"Most" Arab governments like Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump because he's a "transactional guy," a foreign policy expert told ABC News, adding that the stakes of Tuesday's election for the Middle East are "enormously high."
Hafed Al-Ghwell of the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute weighed the differences between Trump winning versus Democrat nominee Kamala Harris in terms of impact on the Middle East and other global hot spots. Although "unequivocal support for Israel" will remain the same regardless of who wins, Al-Ghwell told ABC News there are distinct differences in approach between Trump and Harris.
For one, he said Arab governments like the fact they can get things done with Trump but without the "lectures" from the Biden-Harris administration.
"Most of the Arab governments seem to like Trump," Al-Ghwell told ABC News. "Some Arab governments like him because he is a transactional guy. They can deal with him without having to deal with a president who lectures them on values of democracy and human rights."
Also, a second Trump administration is not going to be any different than the Trump we saw before, Al-Ghwell added.
Should Harris win, Al-Ghwell said, her approach will likely toe the line of President Joe Biden.
"If Harris wins, she may moderate a little the Biden administration's approach to the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon," Al-Ghwell told ABC News. "But I doubt very much she's going to shift gears on it in any major way."
While Trump's posture against the Hamas terrorists and Iran has been far more decisive than Biden-Harris', Trump also reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he wants the war in Gaza over with by the time he assumes office in January 2025, should he win, The Times of Israel reported last week.
However, Trump has also conveyed to Netanyahu that he should do what he feels he needs to do to end the war and bring home hostages, often lambasting Biden-Harris for trying to restrict Israel's response, according to the report.
As for the hostages, Trump long ago issued a warning to Hamas terrorists, too.
"We want our hostages back, and they better be back before I assume office or you will be paying a very big price," he said at the Republican National Convention in July.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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