“Support for Israel around the world is declining,” former Chicago mayor and potential Democratic presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel declared in Israel last week. “The only diplomatic achievement Israel has secured in the past three years is Somaliland.”
Is that true? Is Israel more isolated than ever? In left-wing circles, both in the United States and Western Europe, most certainly – a trend many years in the making.
But among conservatives globally, support for Israel is rising – and that’s translating into a reversal of left-wing isolation across the Western Hemisphere and beyond.
Argentina’s Javier Milei visited Israel in April to establish the “Isaac Accords” – a path to expand Israel’s presence in Latin America. Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz and Chile’s Jose Antonio Kast both restored diplomatic ties with Israel after taking office.
In Colombia, outgoing President Gustavo Petro accused Israel of hacking an election after voters gave the nod to President Trump’s preferred candidate – pro-American and pro-Israel Abelardo de la Espriella.
Looking north, the Conservative Party of Canada couldn’t be more pro-Israel, from leader Pierre Poilievre to future foreign minister Shuv Majumdar. The conservatives of the Western Hemisphere are shattering the global left’s attempt to isolate Israel.
Looking east across the pond, British Tories remain steadfastly opposed to the rising antisemitism in the United Kingdom while Reform brings more supporters of Israel and anti-Islamists into its fold by the day.
Slovenia, meanwhile, with its newly elected right-wing prime minister Janez Jansa, has announced it will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem while rescinding the country’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
At the same time, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and India’s Narendra Modi are busy expanding their defense relationships with Israel. In addition to Germany and India, military delegations from Canada, Britain, France, Morocco, Finland, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Estonia, Japan, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia all came to Israel to learn from its military’s battlefield lessons and innovations – even as some of its political leaders blasted Israel in public.
American conservatives should be buoyed by Israel’s rising stock among conservatives worldwide. Polling suggests that support remains rock solid in the United States.
A recent survey conducted by the Reagan Institute found 80% of MAGA Republicans think Israel’s security matters to U.S. security and prosperity – including 63% of those under 30. Over 70% of MAGA Republicans also support sending weapons to Israel, while 60% of Democrats oppose arming Israel.
Another poll released by the Washington Free Beacon found likely Republican primary voters prefer a candidate who supports a strong U.S.-Israel relationship by a margin of 57 percentage points.
Republicans in Congress reflect their pro-Israel electorates. Just this week, not a single Republican voted for an amendment offered by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie – a fringe Israel-obsessed congressman recently defeated in a GOP primary. Massie won the votes of 103 Democrats and zero Republicans.
Why do conservatives break against Emanuel’s claim of Israel being isolated?
Many of these conservative leaders have a lived experience under pro-Islamist, Marxist rule, which informs a world outlook that embraces a technologically innovative, culturally vibrant, and terrorist-fighting democracy like Israel. These leaders see Israel for what it is: a strategic asset. And when they come to power, strengthening bilateral relations with Israel is a Day 1 action item.
Here in the United States, support for Israel is an investment in helping secure another American century – one defined by winning the AI arms race, unlocking quantum computing, controlling the periodic table and mastering advanced energy solutions.
That Israel is a democracy with shared Judeo-Christian values whose fight against terrorism and unmatched intelligence service saves countless American lives remains true – but that is only the foundation of the relationship. The future primes more. Israel is a technological juggernaut that can help us preserve another American century is tomorrow’s promise. It is why, as America’s National Defense Strategy notes, Israel is a model ally.
It’s also why Israel’s position within non-traditional multilateral frameworks continues to strengthen. The Abraham Accords have expanded to include Kazakhstan, a Muslim-majority country. Turkey’s rise alongside U.S.-brokered peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is bringing Yerevan and Baku closer to Israel. Greece and Cyprus are doubling down on their Eastern Mediterranean strategic partnership with Israel, too.
It might be a surprise for people to learn that Venezuela – just a few months ago the headquarters for Iran in the Western Hemisphere with no relations with Israel for a generation – welcomed Israeli aid into Caracas after last month’s devastating earthquake.
So, when Rahm Emanuel declares Israel more isolated than ever, why is it that we instinctively nod our heads and think it’s true? There are indeed alternate universes where it certainly feels true: the dystopian United Nations; the cadre of click-bait podcasters feeding a Marxist-Islamist-Nazi medley of talking points to young people with no living attachment to World War II and no memory of September 11; and the media coverage of Emanuel’s own party, which now openly embraces communists, terrorist sympathizers, and people with Nazi tattoos.
The socialist ascendancy within the Democratic Party is a very real phenomenon that threatens American support for Israel. An Islamist ascendancy in Western Europe is very real, too, with negative effects on relations with a Jewish state.
But from the Western Hemisphere to Europe to the Middle East to India, Israel is not as isolated as you think.
