Are Anti-Israel Democrats Diminishing Trust in the U.S. as an Ally?

One would think, after a terrorist organization such as Hamas attacked the people and state of Israel by brutally killing over a thousand citizens, as well as raping and kidnapping some of whom they did not viciously murder, that the response would be one of vehement condemnation. One would think, right? But instead, an ugly segment within the U.S. population has been unmasked as anti-Semitism breaks out, and this is the antithesis of what America stands for. College campuses, for one, have been a major focus since October 7.

Not only have many authorities within numerous universities failed to clearly oppose anti-Semitism at large, but they seem to fail in wrangling in their student populations. Within the last week, chaotic campus protests have emerged in huge numbers. Columbia and Yale University had their fair share of media attention last weekend and into this week. Washington, D.C. is also dealing with protest encampments at University Yard, where “hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered … including faculty, staff and students from other D.C. universities, to join a movement of encampments at more than a dozen universities nationwide,” The GW Hatchet reported.

Also seen in Washington D.C. was a man holding “a sign calling for the ‘final solution,’ the Nazi plan to exterminate all Jews.” Of course, this is yet another example of how these protests are not merely about wanting Israel’s war against Hamas to come to a close, but are going so far as to call for the elimination of the Jews.

Unfortunately, lawmakers within our own government don’t seem to care that their actions are spurring this ugliness along.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate Chuck Schumer have both made similar remarks that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “should resign.” Considering Israel sits as one of America’s closest allies, “how should we respond to [such] attacks on the leader … currently at war following a terrorist attack?” How does it make the U.S. look, and does it “undermine Israel’s standing in the global community?” David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Trump administration and founder of the Friedman Center for Peace Through Strength, joined “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” Thursday to provide analysis on these questions.

When government officials like Pelosi and Schumer make the comments they do, Friedman emphasized, it makes “other countries really doubt … whether they can trust America as an ally when things get tough.” He expressed that even those not so keen of Netanyahu “are rallying around him now as the leader of the country in a time of war.”

But concerning calls for Netanyahu to resign coming from American government, Friedman added, “I think it reveals what I’ve known for some time, which is that whether it’s Schumer or Pelosi, these are people devoid of principles. These are people who are shameless head counters. And they’re looking around right now in an election year and seeing a lot of energy right now among … young people who are hostile to Israel, and they want to … maintain the option for those votes.” For Freidman, “That’s all this is about,” and it’s “really shameless.”

Not to mention the fact that “it’s a gut punch to the state of Israel,” the former ambassador underscored. “It’s a gut punch to all those who support it, to all the people who are risking their lives, in many cases sacrificing their lives, to protect the state of Israel against the most vile forces of evil in the world who, frankly, hate America just as much as they hate the state of Israel.” Perkins agreed, and he emphasized the media plays a large role in enabling this atmosphere of criticism and hostility. “Israel doesn’t get a fair shake in the domestic press,” Friedman stated.

Perkins explained how the history of the Jewish people, as well as “the rise of anti-Semitism that we’re seeing now across the United States and … around the world,” points to the fact that Israel is facing an “existential threat.” Perkins asked, “How do you approach this new reality?”

“Well, unfortunately, it’s an old reality,” Friedman replied. “Thank God,” he added, “for people … who will support Israel and report the facts fairly.” Because “you would think that a nation … invaded by bloodthirsty terrorists who burned babies, raped women, slaughtered people in their beds, took 250 hostages, continued to hold 130 hostages — you would think they would not be garnering much sympathy anywhere in the world. But … people are actually saying, ‘We are Hamas.’ It’s not about peace. It’s not about a ceasefire. It’s about destroying Israel.”

For Friedman, the most important aspect, as he put it, is that “in every generation, they rise up against us, and God comes to our aid.” Amid the persecution, “what holds us together is the Bible,” he said. “The Bible stands with us as our protection. God stands with us [as] our protection.”

As Perkins concluded, “[I]t is that Book that unites us as Christians to the Jewish community in standing for them and standing for Israel.”