US elections 2020: Israeli settlers pray for Trump's victory

Tens of Israeli settlers and rabbis in the occupied West Bank have performed biblical prayers endorsing US President Donald Trump, wishing him victory in the election Tuesday, according to Haaretz newspaper.

A group of settler leaders in Hebron, known for their outspoken racism against Palestinians in the city, held a meeting in front of the Ibrahimi mosque on Monday, reciting an excerpt of Psalm, to support Trump.

Rabbi Hillel Horowitz, a settler leader and head of the Hebron Jewish community, recited: “May He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, bless the good name Donald John, son of Fred Trump who took it upon himself to preserve and strengthen the People of Israel, the State of Israel and the Land of Israel.”

A poster hanging behind the settlers listed Trump’s “accomplishments” towards Jerusalem and the illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

It listed Trump's unilateral decisions to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018, the recognition of West Bank settlements and the occupied Syrian-Golan Heights as part of Israel, cutting funding to the Palestinian Authority and financial support for UNRWA, the United Nations organisation that tends to Palestinian refugees.

Horowitz's prayers were preceded by other settler leaders reciting portions of psalms, endorsing Trump.

Hebron’s event moderator said “we have gathered here to bless President Trump and first of all to thank the Lord for President Trump and for a presidency that made such important changes.”

According to a poll published on Monday by Israel Democracy Institute, 63 percent of the Israeli public supports the re-election of Trump for another four-year presidential term. 

Less than 17 percent of Israelis preferred the election of the Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden.

Almost 42 percent of Israelis believe that in case of a Biden win, American and Israeli ties will be “weak,” and 31 percent think that a Biden presidency will strengthen ties between the White House and the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli right-wing voters gave clear support for Trump, with 82 percent of them saying they endorse him, while centre-right Israelis stood at 62 percent.

Support for Trump among Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up almost 12 percent of the Israeli population, was 39 percent according to the poll, with 31 percent supporting Biden. The majority of Palestinian respondents, however, abstained from answering.