In an article published last Fall, I proposed a serious re-examination of our relationship with the state of Israel. I cited various actions by Israel which were inconsistent with our American ideals—mostly, humanitarian crimes. In that piece, my aim was to make a general, moral critique of our ‘only genuine ally, Israel’ [1], and present a common grievance among our generation. In this piece, I would like to more directly address fellow conservatives. As our political culture continues to progress, a rift has formed between typically older and younger conservatives: one of foreign policy. Younger conservatives desire that we would place America ‘first’, and leave our insoluble foreign concerns abroad. Yet, support for Israel alone continues to receive such unilateral defense among our party elites.
On June 18th, 2025, Tucker Carlson, former journalist for the Fox News Network, posted an interview with Senator Ted Cruz (R) of Texas. Carlson’s main volley of questions for Senator Cruz were simple, ‘why did the US government attack Iran?’ Senator Cruz spent the interview accusing the Iranian government of various acts of war (‘attempting to assassinate the President’, intervening in domestic politics, and developing nuclear weapons against the West), however, failing to properly ground his accusations.
The conversation later became directly focused on our support for Israel. Senator Cruz noted that when he entered Congress in 2012, his stated intention was to be the “leading defender of Israel in the United States Senate.” An odd thing for a Canadian-born, Cuban-American legislator from Texas to aspire to. Senator Cruz deepened his resolve by claiming that Christians have been biblically commanded to defend Israel (citing Genesis 12:3). Leaving aside the absurdity of claiming that biblical Israel is synonymous with the modern state of Israel, it is even further absurd to rationalize that this then lays an impetus on American foreign policy. The warhawk agenda knows no moral stance too sacred to corrupt. However, I only mention this instance to question why many in the old guard are decidedly intent on support for Israel, especially when their rationale seems so flimsy.
Examples abound, but attention and space is limited, so I will only cite some recent prominent examples:
On August 4th, 2025, Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson (R), made an unofficial visit to the conflicted settlements of the West Bank [2]. Speaker Johnson became the highest ranking American to visit the settlement and used his position to voice unequivocal support for Israeli occupation; stating, “the mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish people”, and that “even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you.” Such statements are hardly tactful attempts at peace and misaligned with the will of the American people. With such statements Speaker Johnson not only hinders peace in the region, but also alienates our allies. This heavy-handed, American diplomacy is expressly damaging to our position as peace-keepers, and even more to our identity as moral leaders.
The United Kingdom and France had moved to propose recognizing Palestinian statehood if Israel will not commit to a cease-fire, a move which President Trump has stated ‘no position on’[3]. However, when Canada joined their proposition, President Trump leveraged our ongoing tariff negotiations with Canada to say this “will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh’ Canada!!!” [4] If the administration’s intent in raising tariffs was to better our trade deficit, generate revenue for our government, and help American industry, why are we economically punishing an ally for speaking out against Israel’s humanitarian crisis?
Furthermore, I do not only disagree with the administration because Israel is its object. Tariff policy was likewise misappropriated to punish Brazil for indicting their President, Jair Bolsonaro [5].
Early in his second term, President Trump issued executive order 13899, an order meant to take “forceful and unprecedented steps to combat antisemitism” [6]. Part of the order urged agencies to use all means available to curb antisemitism on campuses and in public life; even to the point of revoking visas and denaturalizing citizens. Denaturalization in itself is a nebulous topic but one with legal precedent. However, it is quite difficult to maintain the moral high ground when we are willing to use extensive measures against legal immigrants, founded on contentious definitions, in favor of a foreign state. The federal government, following the 2016 IHRA Bucharest plenary, defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” [7],which is proper and fitting. Yet, some of the stated examples are difficult to practically adopt. For example, one cannot “deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” But many organizations like Amnesty International [8], The Guardian [9], PBS [10], Georgetown’s Berkeley Center [11], and the Human Rights Watch [12] are quite sure that the state does not maintain a race-neutral perception of Palestinians, even a negative one. Further, one may not “apply double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.” But there is clearly a double standard in how our government treats Israel. No other nation in the world would dare to so overtly subjugate two million refugees and assert that the best course would be to involuntarily remove them [13]. Israel demands justice for themselves, but expects leniency which cannot be expected to any other nation.
It is not so much that our nation supports an ally, nor whether the Israelis have a right to statehood, but that our current administration seems to tie every issue into the support of an ever-dismally-favorable nation. Across the board, politically minded Americans, especially our youth, have gained a worse outlook on our support for Israel [14]. Gone are the days where support for Israel was a tepid part of the ‘American Imperial’ ticket, now we can barely find sanity in their conduct of war, and our elections are suffering for it. I hate to beat a dead horse (because it was mentioned in my previous coverage of Israel), but it is nothing short of astounding that in their only debate, the singular issue Trump and Harris shared ground on was Israel. Both candidates raced to the bottom to show unwavering patriotism to their foreign lobby [15].
As stark as these points may seem when taken out of context, I wish that these things did not require coverage. To many readers, these kinds of objections span a deep rift between our domestic standards and foreign policy. We cannot maintain consistency abroad and at home, when this is the conduct that our ally chooses to employ; and we especially, cannot continue to allow our government to unilaterally seek their friendship against American popular opinion.
I wish we could leave these concerns and return to America First. To truly focus ourselves on the problems which actually affect Americans. Leave the Saudis and Israelis with the principle of subsidiarity; let them deal with their regional concerns. If our administration is to “Make America Great Again”, then we cannot continue to engage in Middle Eastern affairs. Before Israel is ever brought back into the national conversation, we must first resolve our issues at home. To what concern is Israel to the American family, when cartels plague our southern border and peddle illegal substances to our inner-cities; when a medical procedure can place a man into dire financial straits; when children are continuing to become exposed to sex and pornography at younger and younger ages; when exorbitant student debt is the entrance fee for a chance to make a livable salary; when millions of the unborn are lost every year; or when political violence continues to shock our nation?
It is not whether Israel has a right to statehood, but of what concern that is to us. Moreso, why is this the issue which our party elites will go to such extreme lengths when we are so troubled at home. So why must our representatives and political establishment, especially of my own party, choose this hill to die on?
Endnotes:
[1] “US Working to End Use of Term West Bank, Mike Johnson Says | The Jerusalem Post.” 2025. The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-863278.
[2] Luscombe, Richard. 2025. “Speaker Mike Johnson Visits Occupied West Bank to Support Israeli Settlers.” The Guardian. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/04/mike-johnson-israel-west-bank.
[3] Bazail-Eimil, Eric, and Esther Webber. 2025. “Trump Administration Keeps Outrage about Palestinian State Limited to Sharp Words.” POLITICO. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/24/trump-administration-punishing-allies-recognizing-palestinian-state-00577873.
[4] Price, Michelle L. 2025. “Trump Using Canada’s Recognition of Palestinian State in Trade Talks.” AP News. https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-palestinians-canada-d5613417c217374352305564c6a96842.
[5] The White House. “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Brazil.” 2025. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/addressing-threats-to-the-us/.
[6] The White House. 2025. “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Takes Forceful and Unprecedented Steps to Combat Anti-Semitism – the White House.” The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-takes-forceful-and-unprecedented-steps-to-combat-anti-semitism/.
[7] U.S Department of State. 2016. “Defining Antisemitism.” United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/defining-antisemitism/.
[8] Amnesty International. 2022. “Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians: A Cruel System of Domination and a Crime against Humanity.” Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/02/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system-of-domination-and-a-crime-against-humanity/.
[9] Graham-Harrison, Emma, and Quique Kierszenbaum. 2025. “Thousands of Israelis Join Violent, Racist March through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter.” The Guardian. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/26/thousands-join-israeli-flag-march-through-muslim-quarter-of-old-city-in-jerusalem.
[10] Zion, Illan Ben. 2023. “Israeli Crowds Chant Racist Slogans, Taunt Palestinians during Jerusalem Day March.” PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israeli-crowds-chant-racist-slogans-taunt-palestinians-during-jerusalem-day-march.
[11] Karkabi, Nadeem. 2021. “Jewish Religious Nationalism in Israel and the Racist Exclusion of Palestinians.” Berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/responses/jewish-religious-nationalism-in-israel-and-the-racist-exclusion-of-palestinians.
[12] Human Rights Watch. 2021. “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution.” Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution.
[13] Said, Summer, Robbie Gramer, and Omar Abdel-Baqui. 2025. “Israel Is Quietly in Talks to Relocate Palestinians from Gaza.” The Wallstreet Journal. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-is-quietly-in-talks-to-relocate-palestinians-from-gaza-90a7ab23?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAjMJUkNAZzbZv2p30I4LRiZCWnVzV73cgXJglPrmryiPYMKXRGEybu7bhqDnrs%3D&gaa_ts=68a77887&gaa_sig=3iMOoQsRpPc3zaTas-6YxW66DYYDRA3cTLonOP3ihYDrifx4wOI_ZTQOracOl5YnJPgHjq0JWDci7eJOiZkXng%3D%3D.
[14] Muchnick, Jordan, and William A Galston. 2025. “Support for Israel Continues to Deteriorate, Especially among Democrats and Young People.” Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/support-for-israel-continues-to-deteriorate-especially-among-democrats-and-young-people/.
[15] Jakes, Lara. 2024. “Where Do Trump and Harris Stand on Israel-Gaza Conflict?” Nytimes.com. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/11/world/middleeast/trump-harris-israel-gaza.html.