By Bruce S. Ticker
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — What could President Trump could be thinking? Jews worldwide should celebrate the release of not only Israeli Emily Damari but also Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio?
“These are the hostages,” Trump proclaimed seven hours after pledging to uphold the Constitution as he signed the order to pardon or commute sentences for nearly 1,600 defendants who were charged with storming the Capitol in 2021 and interfering with the orderly transfer of presidential power. This came the day after the terrorist group Hamas released Damari and two other hostages who were kidnapped in the raid of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The new president, who was inaugurated on Jan. 20, may well be telling American Jews that we can identify with Tarrio because, like Damari, he was a “hostage.” Tarrio of the Proud Boys was imprisoned after being convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 22 years in prison for the invasion of Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021, according to The New York Times. Damari, 28, was abducted from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza where she was shot in the hand by a terrorist, and she returned home last week with two middle fingers gone from her left hand.
If Damari identifies with anyone, it would be the 140 Capitol Hill police officers who were assaulted and injured by the hoodlums who raided the Capitol with a ferocity somewhat comparable to that of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorists.
Calling the Washington defendants “hostages” should offend anyone who values democracy but more so the Jewish community because we have endured the plight of real hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
We cannot put it past Trump that he intentionally called them “hostages” to build Jewish support, but he probably does not fool those who caught his wording. He could have also made an honest mistake in applying that word. He has repeatedly claimed that the defendants were prosecuted for political purposes and, therefore, they were “hostages.” It might have been coincidental.
Trump was notably helpful to Israel during his first term as president and his party has aggressively denounced antisemitic activity at American colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania in my hometown. Still, he should have been more careful if he cared about the sensibilities of the Jewish community. We might wonder if he does care.
This was not the only Trump-related faux pas against the Jewish people in his first week back at the White House. Trump has bounced around his concept of America’s role in the future of the overall conflict. There was also Elon Musk’s bizarre salute that would conform with a gesture common in Hitler’s Germany.
It was Trump who insisted that Israel and Hamas accept the ceasefire that trades hostages for humanitarian aid to Gaza and a slew of outrageous concessions. As president-elect, Trump threatened Hamas with “hell to pay” if the hostages are not released, and so far seven hostages have been returned to Israel; four more were released on Saturday. That leaves roughly 90 hostages left, and there has yet to be “hell to pay.”
He contradicted himself almost immediately after he was inaugurated. A reporter asked if he is confident that he can maintain the ceasefire and conclude all three phases of the pact.
“I’m not confident,” he said, as quoted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “That’s not our war, it’s their war. I’m not confident.”
Their war? Our government has been entwined in the conflict for more than three decades. Our involvement has influenced events. Israel is an ally. Walking away from this situation because it becomes such a burden would not only be immoral but dangerous.
Asked who should govern, he said, “It depends…You certainly can’t have the people that were there. Most of them are dead.”
As an obvious reference to Hamas, enough of them are sufficiently alive to still control Gaza. How can anyone work with them after what they have done and will likely do if they cannot be dislodged from power?
Sunday’s New York Times suitably chastised Trump in an editorial headlined: “Mr. President, you asked for the cease-fire in Gaza. Make sure it holds.”
“If Mr. Trump believes he was instrumental in achieving the deal, he should also accept responsibility for sustaining the cease-fire and for its fate,” scolds the editorial writer. “Without American pressure, the deal will be at great risk. It will be up to Mr. Trump’s new foreign-policy team…to remind the president that his government bears responsibility for the cease-fire agreement.”
I picked up the paper at 7:30 Sunday and soon skimmed the editorial. Within a few hours, one talk-show host reported that Trump is now urging Egypt and Jordan to take in more refugees from Gaza. He has the right idea, but Jordan and Egypt are both expected to reject it…as will many residents of Gaza.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s Nazi-like salute during a celebration of Trump’s inauguration was both denounced and excused, and then he was more roundly condemned when he made jokes related to the Holocaust. He made it much worse when he agreed that criticism of the salute was part of a Democratic “dirty tricks campaign.”
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he said, as reported in the Times. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Musk would have been more reassuring had he explained what brought about this gesture, if he could, and maybe apologized, but he only left us with more reason to question his loyalties.
These episodes contradict the perception of Trump’s relationship with Israel and American Jews. Between Nov. 5 and Jan. 20 it seemed wise to partner with Trump to protect Israel and combat antisemitism at home, despite our misgivings about his stands on a wide range of issues.
We need consistency. Trump can swing wildly on any other matter he pleases, but the Jewish community can feel comfortable only if he sets realistic courses on Israel and antisemitism and sticks with them. Otherwise, he will be holding us all hostage to his whims.
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.