Election Day in the United States is here, and it seems the only thing we can agree on is that this is a crucial one.
Having served in the first Trump Administration, I unsurprisingly want my former boss of almost a quarter-century to win, and think he represents the best path for America, the Middle East, and world Jewry. But I think there is something more important to say this Election Day.
Regardless of who wins, the next few years will be critical to the future of the West. Whether the free world is led by Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, good people across the globe will have a role to play in shoring up our security, improving Western nations' standing, and maintaining our place as technological innovators and economic powerhouses.
While this is true across the West, I'll focus on two countries struggling with severe division: Israel and the US. Regardless of who is at the helm of those two great nations, the best way to achieve our basic desires for these countries is to try to heal internal divisions and improve our sense of unity.
In the US and Israel, arguments over how to handle tense social and political issues are everywhere. To some degree, that's healthy and natural. We should argue about how best to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, judicial reform, the secular-religious divide, and more. But heated times like these, which prime us to see the world as your-team-versus-mine, often devolve into division and enmity.
Even arguing respectfully is not enough. Especially at moments like these, we need to recognize that when bad actors sense our division, they smell blood. Debate is a strength but treating our friends like enemies is a dangerous form of weakness.
True unity requires working together, even when we don't agree on many details. Right and left, secular and religious, and yes, Arab and minority citizens too – all need a seat at the table, a common set of rights and obligations, and a willingness to subdue self-interest at times in favor of the good of the community. Building bridges with those we disagree with, explaining why we disagree and seeking compromise when possible or conveying legitimate reasons why compromise may not be possible – those are prerequisites to healthy unity.
In both countries, I believe that one of our basic unifying commitments must be achieving stability through strength. Acknowledge and fight those who threaten our citizens or way of life. But do so with an eye towards connecting with individuals and nations that have been caught up in conflicts but are not themselves guilty of inflaming them, and who may be willing to partner with us to reduce or even seek to extinguish the violence.
To that end, I hope that Israel and the United States will show warmth and understanding towards Israel's Arab neighbors – those who signed the Abraham Accords and those who have not yet but hopefully will someday. We hardly agree on everything, but we need each other economically, diplomatically and from a security perspective in a region where some leaders seek only chaos, violence and destruction.
One more note on unity between allies: To truly succeed as a world power, Israelis must learn to put themselves in the shoes of their now-allies and not-yet-allies and better understand their needs and decisions. All of those countries, from the US to the Arab states, are independent in some ways and intertwined in many others – including some that have little or nothing to do with Israel. Just as Israel is an independent nation with a unique set of problems and the right to make its own decisions, its allies and neighbors are too. If Americans choose to take a path Israelis would prefer they didn't, which may happen from time to time, that is not automatically a sign of abandonment. Neither side of our bilateral alliance can afford to give up on the other, no matter how much we may question the other side's policy choices. Arab states also have their own limitations, goals, and expectations to contend with, and those may be different from Israel's. That does not mean that common ground cannot be found.
Am Yisrael Chai is a promise, but it is also a mission: What are we doing to ensure the Nation of Israel lives? Rejecting division and taking steps towards unifying the good people and great nations of the world is central to that mission. On this Election Day, I pray for the forces of true unity to prevail. God bless America, Israel, and its new allies, and its not-yet-allies. God bless the Israel Defense Forces who embody unity in their righteous fight against evil, thereby protecting not only the State of Israel, but Jews all over the world.
Jason D. Greenblatt was the White House Middle East envoy in the Trump administration. He is the author of In the Path of Abraham: How Donald Trump Made Peace in the Middle East—and How to Stop Joe Biden From Unmaking It, Senior Director of Arab-Israel Diplomacy for the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs and the founder of Abraham Venture LLC. Follow him on X: @GreenblattJD
