By T. Kleinfeld
Supporting Israel does not automatically equate to supporting Jewish people or affirming their right to exist. While Israel is home to a significant portion of the global Jewish population, many Jews live outside of Israel and often hold diverse perspectives on its policies and actions—particularly during Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure as Prime Minister.
Pete Hegseth’s declaration of “robust support” for Israel is hollow when it comes to demonstrating genuine solidarity with Jewish people. His past statements and actions undermine such claims. For example, his endorsement of “killing every last member of Hamas” reflects a dangerous lack of nuance for someone being considered for a leadership position. It disregards the fact that the first victims of Hamas’s actions are often Palestinians themselves.
Hegseth, much like Mike Huckabee before him, ignores the political reality that most Jewish Americans voted against his political allies and largely disagree with the platform of the incoming administration and what it represents. These so-called defenders of Israel and, by extension, the Jewish people, often perpetuate one of the most insidious forms of antisemitism: instrumentalization.
Their support for Israel is not rooted in a genuine commitment to Jewish well-being but in the role Israel, and by extension Jews, are expected to play in fulfilling their own ideological or religious agendas. They claim to be allies or “best friends” of Jews while enacting token policies that pander to harmful tropes of Jewish control and wealth. For instance, they vilify George Soros for alleged undue influence while celebrating figures like Elon Musk, who engagesin similar behaviors they purport to denounce.
For individuals like Hegseth, Jews become a means to an end, a convenient tool for advancing their own political or religious narratives. Appointing such a person to oversee the military poses a grave risk—not just to foreign and domestic security, but to the safety of allies and American citizens. Such leadership perpetuates harmful stereotypes and undermines the principles of equity and understanding that should guide any administration.
T. Kleinfeld is a name that was created by From The G-Man in order to protect the identity of the writer, who is a “proud Jew.”