Hurricane named Trump: how the US president determines Israel's policy

The economic publication Calcalist has for the second consecutive year named US President Donald Trump as the most influential figure for the Israeli economy. It analyzes four channels of his impact: geopolitical (the pace of escalation with Iran, the future of Gaza), trade policy (a 15% tariff on Israeli exports), monetary policy (pressure on the Fed), and the dollar exchange rate. It notes that Trump's influence on the Israeli wallet is stronger than that of any Knesset member.

The economic publication Calcalist has for the second consecutive year placed US President Donald Trump at the top of its ranking of the most influential people for the Israeli economy. It notes that his influence on the Israeli wallet today is stronger than that of any member of the Knesset Finance Committee or the Minister of Finance. Four channels of impact are analyzed. The first is geopolitical: Trump determines the pace of escalation with Iran, the contours of the future of the Gaza Strip, and the approach to disarming Hamas. The second is trade policy: Israeli goods are subject to a 15% tariff, while the imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum and 25% tariffs on cars cause indirect damage. The third is interest rates: Trump's conflict with the Fed and the appointment of Kevin Warsh could lead to a less independent central bank. The fourth is the dollar exchange rate: the weakening of the US currency is a consequence of Trump's policies. It is emphasized that the size of Israelis' mortgage payments and the cost of government debt depend on decisions made in Washington.