Opinion...

The American anti-Israel awakening

Pro-Palestine protesters, wearing Palestinians keffiyeh and carrying Palestinian flags and banners, attend the rally outside the News Corp headquarters, the home of Fox News and march to Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York City, to mark two years since the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 07, 2025 in New York, United States. [Selçuk Acar – Anadolu Agency]

by Dr Sania Faisal El-Husseini
November 28, 2025 

Middle East Monitor 

The renowned American newspaper The New York Times warned a few days ago about the rise of what it described as “right-wing antisemitism”, confirming the emergence of serious divisions among Republicans regarding their support for Israel and their stance toward Jews, in what marks a generational change in the traditional position of the party. The American Right has never been a concern for Israel; rather, such concern has historically come from the political Left, especially within the Democratic Party and its progressive wing. Conservative media figure Tucker Carlson faced intense criticism after conducting an interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Likewise, Vice President J.D. Vance avoided commenting on the interview, which exposed him to criticism because he had previously made his opposition to Fuentes clear. Deborah Lipstadt, the former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism, under President Joe Biden, warned that Carlson’s interview legitimises Fuentes’ ideas and gives them a platform, bringing them into mainstream political discourse.

After the events of 7 October, Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens, and others have become a phenomenon that is especially visible in the American political sphere. Although they existed previously, the rise in their viewership and the growing attention to the issues they raise on their personal media platforms, and among those interested in politics, now reflect a significant development in the American landscape. Last month, the average number of viewers for Nick Fuentes’s program “America First” reached one million viewers per episode, despite being banned from numerous streaming services. Candace Owens averaged around 2.3 million viewers, and Tucker Carlson’s viewership averaged 1.25 million viewers, and his interview with Fuentes alone brought in 6.5 million views.

For instance, in his latest episode, Fuentes continued his focus on the contrast between two fragments within the Right, one being pro-Israel and the other anti-Israel, something that can be interpreted as an ideological struggle within the Republican Party. A report by The New York Times considered that this dilemma could become a central point of conflict during the upcoming 2026 primary elections and the 2028 presidential elections. Fuentes, who is in his twenties, adopts a position opposed to unconditional U.S. support for Israel, noting in his interview with Carlson that any support must be based on “America First” interests rather than a blind loyalty to Israel. In the same interview, Fuentes described Jews as “unable to assimilate” and denied the possibility of separating Jews from Israel, which he bases on the fact that for many Jews, their religion, ethnicity, and identity are deeply tied to their support for Israel. Given his growing popularity, Fuentes’s positions are considered dangerous in a society that has deemed discussion of such issues taboo for many years.

Following that interview, a division erupted within conservative Republican circles. Some leaders deemed Fuentes’s statements as antisemitic, while others, especially those aligned with the “America First” approach, argued that his comments fall under freedom of expression within the party, and that discussing Israel’s role in US politics should be based on America’s interests first, not unwavering loyalty to others. This position opens the door to the possibility of directing criticism toward Jews and Israel.

Tucker Carlson is a journalist, presenter, and veteran opinion commentator. He was one of the most prominent hosts on Fox News, presenting a well-known program there until 2023, after which he moved to speaking through digital media platforms such as the “X” network. Carlson remained influential despite leaving Fox News, as many conservative audiences in America continue to follow him, and his ideas resonate strongly within those circles. Carlson adopts conservative Republican views on immigration, multiculturalism, and globalisation, and in recent years he has taken a sharply critical stance toward Israel and its relationship with the United States. He has strongly criticised US military and political support for Israel, especially after the Gaza war, arguing that America is endangering its own interests and calling for “American neutrality” in the conflict. He does not support the Palestinians; rather, he focuses on what he considers the interests of his own country.

Tucker Carlson criticised Israel in his interviews with both Nick Fuentes and Nalin Haley. In his conversation with Haley, Carlson discussed US-Israeli relations and Israel’s influence in American politics, reiterating his view that Israel represents a “strategic burden” on the United States rather than a source of strength. Haley, the son of Nikki Haley, who is a former US ambassador to the United Nations during Trump’s first term, has begun to gain traction in the past year as a young, influential right-wing voice. He argued that deep, unconditional support for Israel is harmful, asserting that the United States should not view Israel as a “permanently exceptional ally.” Haley presents himself as a voice of the “younger generation”, dissatisfied with the traditional alliance between the American conservative movement and Israel.

Candace Owens is considered a political activist and media commentator known for her conservative positions. She became famous for her strong criticism of liberalism, and in recent years she has emerged as a prominent face within what is called the “New American Right”. She speaks across media platforms and social networks and belongs to an older generation than Fuentes, enjoying significant viewership, particularly among wide sectors of the American Right. In her latest broadcast. Owens focused on exposing the relationship between Israel and Zionist connection to the killing of Charlie Kirk, claiming she possessed evidence or indications pointing to such involvement.

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This is merely a sample of a broader phenomenon spreading in the United States, led by a group of right-wing figures, some of whom are from younger generations, and others who are media personalities or social-media influencers, who enjoy substantial followings among right-wing and Republican audiences. They share clear, critical positions rooted in rejecting the traditional alliance with Israel in favour of advancing “America First”. Among them are businessman and activist Vivek Ramaswamy, media personality Kari Lake, and media influencer Lauren Chen. Significant shifts have also appeared in the attitudes of young Republicans toward Israel, as traditional support has declined after the Gaza war and the subsequent escalation with Lebanon and Iran. A study conducted at Northwestern University found that only 43 per cent of young people who identify as Republicans support Israel, compared with 72 per cent among those aged 65 and older. A Washington Post poll also showed that the percentage of Republicans under age fifty who view Israel positively dropped sharply from 63 per cent before the Gaza war to only 48 per cent now.

In a related development, Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced a few days ago her resignation from Congress, following a dispute with Trump over the Jeffrey Epstein case and other files, despite years of her strong loyalty to him. Greene expressed her condemnation of what she described as the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza, becoming the first Republican congresswoman to acknowledge this. She stated that the ongoing bombing of civilians and the killing of children constitutes a crime against humanity, also pointing out that the Republican Party’s blind support for Israel, influenced by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), comes at the expense of humanitarian values, and fuels regional conflicts at the cost of civilian suffering. She affirmed that she preferred stepping down from a position that imposes blind allegiance and restricts freedom of expression, adding that labeling criticism of Israel as antisemitism is manipulative. Greene’s resignation carries a strategic dimension, tied to the fracture occurring within the “Make America Great Again” movement in the Republican Party, particularly after the events of 7 October and Trump’s controversial positions on many domestic and foreign issues. Republican House Speaker, Mike Johnson, a strong supporter of Israel, called for isolating what he described as “isolationists” within the party, those opposed to wars and to supporting Israel, during the midterm elections. Pro-Israel leaders intend to fight these figures, as they now represent a growing trend within the party that challenges its traditional pro-Israel stance in US foreign policy. The New York Times recently highlighted this dilemma, noting that it could become a central point of conflict in the 2026 congressional midterms and the 2028 presidential elections.

Recent polls show that Republicans are gradually distancing themselves from their traditional, automatic support for Israel. A poll conducted in late August revealed that 14 per cent of Republicans described what is happening in Gaza to Palestinians as “genocide”, and 24 per cent considered that Israel’s military response “went too far”, according to another poll conducted by Associated Press and NORC, though these percentages remain lower than those among other segments of the American public. Half of independents and 70 per cent of Democrats said Israel’s response in Gaza exceeded acceptable limits. Yet the most significant finding comes from a third poll by the Associated Press, in which 57 per cent of Republicans said that US support enabled Israel’s actions in Gaza. Among independents and Democrats, that belief exceeded 63 per cent and 72 per cent respectively. Most Republicans also emphasise that the United States should not intervene in any Israeli war with Iran and that it should negotiate instead.

Dan Caldwell, former senior advisor at the Pentagon and close to Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, argued that Israel’s tendency to wage war with its neighbours endangers US bases and drags the United States into conflict. He added that the end of the war offers the United States an opportunity to do what it has attempted, and failed, to do for nearly a decade: rationalise and reduce its presence in the Middle East. Popular podcaster, Theo Von, who hosted Trump during last year’s campaign and is credited with reconnecting him to the younger generation, said that what the United States is doing appears to serve Israel’s interests alone. Von’s views are intensifying debate over US-Israel relations. And just like the progressives in the Democratic Party, voices within the “Make America Great Again” movement are now questioning the legitimacy of AIPAC.

It is also noteworthy that the Heritage Foundation, which shaped much of Trump’s policy agenda, is calling for the gradual termination of US aid to Israel. Similarly, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), which focuses on promoting the “America First” agenda within the Republican conservative movement, recently published a paper calling for a reduction in US security and economic support for Israel, essentially proposing a recalibration of traditional support in line with America First principles. Both institutions serve as intellectual pillars that may influence decision-makers within the Republican current.

It is well known that the Republican Party supports Israel by a large majority, even though support for Israel has traditionally been a bipartisan consensus shared by both Democrats and Republicans. Before 1948, the United States began supporting Jewish presence in Palestine and helped solidify that presence, especially toward the end of the British Mandate. After that year, both parties began offering unconditional support for Israel. In the 1980s, American politics witnessed an alliance between the evangelical Right and the Republican Party, following the evangelicals’ decision to enter the political arena, a significant shift that paved the way for Ronald Reagan’s rise to power. This development allowed AIPAC’s role and influence to be emphasised and enhanced in American political life, placing the lobby at the core of US policymaking, especially regarding US policy toward Israel.

Since 1948, support for Israel has been a point of agreement between both major parties in the United States. Israel’s popularity within the Democratic Party gradually declined, but Netanyahu’s 2015 speech in Congress against Obama and the Iran nuclear deal marked a major turning point in deepening that decline. Today, we are witnessing a noticeable decrease in support among the Republican Party, the Right, and the nationalists for the unusual, highly privileged relationship between the United States and Israel. The US-Israel alliance is no longer as solid as it once was, and there is a widening rift, one that has already begun within the Republican Party itself, which for decades was Israel’s strongest and most committed supporter. American leaders, both Republican and Democrat, including president Trump himself, admit to this rift. This rift may gradually lead to a transformation in US policy toward Israel for the first time since 1948.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.