Diplomat Aryeh Lightstone says that it is safer to be a Jew in some Arab countries than on many college campuses in the United States.
Lightstone, an ordained Orthodox rabbi who was a close adviser to U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman during the Trump administration, spoke to Breitbart News at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last month.
Lightstone has continued to advocate for peace and normalization between Israel and the Arab states. His 2022 book, Let My People Know: The Incredible Story of Middle East Peace―and What Lies Ahead, makes the case for expanding economic ties between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.
He has continued to travel in the region after leaving government service, and told Breitbart News: “It’s far safer for me to walk around with my kippah on in Saudi Arabia than it is in Berkeley. It’s far safe for me to be an observant, practical Jew in Abu Dhabi or Dubai than it is on the Columbia University campus.”
He said that the Arab and Muslim countries that had joined the Abraham Accords were confused by the Biden administration’s failure to offer staunch, consistent support for Israel in the wake of October 7.
But Lightstone was bullish about the prospects for stability and peace in the Middle East under a second Trump administration — notably, he said, because Trump was feared by Iran.
“Under President Trump and JD Vance, there will be a credible military threat [against Iran]. And the more credible the threat is, the less likely it will be that it needs to be used.
“President Trump does not get nearly enough credit for having preventing World War III,” he added, noting the coalition of Arab states that helped defend Israel from incoming Iranian missiles in April.
That only happened, he said, because Trump placed Israel under the purview of U.S. Central Command, rather than European Command.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
