Expert analysis: Trump’s visit to Israel has ‘symbolic importance’

NTD Staff
By NTD Staff
May 10, 2017US News
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President Donald Trump and his team will visit the Middle East in less than two weeks.

They will travel to Israel and Saudi Arabia. The president’s visit to Israel will be especially significant.

“Trump and his team going to the Middle East has I think symbolic importance. Israel in particular felt that it had been abandoned under Obama. They believed that Obama was working more with their adversaries, that he was of course attacking them in the United Nations, that he was working with other countries to undermine their interests. Trump going there sends a message that the United States again supports Israel, the United States again will defend them if it comes down to it. For the Israelis, this has important symbolic meaning. Beyond that, really, they’ll probably sign a few deals, they might sign some defense agreements, they might come up with some economic exchanges or—Israel’s really good on cyber-security, for example, which is a big topic. They’ll probably come out with a few agreements and such, but the main meat of it is the symbolic impact,” said Joshua, an analyst on China and national security issues at the Epoch Times.

By choosing the Middle East for maiden trip, Trump is emphasizing his commitment to defeating ISIS, and bringing peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Our task is not to dictate to others how to live but to build a coalition of friends and partners who share the goal of fighting terrorism and bringing safety, opportunity, and stability to the war-ravaged Middle East,” the president said last week.

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