The analysis reflects on how a Trump presidency will influence the course of US relations with the State of Israel. Insofar as Trump considers his options for a new look in US foreign policy towards Israel, he will confront a dynamic and multi-faceted set of policies based on a core set of time-honored assumptions. These commonalities are widely considered by a broad segment of the US political and policy establishment to be not only the best expression of American values but also to best serve hardheaded America interests. Trump’s idiosyncratic style amplifies his populist and often-radical messages across a range of issues. This willful undermining of the credibility and significance of the president’s own declarations –by none other than the president himself– adds to confusion and uncertainty about US aims and intentions, with serious implications for the conduct of policy, and not only towards Israel. The constraints on a president’s ability to break with past policies are considerable. This is not to suggest that Trump’s controversial declarations about Israel –ambivalence about a two state solution for example– have no import, or that he will prove unable to fulfill his numerous pledges –moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and thus recognizing the disputed city as Israel’s capital to cite one example– but to suggest that the pressures in support of core elements of the status quo are considerable.
