(JNS) Welcome to the Jewish New Year of 5786! People I know have been stopping me and asking my opinion as to what US President Donald Trump’s new plan means in the context of the Torah and the Jewish state moving forward.

After all, they say, we hear so many commentators from across the political spectrum, but what do the greatest rabbis have to say about this new policy development that has been thrust upon Israel?

For some reason, the Torah point of view is the only one that we generally don’t hear. We do need more Jewish religious leaders coming out publicly with their opinions according to the Torah, the Jewish Code of Law, which all observant Jews around the world hold by.

In fact, the biggest “influencer” for any believer, no matter what their religious leaning may be, ultimately is: What is God’s take on it at the end of the day? Is Trump’s plan the right thing for Israel to agree to right now, or not?

The way I see it is as follows. Truth be told, without this agreement, it’s hard to find a way for Israel to win the diplomatic battles that are raging now, during what might be called the “End of Days” scenarios, where Israel is pitted against nearly all other nations.

These same people asked me, “Can most of the civilized world be wrong about Gaza, with only Israel being right?” Being religious myself (and an ordained rabbi), I responded, “For sure!”

Unfortunately, that’s what it has come to. However, in my view, there is a way for Israel to win not just the narrative war in the media, but the physical war in Gaza as well. How? Fighting the smaller battles by signing agreements like these that seem to come up every four years, while keeping in mind that in the end, the Jewish nation is destined to win the overall war.

And when we do, all the disputed territory that was given away and/or taken from us, including Gaza, Judea and Samaria and even parts of Lebanon, will be annexed back as our eternal homeland. That is to say, Greater Israel. Forever.  According to the Prophet Zacharia, Israel is destined to eventually be vindicated from her enemies and the 10 tribes are destined to return to their original inheritances in Israel.

Having said that, here is the short answer regarding Trump’s 20-point plan.

Any competent rabbi will tell you that it’s against the Torah to give away any part of the Holy Land to the enemies of the State of Israel after they have proven to be unwilling to recognize the existence of a Jewish state in the Middle East. History has shown that even for the sake of peace, our neighbors cannot be trusted to uphold any signed document, even if they are paid off (as they were in the Obama/Biden era, for instance).

Now, in 2025, there is a similar fight for the land, but this time in the form of a 20-point Gaza plan. The real question is, if the “New Gaza” will actually be internationalized and governed by a “Board of Peace,” will Israelis also be able to live in Gaza just like everyone else? Let’s say, in the “special economic zone?”

The answer to this important question would most likely affect the Torah’s view on the matter, which is a whole discussion in and of itself. Not surprisingly, it is also against a rabbinical injunction to conduct the release of terrorists (even one) with blood on their hands in exchange for any Jewish hostage or POW. Unfortunately, there are many precedents of this here in Israel, which is precisely one of the reasons why it’s forbidden.

Before my family made aliyah from the United States, when I worked as a producer for films on biblical Jewish heritage (see The A.R.K. Report book/movie), one of the technicians in the studio was a devout atheist.  He would often ask me for proof of God’s existence. I answered him that the best proof of God was, and is, the Jew. As Mark Twain put it so succinctly, no other people or empire has survived going back over 3,335 years except for the Jews.

What is the Jews’ secret? The secret is that the “chosen people” have Divine protection, and He has a master plan that includes them in the future, along with them living completely in the Land of Israel (see the last 8 chapters of Ezekiel).

There’s no doubt, at least to me, that the underlying premise in Trump’s plan is so that the conditions may finally be put in place for a pathway to Palestinian statehood, which is apparently “the aspiration of the Palestinian people.” Best of luck with that!

The leaders of Britain, France and Canada, who recently pronounced a unilateral declaration of a so-called Palestinian state want it more than the Palestinians themselves.

It’s important to point out that this is not the British people we are talking about, because 87% of them oppose; 71% of the French population oppose declaring a Palestinian state right now, and similar numbers in Canada. In fact, they all share wide opposition at home. Just look at polls in each of these countries, the leaders have all lost their governments and have the lowest records of approval.

These are the weakest leaders, targeting Israel to portray themselves as world heroes, giving in to the intimidation of their Muslim population in order to gain favor. Once these same Arabs realize that these empty declarations mean nothing on the ground, they will most likely rise up against their leaders again, protesting with more “Days of Rage” and threatening their governments with even more of the same. This is just the beginning I’m afraid.

Electoral tactics would be the next point. By now, double-digit millions of Muslims live in the West, above all in the largest cities. In Greater Paris, there are 1.7 million, in London 1.4 and in Toronto 650,000. Electoral clout? They help to explain why governments have tilted against Israel. But remember, the world’s Jewish population is only 0.2%, with a country that’s about as big as the state of New Jersey!

Speaking about 0.2, here’s a beauty, as one Jordanian ex-Muslim put it: “We [Arabs] have 22 countries, over 400 million people, and nearly 14 million square kilometers of land. Yet we have convinced the world that our dignity hinges on carving out a 23rd country by mutilating the only Jewish state on earth, a state that occupies less than 0.2% of the surrounding landmass.”

It just makes no sense.  Here I will quote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his recent address to the UN General Assembly: “Here’s the uncomfortable truth: The persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundary is what has driven this conflict for over a century. It is still driving it. It’s not the absence of a Palestinian state, it’s the presence of a Jewish state.”

But let’s get away from the international blame game for a moment.  If we look a little deeper, we will see that this whole insane scenario has been divinely ordained. It has to be. Let’s face it, we Israelis and Jews all over the world are being forced to look inwards and upwards. Israel’s continued existence against her enemies from every side is a daily miracle straight from God. Literally.

We must collectively acknowledge this fact, as it seems we are being forced to turn to Him more and more in our hours of need, which are obviously fast approaching if a Palestinian State is in the process of being born.

So, what’s the upshot of all this for you and me from a Torah perspective?

Well, we must stand firm and hold on tight to our beliefs. To the point where you should figure out how to respond when the good friends you’ve always trusted turn against you all of a sudden because you live in Israel. Do you stand up and fight what’s most likely a losing battle of protracted media misinformation, stay silent and brush it off, or walk away from decades-old relationships?

Be proud and have faith that whatever may be thrown your way, the Jewish state is here to stay and is ultimately going to win this war, with total victory. We Israelis are so lucky to be here, living life in a sovereign nation in our ancestral homeland within the biblical borders that were delineated for us from before millennia and for millennia.

We as a people have been guaranteed in the Bible that there will never be another exile of Jews from Israel. That’s good enough for me! Looking forward to a great, sweet(er) new year for all of us.

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