Will Trump order Israel to stop the war? In Israel, some are concerned Trump will take a stronger hand

Following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. elections on Tuesday, many in Israel are trying to assess the level of support that Trump will have for Israel when he retakes the Oval Office in January. 

During his victory speech at Mar-a-Lago, in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump referred to predictions by some of his opponents that he would start wars. 

"They said 'he will start a war'. I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop the wars,” Trump stated. 

While Trump was a strong supporter of Israel during his first term – and affirmed that position throughout his campaign – in recent weeks he began promising that he would end the Gaza War upon taking office.

He has not said how he intends to bring the war to a close, especially in light of the tense security situation with Iran. 

Some in Israel have interpreted that in an ominous way, indicating that Trump intends to apply pressure on Israel to bring the war to a close, possibly before he is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025. 

Others, particularly within Israel's coalition government, believe that based on his past performance, Trump will be supportive of Israel. Some have even begun discussing the possibility of a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities

A recent Bloomberg report stated that during a conversation before his election victory, Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “do what it takes” to end the conflict with Iran, and this is understood to mean also in Gaza and Lebanon. 

Nadav Strauchler, a political strategist, who previously worked with Netanyahu, said he believes the likelihood of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities has increased. 

Referring to Netanyahu, he told the Israeli newspaper Maariv, “Bibi is the son of a historian and a historian himself, and he knows how to identify major events in order to take advantage of the right opportunity.” 

Dr. Sagi Barmak, editor-in-chief of HaShiloach magazine, told Makor Rishon that “Trump will want to close the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and bring them to an end so that he can advance a deal with the Saudis.” However, he doesn’t think that Trump would try to force Israel to stop fighting against a legitimate threat. 

Barmak also expects Trump to pursue a different strategy towards Iran than that pursued by U.S. President Joe Biden. 

“The disaster with the Biden administration was the product of the policy of de-escalation,” Barmak said, noting that the Biden administration had sent a clear message that it didn’t want to use military force. 

He said Trump will follow a policy of peace through deterrence, which could be better for Israel. Barmak also told Makor Rishon that Trump’s firmer stance could lead Hamas to soften its position on a hostage deal.

GOP spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko recently spoke with Israel’s Channel 12 News, where she was asked about Trump’s comment, “I’m going to stop wars.” 

“Does that mean that he expects Israel to end the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the war against Hamas in Gaza?” Channel 12 anchor Yonit Levy asked. 

“I would say he expects them to end it by winning it, one hundred percent, that’s how he always talks about ending wars,” Pipko responded, before saying she doesn’t believe Hamas would have attacked if Trump had been president. 

“I do believe he wants the war to end as soon as possible, like all rational people do, but he wants it to end with a decisive victory,” she continued, blaming the length of the war on Biden’s not being “decisive.” 

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat, told CNN that Trump won’t want the wars “on his desk as a burning issue” when he takes office in January. 

“He will say: wrap it up; I don’t need this,” Pinkas said. 

However, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that Israel will finish the war when it needs to. 

"We don't work by an American timer. We work according to our goals and needs," Danon told Channel 12.