Even before speakers took the stage, the conference reflected a deeper struggle over the soul of the American right, a battle waged in recent months between competing streams within the MAGA camp. On one side stands the conservative-establishment stream, emphasizing clear ideological boundaries and opposition to antisemitism and conspiracy theories, while on the other side, a more populist and isolationist wing views such criticism as an attempt at silencing and enforcing uniformity – even from figures who clearly slide into openly antisemitic and anti-Israel territory.

The rift spilled outside the conference hall, including into central power centers in Washington, as the Heritage Foundation publicly rushed to defend Tucker Carlson amid criticism he received following interviews he conducted with antisemitic figures and faced substantial criticism from inside and outside. This transformed the confrontation not just into a personal dispute between commentators, but into a principled clash over the identity of the conservative movement, the boundaries of its legitimacy, and the direction it is heading in the Trump era and beyond.

Video: Vice President J.D. Vance's speech as Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro clash. Credit: Turning Point

On opening night, the depth of the rift was exposed when conservative commentator Ben Shapiro took the stage and launched a frontal attack on central figures in the populist right, led by Tucker Carlson, the hard-right figure who has expressed harsh positions against Israel, frequently crossed the line into antisemitic conspiracy theories, and in October even hosted a declared antisemite and Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes.

Shapiro warned that "the conservative movement is in serious danger," not only from the left, but from "charlatans who claim they speak in the name of principles, but actually traffic in conspiracies and dishonesty." He repeatedly invoked the late Kirk, arguing that "there's a reason Charlie Kirk loathed Nick Fuentes… he knew that building up his persona is an act of moral folly, and that's exactly what Tucker Carlson did."

Shapiro added that "whoever gives a platform to a Holocaust denier and Nazi lover must take responsibility," and made clear that for him this is a moral red line. The remarks were met with applause, but also with jeers from parts of the audience.

Carlson, who has been using his powerful platform to echo the messages of America's enemies and antisemitic and anti-Israel voices, took the stage shortly after Shapiro's speech.

He responded with direct and clear barbs. Without mentioning Shapiro's name, he mocked calls for "de-platforming" at a conference bearing Charlie Kirk's name, saying that "hearing calls for silencing and condemnation at such an event is ridiculous." He said, "The entire so-called internal war on the right is completely fake." Later, he also addressed claims about antisemitism, declaring: "Antisemitism is immoral. In my religion, hating people because of how they were born is a sin. Period."

However, Carlson emphasized that, in his view, there is an attempt to use moral accusations to silence debate, and argued that the way to deal with extremist speakers is public debate, not a boycott, a statement made in direct response to the harsh criticism Shapiro voiced earlier. Later in the conference, populist right ideologue Steve Bannon spoke harshly against Shapiro, calling him "a cancer metastasizing" in the American right.

Into the charged atmosphere entered Vice President J.D. Vance's speech, who was perceived at the conference not just as a representative of the administration, but as a key figure in the next generation of American right leadership. Vance emerged from those same populist and ideological circles that fueled the rise of the MAGA camp and has maintained close ties over the years with the Turning Point USA movement and with the late Charlie Kirk. At the conference, and especially against the backdrop of Kirk's death, Vance was presented to many as someone expected to play a central role in leading the movement in the coming years, and even as a candidate to lead the Republican Party in the post-Donald Trump era.

Vance also directly addressed the internal rift on the right around Israel, antisemitism, and the confrontations between figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, and tried to present a conciliatory line. "I didn't bring a list of conservatives to denounce and deplatform," he said, adding that "We have far more important work to do than canceling each other."

Vance declared that in the Trump era "we don't need to apologize anymore for being white," as part of an attack on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion policies), and emphasized that America must judge citizens by "who they are and what they contribute." He repeated the isolationist line that the United States must focus on its internal affairs and avoid unnecessary foreign involvement.

Vance went further when he declared that "Christianity is the founding faith of America," and argued that for decades "the left has been waging war against Christianity in the public sphere." He said, "In a society that expelled God, a vacuum was created, and that vacuum was filled with destructive ideologies." He indirectly connected progressive culture to political violence, saying that "this is exactly why we must fight them."

Also appearing at the event was none other than pop star Nicki Minaj, who took the stage for an interview with Kirk's widow, Erika. Minaj made headlines recently after calling on President Trump to intervene in the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

The post Ben Shapiro branded as 'cancer' as right erupts at explosive Charlie Kirk conference appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Minister Amichai Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) announced on Wednesday that he would vote against the legislation to adopt language of the Trump initiative – which led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire – after it is introduced in the Knesset members for an official up-or-down vote.

Lapid (Yesh Atid) initiated the measure, stating, "I will bring a motion to the Knesset plenum for a vote on a resolution for the Knesset of Israel to accept and adopt the 20-point plan of United States President Donald Trump."

Lapid elaborated, "The entire Israeli people is grateful to President Trump for having led a courageous deal for the release of the Israeli hostages. We support President Trump and strengthen his hand in his efforts to implement the plan's stages. I expect all parties to vote in favor of the President's plan."

Minister Eliyahu told the radio station Galei Tzahal, "We will certainly vote against – if Lapid wants to embarrass the state, that's his business. A Palestinian state will not be established." The plan, however, includes a "path to the establishment of a Palestinian state."

The opposition previously embarrassed the government from the right last month when a bill to apply sovereignty was passed. Vice President JD Vance, who was visiting Israel at the time, criticized the move. Following the support of MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) for the move, which went against the directive of the Coalition, he was removed from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

The post Netanyahu's ally poised to embarrass Trump as 20-point plan heads to vote appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

When Barack Obama rose like a meteor in American politics, Israelis too looked at him in wonder. He had enormous charisma, but no public positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu, for example, hoped that Hillary Clinton would not be the nominee, regardless of who would. In the end, the who-would turned out to be one of the toughest US presidents toward Israel, from the settlement freeze, through the Iran nuclear deal, to his refusal to veto an anti-Israel resolution at the UN in the final days of his presidency. The moral is clear: it is worth getting to know the next meteor, and the way he thinks.

One serious candidate for that role is JD Vance, the 41-year-old vice president. His book offers significant insight into him. Until I read it, I didn't understand how a bearded and relatively unknown politician could crush all his rivals for the Republican nomination in 2028, and consistently poll higher than all of them, combined.

Vance, second only to Obama and secretly an admirer of him, as revealed in his book, is the updated embodiment of the American Dream - even if in his book it reads more like a nightmare. He describes the forgotten corners of the United States and the struggles of the white hillbilly community living in the Rust Belt states, and narrates its political shift from the Democratic left to the conservative right. If Obama's message to America was that it is the land of opportunity, Vance's message is that it is the land of limitations. Social mobility does not really exist, he argues, and his own story is the exception, not the rule.

Born to a Democratic family, Vance is the most effective messenger to America's swing voters, a mix of Ben Shapiro and Barack Obama. From Obama's early statements, it should have been clear that he viewed the world through the lens of oppressors and oppressed, and that nothing good for Israel would come of it. Until his last day in office, he saw Israel as a colonialist state and the Palestinians as indigenous. In his infamous Cairo speech, which set in motion the Tahrir Square revolution a year and a half later and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, he explained to his audience that Israel was essentially compensation for the Holocaust.

From Vance's book, despite its silence on foreign policy, Israel would be wise to learn how to adapt to the new Republican Party: It supports Israel, but in a platonic way. The underlying assumption is that every spare cent should stay in America, not be spent on grand illusions abroad. There is sympathy for strength and a visceral loathing of radical Islam - Vance recently quipped that "Britain is the first Islamist country with nuclear weapons" - but this does not mean a blank check or an endless weapons supply. Israel's challenge with Republicans is not hostility, but indifference.

Israel would do well to prepare for this new era, for instance, by considering phasing out military aid, just as Netanyahu phased out civilian aid three decades ago. Speak the language of cooperation rather than patronage, of mutual benefit and security innovation. The old Republican Party was about the Bible; the new one connects equally to the gun.

And now for something completely different

From the Ali Monter hills, the challenge has never been clearer. Shujaiyya, lying at its foot, is a heap of rubble from what was once a massive building, now dotted with garbage. A bit further away, in the Zeitoun neighborhood, some buildings are still standing, but the vast majority are uninhabitable. On the horizon is central Gaza City, where most buildings remain intact and populated. Beyond that, the sea. After Operation Protective Edge in 2014, in an attempt to justify the failure to decisively defeat the Hamas terrorist organization, then-Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said: "A battalion entered a high-rise, and it was as if it disappeared inside."

Gaza still has plenty of high-rises, far more than one might think after two years of war. The reserves are already mobilized, the IDF chief of staff is talking about victory, and the cabinet has announced there will be no pause. Yet there is a puzzling gap in the timetable. On one hand, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that Israel cannot agree to a 60-day deal, because afterward even President Donald Trump would not be able to provide legitimacy to continue the fighting. On the other hand, clearing the Gaza capital, both above ground and below it, will take months, just as it did in Rafah and Khan Younis. And that is without mentioning "Gideon Chariots C," the clearing of the central refugee camps. How can the two be reconciled? The answer is that they cannot. This is one of the reasons it is worth abandoning the binary thinking of either a temporary deal or a full occupation. There is a significant chance that this time, something different is taking shape. Operationally, and within the limits of military censorship, the next stage is expected to differ from the first. An IDF document published this week explained that the army had disregarded the international timetable.

This time, it is supposed to be different. Politically, and this is the key point, a new American diplomatic initiative is slowly taking shape. The hope is that the fall of Gaza City, combined with a concluding diplomatic move involving moderate Sunni states, will lead to the end of the war. Trump's plans resemble Apple products: iPhones are manufactured in China, then shipped to the US where they are packaged and labeled "Made in the USA." The American initiatives, from the "Deal of the Century," to plans for the migration of Gazans, to the "day after" - all originated in Jerusalem. The same applies to the current effort, as Dermer shuttles between Abu Dhabi and Washington, and everywhere in between.

The post JD Vance is the meteor Israel cannot afford to ignore appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

American officials were quick to clarify that the visit is not a "compensation visit" following Trump's decision to skip Israel during his recent Middle East tour. Instead, they said, Vance's arrival is intended to support efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.

Alongside many other world leaders, Vice President Vance is attending the inauguration ceremony of the new pope, Leo XIV, today at the Vatican in Rome. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is representing Israel at the event. It is assumed that Vance will arrive in Israel following the papal inauguration.

Vance is considered close to the isolationist wing of the Republican Party. However, in numerous public statements, he has made clear that in his view, Israel is an exception to the broader American desire to withdraw from global policing roles. For example, shortly after the October 7 massacre by the Hamas terrorist organization, he argued that "military aid to Israel should not be delayed because of the desire to support Ukraine" in its war against Russia.

If the visit proceeds, Vance is expected to meet with Israel's top leadership and may also tour communities near the Gaza Strip, security conditions permitting.

The post Vice President Vance expected to visit Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, recently delivered a powerful response to Senator JD Vance's comments about childlessness.

In a series of hurtful statements from 2021 interviews with Tucker Carlson, Vance claimed that childless Americans have "no physical commitment to the future of this country." He went further, stating, "So many of the leaders of the left, and I hate to be so personal about this, but they're people without kids trying to brainwash the minds of our children. And that really disorients me, and it really disturbs me." I don't think he hated "to be so personal." It seems to me that he loved it and intentionally tried to damage their character.

Vance's comments specifically called out Buttigieg and Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he likened to "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives" and "want to make the rest of the country miserable too." While Vance recently defended these remarks on "The Megyn Kelly Show" as "obviously sarcastic," they sparked widespread backlash, and rightly so.

Buttigieg's response at the Democratic National Convention was both personal and powerful. He stated:

"Someone who said that if you don't have kids, you have, quote, 'no physical commitment to the future of this country.' You know, Senator, when I deployed to Afghanistan, I didn't have kids then. Many of the men and women who went outside the wire with me didn't have kids either. But let me tell you, our commitment to the future of this country was pretty damn physical."

.@PeteButtigieg on JD Vance: "Someone who said that if you don't have kids you have 'no physical commitment to the future of this country.' You know Senator, when I deployed to Afghanistan I didn't have kids...our commitment to this country was pretty damn physical." pic.twitter.com/wfTwzbb08t

— CSPAN (@cspan) August 22, 2024

This rebuttal effectively challenged Vance's narrow view of patriotism and civic duty. Buttigieg's words highlight the diverse ways in which Americans contribute to and invest in their nation's future beyond just having children. His argument underscores that service, sacrifice, and dedication to one's country can take many forms.

It's worth noting that Vance's comments also oversimplified the personal situations of those he criticized. Harris is a stepmother to her husband's children, with her husband's ex-wife defending Harris as "loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present." Buttigieg and his husband adopted twins in September 2021, after what Buttigieg described as "a fairly heartbreaking setback in our adoption journey." He added that Vance "couldn't have known that, but maybe that's why you shouldn't be talking about other people's children."

Buttigieg's response serves as a powerful reminder that patriotism and commitment to one's country are not defined by family status, but by actions and sacrifices made for the greater good of the nation. It also highlights the importance of empathy and understanding in political discourse, recognizing that personal choices and circumstances are often more complex than they may appear.

The post Patriotic punch: Buttigieg's brilliant response to Vance's childless comments appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A resurfaced interview featuring Donald Trump's pick for vice president has sparked outrage, with several high-profile actresses, including Jennifer Aniston and Mayim Bialik, voicing their disapproval.

In the 2021 interview, J.D. Vance characterized the Democratic leadership, including Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as "childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too."

JD Vance says women who haven't given birth like Kamala Harris are "childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives," and have "no direct stake" in America. pic.twitter.com/3DJY3pQTGe

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 22, 2024

Vance singled out Harris, Pete Buttigieg (Secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (House Representative from New York). "The entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. And how does it make any sense that we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?"

As the interview footage gained traction on X, it triggered a wave of angry responses. Actress Jennifer Aniston weighed in, posting on her Instagram story, "I truly can't believe this is coming from a potential VP of the United States. All I can say is… Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day. I hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option. Because you are trying to take that away from her, too."

JD Vance's comments about childless cat ladies are - here's my take.

Some of my favorite people are childless, cat ladies, or both. So there.

TikTok audio remix with @ purrcival pic.twitter.com/zBa7oKEyCE

— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) July 25, 2024

Anniston was referring to the June Senate legislation spearheaded by Democrats that aims to safeguard access to fertility treatments nationwide, which Vance opposed. Vance is widely recognized as a conservative stalwart within the Republican Party and a vocal opponent of abortion.

Mayim Bialik, star of "The Big Bang Theory," also joined the fray with a response on X. "Some of my favorite people are childless, cat ladies, or both," she wrote in a post that included a montage of images of Bialik with cats set against the backdrop of the Vance interview recording and a Godfather-based parody with the words "You disrespect the cat, you disrespect the family."

The post J.D. Vance slammed for 'childless cat ladies' jab at Democratic leaders appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

J.D. Vance, the freshman senator from Ohio chosen by Donald Trump as his running mate for the upcoming presidential election, has a long record of public statements about Israel. The 39-year-old has weighed in on topics ranging from the Oct. 7 attacks and US aid to Israel, to campus protests in America, Iran's missile strikes, antisemitism, and why Israel must defeat Hamas militarily even if it can't defeat it as an idea.

Following Trump's announcement on Monday, we've taken a closer look at whether the man polls suggest will be America's next vice president is a friend or a foe.

"You're never going to defeat the ideology of Hamas"

On Oct. 7, Vance tweeted, "Praying for our friends in Israel this morning. Just an awful situation." Later, he posted again, "As we watch this horrible situation in Israel unfold, Americans must face a stark truth: our tax dollars funded this. Money is fungible, and many of the dollars we sent to Iran are being used to now kill innocent people. This must stop. Israel has every right to defend itself. I wish our friends well, but most of all I wish they weren't fighting against weapons bought with our money. "

On Oct. 19, Vance co-authored an op-ed in The Hill with Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts titled "Don't hold up Israel aid to further Ukraine War funding," calling on the administration to assist Israel promptly. The article stated, "The United States' closest ally and strategic partner in the Middle East is well equipped to respond to this escalating war and defend its people, but military support from the US will be necessary in the coming weeks... Israel is a democratic, historic US partner and key ally in the Middle East."

During Iran's missile attack on April 14, he wrote, "Praying for the people of Israel, and especially some very good friends. May God keep them safe."

In recent months, he has repeatedly criticized anti-Israel protesters on university campuses. On May 6, he tweeted, "The people funding and training the BLM riots of 2020 are doing the same with the anti-Israel protests in 2024," that is, setting America on fire. Vance even proposed legislation to cut off federal funding to colleges and universities that don't prevent such protests on their campuses. In another statement, he said the US should target organizations funding these demonstrations.

In an interview with CNN in May, Vance argued that Washington should not be dictating to Jerusalem how it should be fighting against Hamas.

"I think that our attitude vis-a-vis the Israelis should be, look, we're not good at micromanaging Middle Eastern wars, the Israelis are our allies, let them prosecute this war the way they see fit," he said, acknowledging that "Palestinian civilian casualties [are] a real issue." Nevertheless, he said Hamas was responsible for them and that the only solution to addressing the high reported death toll in Gaza is by dismantling Hamas as "a viable military organization."

"You're never going to defeat the ideology of Hamas, but you can root out those commanders, those final military-trained battalions, and I think you should empower the Israelis to do it," Vance said.

Antisemitism policy in question

In 2022, Vance visited Israel and was photographed at the Western Wall wearing a kippah. He tweeted about the visit, "Incredible to walk around Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, and trace the footsteps of Christ today."

That same year, he spoke out against antisemitism in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, "If you beat up a Jew and don't face consequences, the attacks will continue and get worse." However, he did not join as co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill to combat antisemitism signed by both Republican and Democratic senators last April, nor did he support the proposal requiring the Department of Education to define most expressions of anti-Zionism as antisemitism.

In the past, he promoted the "replacement theory," which is falsely claimed to be a Jewish plan to replace white Americans with minority groups, though it's important to note that Vance did not mention Jews in this context. Overall, this is an area where Vance rarely comments, so we'll have to wait and see what he does on this issue if and when elected.

The post Friend or foe: What is J.D. Vance's stance on Israel? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump has announced that Ohio Senator J.D. Vance will be his running mate in the 2024 US presidential elections, only two days after the attempted assassination of the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Vance (39) is considered a rising star in the Republican Party. In the past, he was highly critical of Trump, but over time he became one of his most vocal supporters. He is known for advocating a reduction in American involvement on the international stage, but has made an exception for Israel.

In a speech delivered at the Quincy Institute, in May, which aligns closely with his views, Vance expressed support for aid to Israel, describing it as a critical component of American foreign policy.

"The way that we get there in Israel is by combining the Abraham Accords approach with the defeat of Hamas. That gets us to a place where Israel and the Sunni nations can play a regional counterweight to Iran".

"We don't want a broader regional war. We don't want to get involved in a broader regional war. The best way to do that is to ensure that Israel, with the Sunni nations, can actually police their own region of the world.", He added.

In an interview with CNN, Vance talked about the ungoing war in Gaza: "Hamas started the war, and now they hide behind Palestinian civilians. So if you want to learn the lessons of the last 40 years, the most important thing is we have to defeat Hamas as a viable military organization".

"You're never going to defeat the ideology of Hamas, but you can root out those commanders, those final military-trained battalions, and I think you should empower the Israelis to do it", Vance added.

Vance's background

The post Ohio Senator J.D. Vance picked as Republican VP candidate appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.