MK Ohad Tal spoke with Arutz Sheva – Israel National News in the Israel365 US election coversage special, and the re-election of former US President Donald Trump.
“I think every person who wants the best for Israel should be happy today,” Tal told Rabbi Pesach Wolicki. “I think when you see that the Iranians are upset, when you see that those who were burning American and Israeli flags in college campuses in America are sad – it’s a great reason why we should be very happy. And I see that the fact that President Trump didn’t only got the presidency, but also the Republicans got the Senate and the House, I think that’s an unbelievable victory, and I think we should all be happy. That’ll be good for America, that’ll be good for Israel, and that’ll be good for the world.”
Regarding the transition period and the dismissal of Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Tal insisted that the two are separate issues, and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has the right” to fire his defense minister.
Tal is a member of Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and in his opinion, Gallant was not cooperating with the government: “I’ve heard from him – from Gallant himself, several times – that he was against Israel going into Rafah, for example, he was against attacking in Lebanon, and he thought that the main thing we should aim for is a ceasefire deal with Hamas, basically. And I think – because that was against the policy of the government – I think the Defense Minister especially in time of war should cooperate with the government and should cooperate with the Prime Minister.”
“It’s okay to argue, it’s okay to give alternative opinions, but at the end of the day, when there’s a decision, a minister cannot attack the decision of the government, especially when you’re the one who needs to execute that decision.”
Regarding Trump, he stressed, “I think that President Trump will stand Israel, and support and back us in what we’re trying to achieve. I think we all understand that the current threat from Iran is not something we can tolerate any longer, we have to change that reality. And I hope and I believe that President Trump will back Israel in doing what needs to be done.”
When asked about the Biden administration during the transition period and its relationship with the Israeli government after Gallant’s dismissal, Tal recalled former US President Barack Obama’s last-minute backstabbing in the United Nations, just before he left the Oval Office.
“I am certain that Prime Minister Netanyahu would do what needs to be done also to prepare for that, and I think the fact that now that the Republicans have both the House and the Senate can definitely help Israel in fighting any attempts by the current administration to harm Israel or to take us back in everything we’ve achieved in the past year,” he said.
However, Tal noted that Israel has friends “on both sides of the aisle” and it is important to Israel to remain bipartisan.
“We hope and we expect four good years for Israel and for America when we look at the results of these elections,” he concluded.