Far-right Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has exploited anti-Muslim prejudice in order to appeal to American voters. In December, citing a debunked study by an extremist right-wing think tank, Trump called for banning all Muslims from entering the U.S., with a “total and complete shutdown” of the borders. This led critics worldwide to compare Trump to fascist leaders.
Trump, nevertheless, has stood by his extreme policies in 2016. On Jan. 2, the far-right presidential candidate adopted a new strategy to defend his position: Modeling policies after Israel, the U.S.’s closest ally in the Middle East.
The billionaire real estate mogul took to Twitter to criticize Hillary Clinton for opposing his ban on Muslims. “Hillary Clinton said that it is O.K. to ban Muslims from Israel by building a WALL, but not O.K. to do so in the U.S. We must be vigilant!” Trump tweeted.
Trump is referencing the separation wall Israel has constructed alongside and within the borders of the West Bank, which has been illegally occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. The majority of the barrier is in fact inside occupied territory, and prevents Palestinians from entering Israel.
Israel says it built the wall for security, to prevent attacks from Palestinian militants. Critics say Israel is using security as an excuse and unilaterally building a wall in order to illegally annex occupied Palestinian land.
