With last November’s election, the conservative Right in this country secured a massive victory. Donald Trump won the presidency handily, the GOP gained control of both the House and the Senate, and the Democratic Party was in disarray, with no one to bring them back to prominence. It appeared clear that the nation could look forward to years of Republican dominance.
That’s not so clear anymore, because a schism threatens to tear apart the Right, one whose epicenter lies not in America but in Israel.
This rift has been brewing for years, especially since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel; the latest flashpoint occurred last week when Tucker Carlson interviewed provocateur Nick Fuentes. The actual content of the interview became irrelevant; the real argument was over Carlson giving a “platform” to a man many on the Right consider a neo-Nazi antisemite. But what escalated the internal fight was a video by Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation (which is known to be pro-Israel). In it, he did not condemn Carlson, although he made clear that he rejected antisemitism and abhorred many of the views expressed by Fuentes over the years. Roberts encouraged discussion of the issues rather than fostering a cancel culture on the Right. It was a reasonable and balanced statement, so of course people online freaked out.
And when I say “freaked out,” I’m not exaggerating. People were literally comparing Roberts’s video to the early days of Nazi Germany, saying statements like his (which, remember, explicitly condemned antisemitism) were the first steps to a new Holocaust. Pro-Israel conservatives tripped over themselves to condemn Roberts—and, most importantly, made sure to be seen condemning him.
The standard argument one hears whenever anyone criticizes Israel—or even allows criticism to be made without condemnation—is “this is how the Holocaust began.” To permit even the slightest criticism is to invite mass evil. Now, because it’s necessary these days in these debates, let me make something explicit: I do believe the Holocaust happened and was one of the worst evils ever perpetrated by man. Millions of innocent Jews were slaughtered in the most cruel and evil ways. Faithful Catholics of the time, such as Dietrich von Hildebrand, Servant of God Therese Neumann, and St. Maximilian Kolbe understood this in the moment and rightly resisted the Nazi regime. We absolutely don’t want to go back, as the saying goes.
Yet the way many seek to avoid another Holocaust is too simplistic and may even be counterproductive. It’s true that the Holocaust happened because the Jews were historically scapegoated and unfairly criticized and attacked. Few in early 1930’s Germany defended them as the scapegoating was intensified. But does that mean that no criticism of modern Israel, no matter how mild, should be allowed? I see three possible outcomes of such a policy.
The first possibility is that stifling any and all criticism of Israel prevents another Holocaust, just as supposedly intended. Criticism could escalate to attacks and full-fledged scapegoating, so by nipping the problem in the bud, the ultimate tragedy is averted. But that’s not the only possible outcome of this strategy.
A second, and more likely, possibility is that by refusing to allow even legitimate criticism of Israel, resentment grows against its protected status, leading to more, not less, antisemitism. People begin to wonder why Israel—and Jews in general—are considered off-limits, and frustration caused by this artificial boundary becomes fuel for antisemitic conspiracies. This, in fact, is exactly what is happening now.
A third possibility, which can happen in conjunction with the second, is that due to its impunity, Israel has license to commit gravely evil acts without fear of consequences. If Israel truly has unconditional support from America, then any and all limits are removed in its efforts to achieve its political goals. And since Israel, like every nation, is ruled by sinful men, it’s likely those men will cross moral lines if given free reign to do so. And this also is happening now, as all objective observers acknowledge.
Thus, by awarding Israel with a protected status in order to prevent another Holocaust, pro-Israel conservatives excuse current evils and increase the likelihood of causing what they purportedly seeks to prevent.
