Brian McGinnis, a former U.S. Marine, burst into a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing and began shouting, “Don’t let our sons and daughters die for Israel!” He continued yelling the same words, accusing Israel of killing American civilians even as security guards and one of the senators struggled with him and tried to remove him from the chamber. Before they succeeded, McGinnis and several of the guards were injured.
The incident would likely have been quickly forgotten had it not reflected sentiments that are increasingly gaining traction among the broader American public.
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US F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln
(Photo: US Navy / AFP)
More and more voices from both the right and the left are accusing Israel of dragging the United States into yet another unnecessary and endless war. These accusations are voiced by figures as different as New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, and conservative — and antisemitic — podcasters such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. All of them argue in similar fashion that the cunning Benjamin Netanyahu persuaded the erratic Donald Trump to attack Iran and wage a war on Israel’s behalf.
This is not a fringe conspiracy theory, but rather a notion that is accepted as fact by a significant portion of the population. According to recent polls, half of Americans now sympathize more with Palestinians than with Israel. This demonization of Israel relies on the classic antisemitic accusation of the cunning Jew manipulating the naïve gentile like a puppeteer. As such, its growing popularity threatens to intensify the antisemitism that is already affecting the United States.
It will further distance Israel from the isolationist “America First” wing of the MAGA movement and from the Democratic Party, many of whose leaders — California Governor Gavin Newsom being the latest — support cutting military aid to Israel and pledge never to accept a single dollar from AIPAC. For Israel, the accusation that it pushed America into war is dangerous as well. It will increase domestic pressure on Trump to end the operation before its objectives are achieved.
MIchael OrenTo confront this harsh outcome, Israel must join American Jewish organizations in an intensive public diplomacy and media campaign. This effort should highlight the extreme threats posed by Iran to both Israel and the United States, and demonstrate that America’s choice — to fight for itself and by itself — was entirely justified.
Together, Israeli and American Jews must emphasize what U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently declared publicly: that Israel is “a true ally with real capabilities,” a “steadfast partner” acting with “unparalleled skill and iron determination.” We must stress that these exceptional qualities help safeguard not only Israel’s security, but America’s as well.