For decades, the US-Israel relationship has been one of the bedrocks of American foreign policy, a rare point of bipartisan consensus rooted in shared democratic values and mutual security interests.
Yet today, that alliance is under siege from two directions. On the far Right, a disconcerting strain of isolationists seeks to recast strength as retreat.
On the far Left, radical activists and self-styled social justice movements have embraced an increasingly virulent antisemitism, often masquerading as anti-Zionism.
Both extremes are dangerous, not only for Israel but for America itself
A troubling chorus has emerged among a vocal minority of conservatives who echo populist media commentators claiming that “America doesn’t benefit” from its relationship with Israel. They mistake alliance for dependency and global engagement for weakness.
This worldview confuses patriotism with isolation and betrays the ideals of conservative leaders from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, who recognized Israel as America’s chief anchor of stability in a volatile region.
On the Left, the moral rot takes a different form but feeds from the same source: a willingness to replace facts with ideology.
Across some fringe activist circles, the language of human rights has been co-opted to justify hate. Calls to “Globalize the Intifada” are openly shouted at rallies, and antisemitic tropes are tolerated, even applauded.
When elected officials refuse to condemn slogans that many Jews see as calls to violence, it signals that something has fundamentally gone wrong. What began as policy critique has evolved into a disturbing trend that questions Israel’s right to exist. That position should have no place in mainstream political discourse.
The US-Israel alliance delivers tangible, measurable benefits to American security. Israeli intelligence has repeatedly provided early warnings that have saved American lives.
One pertinent example was former Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil. He had a $7 million bounty on his head by the US government for playing a key role in the bombings of the US embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people, as well as the attack on the US Marine barracks in October 1983, which killed 241 American personnel.
Last year, Israeli forces eliminated Aqil, who had American blood on his hands, because he was a threat not just to Israel and the United States but to Western civilization.
This is what partnership looks like: a democratic ally doing what must be done when others cannot or will not. It is in America’s direct interest that groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad face the kind of consequences that only Israel has the resolve to deliver.
When fringe parts of the American political spectrum – left or right – begin to waver on that basic truth, adversaries notice. The Islamic Republic of Iran notices. Hezbollah notices. So do the forces of extremism and authoritarianism that watch for any sign of Western fragmentation.
When some conservatives dismiss Israel as a burden, or when some progressives tolerate antisemitic rhetoric in their ranks, they are not simply debating policy. They are weakening America’s deterrent posture and emboldening its enemies.
The problem is not just political but cultural. On the Right, some have confused moral clarity with moral indifference, treating alliances as outdated relics rather than as instruments of power. On the Left, outrage has replaced empathy, and solidarity has been warped into tribalism. In both cases, the result is the same: a retreat from responsibility. When America retreats, chaos fills the void.
If this downward spiral is to be reversed, leaders in both parties must act with moral courage and follow in the example of true friends like President Trump. We are eternally grateful for his strong leadership in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, brokering the historic Abraham Accords, and pushing through a hostage release agreement that has seen all our surviving hostages return home.
Other Republicans should also make clear that antisemitism, whether dressed up as nationalism or nihilism, has no home in their movement. Democrats must confront the radicals in their midst who conflate criticism of Israeli policy with the delegitimization of Israel itself. Neither side can afford to repeat the other’s mistakes. Silence is complicity, and equivocation is surrender.
The United States and Israel share more than intelligence. They share values that are intrinsic to each society: democracy, resilience, and a belief that freedom is worth defending. These principles are under attack from forces that despise both nations equally. To abandon Israel now, or to allow antisemitism to metastasize in American politics, would be to forget the lessons of history at a perilous time.
The stakes are clear. If America truly intends to put itself first, it must remember that strength begins with solidarity. Standing with Israel is not selfless charity. It is strategy. It is the recognition that the enemies of the Jewish state are also enemies of the United States. And it is a reminder that sustained peace is built not on retreat but on the shared strength and resolve of allies who stand together.
The writer is Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations.