[Salon] Deport 'pro-Hamas' Students, Build a U.S. Iron Dome: GOP Releases 2024 Party Platform in Trump's Image

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-07-09/ty-article/.premium/deport-pro-hamas-students-build-a-u-s-iron-dome-trumps-gop-releases-party-platform/00000190-970e-d591-a7ff-fffefca70000

Deport 'pro-Hamas' Students, Build a U.S. Iron Dome: GOP Releases 2024 Party Platform in Trump's Image

Ben Samuels Jul 9, 2024

WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee's platform committee adopted Donald Trump's 2024 party platform with overwhelming support, effectively codifying support for the presumptive nominee's policy agenda.

The platform, which embodies the GOP's evolution into a party in Trump's image, is notably more succinct than past versions and consists of 20 summarizing bullet points.

It leaves no illusions as to where Trump's priorities and policies relating to Israel, Jews and the Middle East lie, however. It specifically highlights his pet project of bringing Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system to the U.S. while explicitly vowing to deport pro-Palestinian protesters holding student visas and bolstering Israel's regional partnerships in the Middle East.

Released one week before the party convention in Milwaukee, it is the first official party platform since 2016, after the GOP opted not to publish a new policy document in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attendees cheer during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on June 28 in Chesapeake, Virginia.Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP

Full RNC membership will vote to officially confirm the platform from the convention floor next week.

Republican Jewish Coalition National Political Director Sam Markstein said: "For 3.5 years, Joe Biden's weakness and appeasement have crippled America both at home and abroad. The Republican National Committee, in adopting President Donald J. Trump's 2024 Republican Party Platform, is clear: We must return to peace through strength."

According to Markstein, "President Trump will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our key allies like Israel and confront our adversaries who have been emboldened like never before under Biden. The 2024 GOP Platform is robust, optimistic, and contrasts sharply with the failed agenda and policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats. November 5th cannot come soon enough."

One of the platform's points reads: "Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great Iron Dome missile defense shield over our entire country – all made in America."

The Iron Dome in April.Credit: Eliyahu Hershkovitz

Inside the more detailed 10-chapter version of the policy document, Trump elaborates on the Iron Dome: "We will invest in cutting-edge research and advanced technologies, including an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield, support our Troops with higher pay, and get woke Leftwing Democrats fired as soon as possible," the platform reads.

"Republicans will strengthen Alliances by ensuring that our Allies must meet their obligations to invest in our Common Defense and by restoring Peace to Europe. We will stand with Israel, and seek peace in the Middle East. We will rebuild our Alliance Network in the Region to ensure a future of Peace, Stability, and Prosperity," the platform continues.

Trump has steadily intensified his support for an American version of the Iron Dome, repeatedly telling Republicans on the campaign trail that he will build one if elected – though such a system would likely only be effective if America is attacked by Canada or Mexico.

Another of the 20 bullet points reads "Deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again."

By way of elaboration on that point, in the chapter "Bring common sense to government and renew the pillars of American civilization," the RNC vows that "Republicans condemn antisemitism, and support revoking Visas of Foreign Nationals who support terrorism and jihadism. We will hold accountable those who perpetrate violence against Jewish people."

Since October 7 and the emergence of nationwide pro-Palestinian protests, primarily on college campuses, Trump has vowed to revoke the visas of pro-Palestinian student protesters. While he repeated this commitment on the campaign trail over the past nine months, this gained the most attention following his commitment to Republican-Jewish megadonors who had yet to publicly support the former president.

People listen to a speaker at a pro-Palestinian encampment calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside the campus of Columbia University, April 28, in New York.Credit: Andres Kudacki/AP Photo

'Keep out foreign Christian-hating Communists'

Trump has further focused on the campus protests as supposed evidence of the Biden administration's failure to combat antisemitism, accusing Democrats of being overly reliant on the party's far-left wing rather than supporting Israel and protecting Jewish-Americans.

While attempting to articulate this point, Trump has repeatedly trafficked in tropes of dual loyalty while condemning Jewish-Americans who opt to vote Democrat. The most recent polling of American Jews consistently found they still roundly prefer Biden to Trump.

These concerns are undoubtedly fueled by key Trumpist figures' remarks on the state of affairs for Jewish-Americans.

Prior to entering prison, Steve Bannon told the New York Times that "we're the most pro-Israel and pro-Jewish group out there. What I say is that not just the future of Israel but the future of American Jews, not just safety but their ability to thrive and prosper as they have in this country, is conditional upon one thing, and that's a hard weld with Christian nationalism."

Yoram Hazony, an Israeli intellectual who became one of the American right's most prominent faces during the Trump years, told the National Conservatism conference that "If you're an American who believes that America is anchored to Christian and Jewish civilization, then you cannot be embarrassed to display the Ten Commandments. Let's make the Ten Commandments our symbol. Put them up not just in schools, but everywhere."

The platform further leans into these themes, stating: "We are the defenders of the First Amendment Right to Religious Liberty. It protects the Right not only to Worship according to the dictates of Conscience, but also to act in accordance with those Beliefs, not just in places of Worship, but in everyday life... To protect Religious Liberty, Republicans support a new Federal Task Force on Fighting Anti-Christian Bias that will investigate all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment, and persecution against Christians in America."

The U.S. Capitol building is seen from the Cannon House Office Building on July 8, in Washington, DC.Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

"Republicans will use existing Federal Law to keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America. Those who join our Country must love our Country. We will use extreme vetting to ensure that jihadists and jihadist sympathizers are not admitted," the platform adds.

Although some disillusioned Arab and Muslim-Americans have gone as far to endorse Trump over Biden due to the latter's support for Israel's war in Gaza, Trump's commitment to Israel combined with the platform's vow that "we will bring back the Travel Ban" should leave no room for questioning about how far Trump would go should he be re-elected.

These issues will gain the most prominence at next week's convention on Wednesday, the third of four days. According to the RNC, the day's theme will be "make America strong once again."

Under Biden, the RNC declared, "America has become a global laughingstock." Under Trump's vision, it will "be strong and secure."