The US Republican Party is running an election campaign in Israel for its presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The campaign, which kicked off Aug. 15, targets the 300,000 expatriate Americans with voting rights who live in Israel. The efforts focus on cities with concentrations of people holding American citizenship: Jerusalem, Modiin, Ra’anana, Beit Shemesh, the Etzion Bloc settlements, Haifa and Beersheba. As part of the campaign, the Republicans have set up public information stands in the shopping centers of these cities to disseminate campaign messages.
Tzvika Brot, the director of the Trump campaign in Israel, is convinced that 80% of the Americans in Israel are supporters of the Republican Party. One important reason, according to Brot, is that 65% of the American expats in Israel are religious or traditional. “These groups naturally identify with the right and with conservative values,” he said. “That’s why we work mainly on explaining to people how to cast their vote, and less on convincing them. Most of this public is already on our side.”
