Israel’s Friends
By: Larry Gordon
It’s a complex subject whose philosophical essence is currently taking its place center stage in the media. And that is the subject of being critical of Israel’s policies in Gaza while at the same time being a friend and supporter of the Jewish state.
This is the nature of the debate. Can those on the outside looking in as well as those inside the Jewish community parse their words and indulge in a nuanced conversation that has them disagreeing with Israel’s policies in Gaza while at the same time assuring their unambiguous support of Israel?
Megyn Kelly at CPAC 2025
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
That’s a nice and even classy way of articulating that while you love Jews, it’s the State of Israel and Zionism that irk you and that you have a difficult time tolerating. But then again—who asked you?
The first question on this subject is: Who are these people taking issue with Israel’s military strategy in Gaza? They are news commentators, podcast hosts, and journalists who in all probability know next to nothing about the terrain of Gaza and the most effective way to root out terrorists and killers who have been holding Israeli citizens in the most inhumane conditions for almost two years now.
Are these matters that can be discussed, debated, and pontificated upon in comfortable air-conditioned studios in Midtown Manhattan?
I was watching Megyn Kelly in a dialogue with Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA the other night. She brought up the matter of the ongoing conflagration in Israel. Megyn Kelly is a real professional journalist with a great résumé and knows how to comprehensively present a subject to her almost 5 million daily listeners.
Kirk, in my estimation, is a fine young man. He’s an interesting person who, at 31 years of age, has accomplished a great deal in building an organization of right-leaning young people who are interested in the type of politics that supports Republican candidates like Donald Trump and who are interested in maintaining our country as a free and civilized nation as the Founders envisioned. Kirk pointed out that he is a religious Christian who not only does his utmost to observe the Sabbath, but is also now writing a book on the subject.
But while both Kelly and Kirk are outspoken supporters of Israel, it seems that it is mostly the length of the ongoing war with Hamas, whose members are largely financed by Qatar, that has pushed these two and many others over the edge.
Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer was in Gaza last week and reported that during the three hours he spent five miles inside the Strip, he did not see any Palestinians that he could report in good conscience looked like they were starving.
Hemmer, in an interview with Prime Minister Netanyahu, asked Bibi straight away if he intends to occupy Gaza. Bibi said yes, Israel will occupy Gaza. But he plans on turning over the governance of the Strip to a combination of Arab governments that will ensure that no Hamas or any other terrorist presence will have control of the region again. Israel has lived long enough with the constant firing of missiles that kill and injure people every day as if it were some sacred right of the world to have their way with Jews, something no other people in the world would be asked to tolerate.
Both Kelly and Kirk have taken umbrage recently to the criticism they have received from the pro-Israel community, who accuse them of antisemitism, particularly for the way they criticize Israel (which Kelly calls “pushbacks”) for the manner in which they conduct the war against Hamas (which she calls “overreaches”) these last two years.
In particular, Kelly and Kirk have been convinced that Israel is conducting a genocidal campaign against the Gazans and that they are intentionally starving the almost two million people who live there. People who have actually been inside Gaza, like Fox’s Hemmer, say that they have not seen any overt effort to deny the shipment of food to the general population there.
If anyone in Gaza is responsible for the scarcity of food, it is the UN, and UNWRA in particular, which Israel accuses of working with Hamas directly to divert humanitarian aid for their own benefit. It’s a stain on the human conscience that this corrupt partnership is tolerated by the nations of the world.
On the flip side, it just may be that the Gazans are feeling a measure of guilt, considering the way they supported Hamas, and that when they were given the opportunity to vote, they did so overwhelmingly for Hamas. Not that Israel should be feeling any guilt about the situation in Gaza, but the people of Gaza, combined with the leaders of Hamas, know that any suffering they are enduring at present was caused by their own actions.
The fake-news attempt to besmirch Israel and Jews is losing some of its credibility and believability. The countries that speak at the UN in support of the carnage wreaked by Hamas, while blaming it on Israel, know that they are participating in a huge fraud that has cost the lives of thousands of people.
So, Megyn Kelly and Charlie Kirk don’t like some of the names viewers are calling them on YouTube and Instagram. Is that a reason for them to abandon their support of Israel and instead support the terrorists of Hamas? Is this what they are actually suggesting and is this the direction they are heading in? It’s absurd for intelligent people to look at the issues this way.
So, they don’t like that this war is shlepping along for such a long period of time. Does anyone believe—including Kelly and Kirk—that this is what Israel wants: endless war with daily casualties?
Kelly and Kirk are too smart to look at things that way, and they should be doing the right thing and supporting Israel and Netanyahu regardless of what the fake news says.
Then there is the sideshow between pro-Israel radio personality Mark Levin and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Basically, they are calling each other names like children on a playground. Greene described Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a “genocide” and Levin says that Greene is an antisemitic, anti-Israel, Jew-hater. The congresswoman (who was previously embroiled in an antisemitic scandal) called Levin “a psychopath” and accused him of being “Israel first, not America first.”
We will get into their knock-down, drag-out verbal exchange at a later date. As I mentioned previously, Greene has the same problem with Jews that Tucker Carlson has, and that is that Jews don’t accept the Christian god as a divine being, so to speak, and they are very much into that. Perhaps both of them—Greene and Carlson—should leave this sentiment at home.
On Sunday at a news conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear what has to transpire and also reported later that he has President Trump’s full support to proceed with the plan. The objective, as laid out by Bibi on Sunday, is to destroy Hamas, free the hostages, recover the bodies of any deceased hostages, and establish Israeli security over Gaza, which will be run by an administrative government formed by an assortment of Arab countries so long as they do not include Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, both of which are composed of violent, corrupt killers.
Megyn Kelly and Charlie Kirk shouldn’t be so sensitive about being called various unflattering names. As prudent observers, we all know that it is not wise to react to every extremist who thinks differently than you do.
They are both important media voices and friends of Israel. Let’s do our best to keep it that way. n
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
