This is a cross-post by Adam Levick from UK Media Watch
This blog does not endorse or promote candidates running for president or prime minister, nor take any position which is purely political. However, in order to properly understand a recent twitter exchange involving a Middle East correspondent for a major British newspaper, a few facts need to be established about president-elect Donald Trump.
Regardless of how he feels about Jews personally, since the early the primaries, there’s been ample evidence that Trump’s campaign tolerated or even incited antisemitism amongst his followers . In response to rhetoric by Trump which many felt was conspiratorial and represented dog-whistles for anti-Semites, Anti-Defamation League warned Trump to “avoid rhetoric and tropes that historically have been used against Jews”. ADL also criticized “online antisemitic harassment of journalists by Trump supporters, during the presidential campaign”.
As those active on twitter know, many prominent anti-Trump Jews (journalists or otherwise) have been continually harassed, threatened and subjected to extreme antisemitic abuse by Trump supporters – including by some who are self-identified white supremacists. (Former KKK grand wizard David Duke was the most prominent right-wing extremist to support Trump for President.)
Unsurprisingly, post-election polls showed that only 24% of Jewish voters cast their ballot for Trump. And, though Republicans typically don’t fare well with American Jews, Trump’s association with antisemitism – and other expressions of what was seen as xenophobia and racism by the candidate and his surrogates – prompted many prominent Jews (even those typically supportive of Republican candidates) to passionately and publicly oppose the GOP nominee to an unprecedented degree.
Even in Israel, where most generally view the Republican presidential candidates more favorably than the Democrats, pollsshowed that Israelis strongly preferred Hillary to Trump.
Do read the full post here
