JERUSALEM—Despite postponing a visit to Israel in late December and a near-constant rumor mill on when it will be rescheduled, a visit to the Middle East by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump now seems to be a foregone conclusion.
Trump first scheduled a visit to Israel, what would arguably the most significant stop in a regional visit, in December 2015. Around the same time he made volatile comments about restricting the access of Muslims into the United States that backfired at home and reverberated overseas.
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” read an official statement published by Trump’s campaign website on Dec. 7. The statement was justified by citing a “great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.”
Though the fallout from the 217-word statement has eased in recent months, the initial response from Israel—often described as the United States’ greatest ally in the Middle East—was swift and stern.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has close personal ties to the United States, issued a statement immediately stating that he “rejects Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Muslims.” Netanyahu also said that as a policy, he will meet with any presidential candidate visiting Israel who asks for a meeting.
