Where do Clinton and Trump stand on Arab issues?

The United States' elections are fast approaching, featuring two of the most polarizing candidates in the country's history.

Non-American Arabs won't have a say in which American leader will interfere in the Middle East next, and both candidates have voiced some very militaristic plans for the region. A fair bit hangs in the balance, and Arabs are watching election season closely.

Amidst the media frenzy, we're going to help you understand how the outcome of the election might affect you. Here's a closer look at where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on 10 issues that are important to Arabs.

Clinton: 

Clinton backed  legislation  allowing U.S. citizens whose family members were victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia. She parted ways with Obama, who vetoed the legislation.

The Clinton Foundation received large donations from Saudi Arabia before Clinton became Secretary of State but she has not received direct donations from the kingdom as a presidential candidate.

Trump:

Trump has also expressed support for the " Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act " and has repeatedly blamed Saudi Arabia for the Sept. 11 attacks. But he maintains significant personal business interests in Saudi Arabia and throughout the GCC .

Clinton:

She has promised to be tougher on Iran and its "support for terrorism" and "proxy wars" against U.S. allies. At the same time, Clinton has endorsed the Iran deal, with some reservations. She has said that she believes the deal has cut off the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. She promised to maintain Obama's Iran deal if elected, but also reiterated that she supported every sanction against the country.

Trump:

Throughout his campaign, Trump has been extremely critical of the Iran deal. He said the deal was "the worst ever signed" and has made it a point of criticism against Obama and Clinton. If elected, he promised to terminate the deal and he said that he would shift U.S. policy to view the country as more of an enemy.

Clinton: 

She voted for the Iraq War. She has since called that decision "my mistake."

Trump:

He voiced casual and off-handed support for the Iraq War towards the outset of the conflict. Trump later became a critic of the war. Conversely, Trump has also criticized the decision to remove American troops from Iraq.

Clinton:

Clinton has advocated to impose a no-fly zone over Syria. This means all non-US planes would be shot down. She has stressed plans to defeat ISIS through intensified airstrikes, killing Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and disrupting the terrorist groups online propaganda efforts. Her Syrian plan also calls for a "full review" of Obama's Syria policy, as she has taken a stronger stance against the Assad regime.

Trump: 

He has expressed support for coordinating with Russia and has said he would leave President Assad alone and focus attention on defeating ISIS. He has said the US has bigger problems than Assad and he would " knock the hell out of " ISIS, saying that the US could have done this originally.

Trump also told MSNBC last year: "I would take the oil," referring to his plan for combatting Syria and ISIS. He explained that he would invade Syria militarily and that he would "take the oil for our country [the US]. I would just take the oil."

Clinton:

Clinton said she would increase Obama's pledge of accepting some 10,000 Syrian refugees to 65,000. This would be in addition to the many tens of thousands of refugees the U.S. already accepts from around the world.

Trump:

Trump has promised to issue a complete moratorium on accepting Syrian refugees and any immigrants from countries where "extremism" exists. After recent terror attacks in the U.S. and Europe, Trump has argued that letting refugees into the country would lead to more attacks.

Clinton:

Repeatedly, Clinton has expressed a strong commitment to Israel, though as Secretary of State under U.S. President Barack Obama, Clinton demonstrated some reservations about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Still, her support is clear: "Since my first visit to Israel 35 years ago, I have returned many times and made many friends. I have worked with and learned from some of Israel’s great leaders," Clinton said.

Her campaign page says: "As President, she will protect Israel’s security, confront regional threats facing the U.S. and Israel, and fight back against efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state."

Trump:

Recently, Trump pledged to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capitol. He has consistently expressed unwavering support for Israel.

"Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people for over 3,000 years, and that the US, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing congressional mandate to recognise Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the state of Israel," his campaign said in a statement following a meeting with Netanyahu.

Clinton: 

Clinton has strongly criticized those who have attacked Muslims in the wake of terrorist attacks saying "I will not demonize and declare war on an entire religion."

She also said : "We need to build trust in Muslim communities here at home to counter radicalization."

In regards to banning Muslims or Arabs from entering the U.S. Clinton said, "I’ve talked before about how this approach is un-American. It goes against everything we stand for as a country founded on religious freedom."

Trump:

He has repeatedly called for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. Trump has collectively blamed the Muslim-American community for terrorist attacks making comments such as: "Can you imagine what they will do in large groups?"

Clinton: 

Clinton met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in New York, drawing criticism from human rights activists. However, she didn't shy away from bringing up rights abuses under Sisi's administration. She has shown a willingness to dialogue with Sisi but has taken a stance supporting human rights.

Trump: 

He also met with Sisi and only had glowing praise for Sis's leadership. Sisi said Trump would " no doubt " make a strong leader.

Clinton:

Clinton has a history of supporting U.S. intervention in the Middle East and North Africa. Her stated positions suggest this would not change if she became president.

Trump:

Trump paints himself as an isolationist, but also repeatedly promises to be tough on America's enemies. Reports have also emerged that he has voiced support for using nuclear weapons to solve conflicts.