Israel continues to be such a pivotal issue in the run-up to the US presidential election that Republican candidate Donald Trump now has an official campaign in the Jewish state.

The Trump campaign in Israel launched officially on Monday at a shopping mall in the central city of Modi’in.

Speaking under large banners reading “Trump – The Israeli Interest” in Hebrew, Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Abroad – Israel, urged the handful of shoppers and journalists who showed up to get out and vote, if they are American citizens.

Zell noted that there are hundreds of thousands of potential American voters in Israel, enough to have a significant impact on a presidential election.

But it’s not just American immigrants that the Republicans are targeting. It’s their children, hence the Hebrew-language campaign material.

“The second and third generation here have American passports but they don’t see the importance of voting in the United States,” Zell explained to reporters.

PHOTO: Marc Zell, chairman of the Israel branch of Republicans Abroad, at the launch of the official Trump campaign in Israel. (Flash90)