In announcing his pick, Trump said that Hegseth was “tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” but not everyone is embracing the news.
In 2016, the Harvard and Princeton graduate and combat veteran explained how a trip to Israel bolstered his love for the country, telling the Jewish Press that it “reaffirmed the ties the Jewish people have to this land that have historical and real geopolitical resonance today. This is not some mystical land that can be dismissed. It’s the story of God’s chosen people.”
At a 2018 event in Jerusalem, Hegseth even called for King Solomon’s temple to be rebuilt on the Temple Mount, which is the site of one of Islam’s holiest shrines, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He said: “1948 was a miracle. 1967 was a miracle. 2017, the declaration of Jerusalem at the capital, was a miracle. And there’s no reason why the miracle of the reestablishment of the Temple on the Temple Mount is not possible.”
"I don't how it would happen, you don't know how it would happen, but I know that it could happen -- and a step in that process is the recognition that facts and activities on the ground truly matter," he said.
The speech took place during Trump’s first term as president, and Hegseth told those present at the time that Israel should take advantage of the fact that Trump was in office to pursue their interests because “true believers” in the White House would back them up.
He has also taken a pro-Israel stance while covering the war on Gaza for Fox News and referred to the two-state solution as “lip service.”
In addition, he interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his series “Battle in the Holy Land: Israel at War” and wrote “Israel needs our support” in a post on X about the interview.
Trump has already announced several pro-Israel figures for key roles in his administration
Hegseth is just one of several pro-Israel names Trump has announced as being part of his administration in the days since the election. Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick for U.S. Ambassador to Israel, has made comments such as “There really is no such thing as a Palestinian” in 2008.
In 2017, he said: “There are certain words I refuse to use. There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria. There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation.”
Marco Rubio, who is expected to be named Secretary of State, has gone on the record accusing the Biden-Harris administration of not being supportive enough of Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza, saying that he doesn’t support a ceasefire until the Jewish state has destroyed “every element” of Hamas.
Trump’s selections will not go over well with the many Muslims who voted for him because they oppose the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel as it carries out its genocidal campaign in Gaza. Many of them were hoping Trump would take a tougher stance against Israel, but every day, he keeps adding new people to his administration that seem like they will do everything they can to support the Jewish state.
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