NEW YORK (AP) — Israel’s prime minister has aligned closely with Donald Trump in his battle for political survival ahead of Tuesday’s elections — a troubling tactic for the roughly 75% of American Jewish voters who lean Democratic.
Benjamin Netanyahu featured Trump in a recent campaign video, while Trump has made a series of policy moves viewed as strengthening Netanyahu in the eyes of Israeli voters, including relocating the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
The American Jewish community — numbering 5.5 million to 6 million — leans Democratic overall but is not monolithic. Most older Jews remain supportive of Israel’s current Middle East policies, as does the roughly 10% of the Jewish population that is Orthodox.
But many liberal American Jews fear Netanyahu will push Israel’s government even further to the right if he wins.