Considering Israel’s desperate need for US support in the challenges that the Jewish states currently faces, Israel would do anything to get pro-Israeli politicians such as Mike Pence elected as US next president.
Iran’s nuclear program and Israel’s internal chaotic situation, especially the recent protests against the extreme policies of the Netanyahu government, are two of the biggest challenges that Israel needs the US support to resolve them. However, the current US government under Joe Biden’s presidency has been one of the main critics of the Netanyahu government, rebuking Israel both for extreme policies in its internal affairs, and its hostile stance against Iran’s nuclear program. Good to mention that recent reports indicate the Biden administration is looking for a new nuclear agreement with Iran contrary to Netanyahu’s repeated requests from Washington to impose more sanctions and even military action against Iran.
Mike Pence, the former vice president of the United States, officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election early this month. The former Indiana governor won the opportunity to become Trump’s running mate in 2016 thanks to his conservative Christian stances, which served him well as a pro-Israel politician among American Jews.
Why Pence is the best choice for Israel?
During his 12 years in Congress, he did several important moves in support of Israel; Pence did a lot of efforts to limit the US financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. He also introduced one of the most comprehensive laws against the BDS movement (boycott of Israeli products in support of Palestine) in the US Congress shortly before becoming Trump’s vice president. The Republican politician also made tremendous efforts to enact anti-abortion and same-sex marriage laws in the US, two issues that are widely supported among the country’s Jewish community. Last but not least, it was Mike Pence who established the Anti-Semitism Task Force of the US House of Representatives in 2016, a group that was created to ensure that Congress plays an integral role in condemning antisemitism across the US.
Pence has used his strong evangelical convictions as the basis for his unequivocal support of Israel, frequently citing various Christian Bible verses as grounds for his support of the Jewish state. In January 2018, he became the first US official to address the Knesset since then-President George W. Bush did the same in 2008.
Pence also had a pivotal role in the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2017 and US plans and policies to normalize relations between Israel and Arab countries.
During his last year’s trip to Israel, Pence visited Itamar Ben-Gvir, the current Israeli Minister of National Security and Israel’s most notorious far-rights politician. During the trip, Pence also met with Benjamin Netanyahu, then-leader of the opposition to the Israeli government, and later pledged that if elected as the US president, he would destroy any possible return to the Iran nuclear deal, which has only been strengthened by the Biden administration.
What can Israel do to get Pence elected as president?
All in all, Mike Pence has done a lot in support of Israel both during his years in Congress and his time in the White House as Vice President. Also, Pence’s excessive attention and commitment to religion places him among the extreme right such as Ben-Gvir, which makes him, if elected as the US president, show less opposition to the extreme policies of the Israeli government.
These characteristics of Mike Pence have made Netanyahu’s government hopeful that his election as Joe Biden’s successor can significantly improve the relations between the United States and Israel, and that the United States will show better cooperation with Israel’s policies IF Pence is the next US president.
Therefore, it is natural that Israel will spare no effort to get Pence elected as president, and may even take measures to manipulate the results of the US 2024 election. In fact, Israel has a record in intervening with the US elections in the past.
Noam Chomsky, the prominent American political analyst, has referred to this issue many times. In one of his latest interviews, Chomsky stated that the interference of Israel, especially Netanyahu, in the US election affairs was much more than that of countries like Russia and people like Putin.
