Congressional candidate Brian Cole says that if he is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November, he plans to push for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, and for the United States to stop referring to the territory as the West Bank.
Cole, who was recently in Israel on a tour organized by the American Friends of Judea and Samaria, said the areas are “actually part of Israel and in such close proximity to Jerusalem. You need the security there. You definitely want to secure that area. If I get to Congress, I’d work on making that something recognized as part of the Israeli state.”
He added that “it’s your land,” meaning Jewish land. “It’s been your land for centuries.”
Cole is currently a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing the Hillsborough 26th District. He serves on the Ways and Means Committee and is vice chair of the Housing Committee. Cole is running in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District for a seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who is seeking the U.S. Senate seat that will be left vacant by the retirement of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen next year.
Cole said his Catholic faith does influence his support for Israel, but emphasized that his motivation is rooted more broadly in a defense of Western civilization. He described Israel as being on the front lines of the fight against extremism.
“Israel really is fighting for the United States,” Cole said. “Israel is the only stable country over there in the Middle East. And I saw the atrocities that happened with the Hamas attack and the Nova music festival, and Hezbollah. If Israel were not there defending that part of the land, it might come here to the United States. So we definitely need to support you and support your efforts.”
Cole visited Israel in late October. During that trip, he toured the Nova music festival memorial and heard firsthand testimony from survivors. He said he was deeply affected by their stories and by the spirituality of Jerusalem and several Christian holy sites. He also said he was struck by how geographically small Israel is and how close major population centers are to one another.
While in the West Bank, Cole was briefed by security officials who explained that a terrorist could hold a handheld rocket launcher and fire it directly over the Green Line. He said Israel has a right to defend itself and that Americans who do not understand that reality need better education on the region.
Cole also stressed that many of the college protests seen across the United States are led by students who do not grasp the gravity of what happened on October 7 or why Israel responded as it did.
Cole has been outspoken against antisemitism and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. When activists in New Hampshire attempted to boycott a Jewish bakery, he organized a counterprotest and rallied the local community to shop there instead. According to Cole, the entire bakery sold out within 90 minutes.
“It showed support,” he said. “The community came out and supported the bakery. We wanted them to know we have their back. We’re not going to put up with any of that kind of stuff.”
New Hampshire has not historically been a focal point of Middle East policy debates. Still, recent campus activism and local antisemitic incidents have brought Israel into the political conversation even at the state level.
When asked about the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City, Cole said he believes voters supported Mamdani because of his socialist economic platform rather than his anti-Israel positions. Mamdani, he said, promised a range of financial incentives that are unlikely to work in the long term.
“He hopefully won’t get reelected,” Cole said.
Instead, Cole argued that the vast majority of New Hampshire residents support Israel, as do most Americans.
Polling consistently shows strong public support for Israel in the United States, even as political debates over the Middle East grow increasingly polarized. A Pew survey from October 2025 found that more than half of Americans still view the Israeli people positively.
“America stands behind you,” Cole concluded.
First published: 06:50, 01.04.26