Iran is dragging the West into chaos.
Avi Abelow
(JNS)
As Israel faces threats at home, a different kind of battle is erupting in America, this one within the conservative camp.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued one of his clearest rebukes yet on Iran on June 16 and directed it at media personality Tucker Carlson, a prominent voice in the isolationist MAGA wing. On Truth Social, the president wrote,“Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
He’s right. The fact that Trump even had to say it speaks volumes about the current climate.
A dangerous narrative is taking hold not just among the radical left but is being echoed by influential voices on the right. They claim that Israel and Zionists are dragging America into war, claiming it’s Iraq 2.0, a trap, and not America’s problem.
Let’s set the record straight: In the first Gulf War, Israel didn’t ask for American help. On the contrary, then-President George H.W. Bush ordered Israel not to retaliate as Iraqi missiles targeted its civilians.
And during the second Gulf War, the American public was indeed misled about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But those lies came from Washington, not Jerusalem.
Today is different. Iran is a declared enemy of America and the West. They are openly pursuing nuclear weapons. This isn’t theory or guesswork. It’s not about oil; it’s about survival.
Israel is doing the heavy lifting. It has struck deep inside Iran and is prepared to go further. Israeli officials are confident Israel can stop Iran’s nuclear program on its own. But without American capabilities, it will take longer and be more dangerous.
Still, Israel will do it if it must.
But what’s truly chilling is hearing ancient antisemitic tropes resurface from so-called conservative voices: “Zionists are pushing America into war.” “This is Israel’s fight.” “Why should Americans die for the Jews?”
This isn’t a discussion on America First policy. This is the rhetoric of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion cloaked in red, white and blue.
If Iran goes nuclear, the free world is at risk. This isn’t Israel dragging America into conflict. It’s Iran dragging the West into chaos.
To fellow conservatives: Wake up. Iran doesn’t hate you because of Israel. They hate you because you stand for freedom, family, faith and the West’s biblical moral core. This is your war, too.
To fellow Jews, especially in the Diaspora: Jew-hatred is no longer limited to the left or the Islamist fringe. It is creeping into circles once believed to be safe. This is more than a political shift. It’s a storm, and the Jewish people have seen where storms like this lead.
Israel stands. It will always stand. But every alliance is temporary. Every friend is conditional. In the end, Israel must be ready to defend itself, alone if necessary, with strength, unity and unwavering resolve.
The Jewish people now face the hard truth that some voices on the right are now echoing the same hatred that’s been around for years from America’s left, draped in the language of America First. Jews cannot be blind or naive.
The signs are all around. Jew-hatred in the West is no longer hidden. These are the wake-up calls of modern times. It’s time to come home, not out of fear but of purpose.
Come build the Jewish homeland. Be part of the Jewish future, here, in the land of the Jewish past. While the world debates Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, it will continue to act with strength, clarity and an unshakable commitment to protecting its people.
Let the world say what it will, Israel and the Jewish people are not going anywhere.
Israel will continue to stand up for itself (and for freedom for everyone), acknowledge with gratitude its friends and partners, see the danger coming from every corner and know where home is for the Jewish people.
Image: Tea Party Patriots hold a “Stop the Iran nuclear deal” rally in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9, 2015. Credit: Elvert Barnes via Wikimedia Commons.
