for its current campaigns against Hamas and Hezbollah.
Marco Rubio is known not only as a staunch supporter of Israel, but also specifically for his support of the IDF’s campaign to destroy Hamas and to force Hezbollah north of the Litani River. He has criticized the Biden administration for being insufficiently supportive of Israel, as in the threat to withhold some military aid if the level of humanitarian aid entering Gaza does not reach the level of 350 trucks a day. He has denounced “the ridiculous narratives about war crimes and genocide.” He has sponsored legislation to withhold American aid from going to Gaza and the West Bank through the UN and NGOs.
More on Rubio can be found here: “Trump expected to nominate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state,” by Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod, Jewish Insider, November 12, 2024:
Rubio, who has strong relationships with Florida’s sizable Jewish community, has been highly active on Israel and Iran issues throughout his time in office. He’s currently the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Rubio has been a staunch defender of Israel’s military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah and a critic of the Biden administration’s response to Oct. 7. After his trip to the Jewish state in May, Rubio wrote in an op-ed that, “President Biden must face the fact that his foreign-policy weakness is responsible for our adversaries’ aggression. To deter further aggression against American lives and interests, he must establish a credible threat of military force.”
He told JI [Jewish Insider] after the trip that Israel needs ongoing support from the U.S. which “requires the constant work of explaining a very complicated region in the simplest terms possible,” including pushing back on “ridiculous narratives about war crimes and genocide.”
The Florida senator was a lead sponsor of legislation that would have created congressional authority to block the administration from withholding arms shipments from Israel. He also sponsored legislation that would block the U.S. from sending any aid through UN. agencies and nongovernmental organizations into Gaza or the West Bank….
Like Waltz, Rubio is very serious, pro-Israel and hawkish on Iran, who believes in the importance of a smart, robust and credible American national security posture. Rubio will certainly be a vocal force within the administration for pressuring Tehran and backing Israel in its civilizational battle against the Iranian axis.
Marco Rubio has an impeccable record on Israel. His appointment suggests that Trump’s second administration will be even more supportive of Israel than was his first.
truth says
Trump is just a good leader/manager.. I truly believe most of his decisions come from a good place.. He will be a million times better for Israel than any democrat..
🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇱
࿗Infidel࿘ says
One major concern I have about Sen Rubio is that he is soft on islam. If one recalls, in 2016, when a gun show in Florida explicitly declared that muslims are not welcome (this was after the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando), Rubio condemned it. At the time, he was also pretty critical of India for being islamophobic, even though as we all know here at jihadwatch, it’s muslims who initiate most atrocities in India: they’re not the targets. I hope he’s more informed now, but I’d like to know what his views on islam are. Of all the Trump nominees, he’s the only one I’m lukewarm about
I’m also interested in how he thinks the US can take on a Sino-Russian coalition, as exists today. Others, like RFK Jr & Vivek Ramaswamy have pointed out that during the Cold War, the US rarely had to take on both Moscow & Beijing, and ever since President Nixon split the 2, they never dealt w/ that coalition – not Carter, not Reagan, not Bush 41. But today, there is a tough alliance b/w those 2, backed up by a whole bunch of countries in Asia and Africa. Pete Hegseth pointed out last week w/ Shawn Ryan that almost all Pentagon war games of US vs China have shown the US losing, and he even brought up the question of what happens if 15 hypersonic missiles take out 10 US aircraft carriers in the Pacific? This is just China, and to make things worse, we have Russia also pitted against us
That coalition needs to be broken, but I don’t believe that Rubio is the guy to do it. In the past, he’s been one of the anti-Russia hawks. It’s nice to be pro-Israel, but we need someone who’s pro-Israel, anti-China but not anti-Russia. Otherwise John Bolton would have been great
My choice for this post would have been KT McFarland, who was on Trump’s team in 2016 before the FBI took her out: she would have been a better pick for this role than Rubio
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I forgot to add – Hugh overlooked the appointment of Gov Mike Huckabee as the new ambassador to Israel
Mike says
Infidel: good points. You should write to him and express your concerns. Also, write to Mr. Trump with your ideas as well.
For all their weaknesses, the people that Trump is selecting for these key positions are FAR better than those whom Kamala Harris would have chosen, had she won the presidency.
gravenimage says
Yes–Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel is very heartening! I just heard about this this morning.
gravenimage says
Hugh did not miss this–he covers it separately here:
“Trump Tabs Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel, and Far-Left J Street is Not Amused”
https://jihadwatch.org/2024/11/trump-tabs-huckabee-as-ambassador-to-israel-and-far-left-j-street-is-not-amused
Gregory says
More evidence that this whole election has had a divine element. It just makes sense that the God who choose Israel as his chosen people will hear their cries. He is faithful to his covenant.
gravenimage says
Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a Staunch Supporter of Israel
………………………………..
Yes, he is–glad to hear it. The only problen with Rubio is that he seems sometimes rather clueless about the threat of Islam–but this is sadly not uncommon.
But he is solidly anti Jihad terror–ncluding Hamas:
https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-rosen-reintroduce-bipartisan-bill-preventing-support-for-hamas/
Walter Sieruk says
Donald Trump revealed his wisdom when decided to appoint Marco Rubiio as the Secretary of State. For Rubio is strongly for Israel.
During President Trump’s first term of Office , one of wise grand and great accomplishments of President Trump was the recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital City of the State of Israel
As President Trump had. so wisely, said “It’s time to officially recognize [the reality of] Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” Yes, indeed, it’s very much time to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of the State of Israel, and he then acted on his word and he had done so by good decision of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem . That bold and wise decision of President Trump to move the US embassy to Jerusalem has greatly offended many of the Muslim clerics . Be they, for example, the imams of Pakistan or the mullahs of Iran.
Those Muslim clerics with their mind control and their unconscionable ways they manipulate the people from the mosques to be their stooges into a, violent uprising, because of the President’s decision is despicable. Some people of the left will say that the decision of move the US embassy to Jerusalem is “provoking” and it will “incite violence.” This only shows the old saying to be true .Which is that “Evil is always looking for an excuse. “ The fact is President Trump made the right decision and if the Muslim clerics don’t happen to like it ,well than it’s “tough beans” to them.
Walter Sieruk says
With President Trump , Israel will have a much better friend with the United States ,than with that treacherous “mullah regime ” favoring creepy old Joe.
Walter Sieruk says
After Donald Trump , becomes President, on 1/20/25 will no longer have a policy of appeasement towards those hostile anti –America and anti- Israel Muslim despots of that tyrannical Islamic regime of Iran.
As by contrast to treacherous and traitorous , Joe Biden, who was always giving in, as in “caving in” to those in power in Islamic tyranny of Iran, granting them everything that they demand.
Nabil Bissada says
“Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a Staunch Supporter of Israel”
The choice of Marco Rubio is one of the best decisions making by our dear President Trump.
If USA lose the friendship of Israel means we are going to leave the Middle East for the Enemies of USA.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East you can trust and will never betray USA whatever and whoever is the prime minister.
The friendship and to defend Israel are more important for USA, than any country in Europe who is under the authority of the Muslims terrorists by the power of their money.
Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.