Israeli leaders heap praise on Charlie Kirk as a staunch ally of Israel

Washington, DC – Mere minutes aft quality broke retired that American right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was shot, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a societal media station expressing his sympathy.

As Kirk was declared dormant connected Wednesday, Netanyahu and different Israeli officials rushed to eulogise the 31-year-old activist and emphasise his enactment for Israel.

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“A lion-hearted person of Israel, helium fought the lies and stood gangly for Judeo-Christian civilization,” the Israeli premier curate wrote connected X. “I spoke to him lone 2 weeks agone and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that sojourn volition not instrumentality place.”

That push, to represent Kirk arsenic a fallen champion of Israel arsenic overmuch arsenic of the US blimpish movement, comes arsenic galore influential right-wing commentators person been increasingly critical of Washington’s unconditional enactment for its Middle East ally.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called Kirk an “incredible friend” of Israel.

“Charlie represented the Judeo-Christian values that unite Israel and America,” helium said successful a societal media post. “Above all, helium was a fearless warrior for information and freedom. He was murdered for that.”

No fishy has been detained for the sidesplitting of Kirk, a adjacent state of United States President Donald Trump, and the motives down the sidesplitting stay unclear.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir paid tribute to Kirk connected Wednesday, sharing a photograph of the right-wing activistic with an Israeli emblem extracurricular the Ibrahimi Mosque, 1 of Islam’s holiest sites, successful the occupied West Bank.

“The collusion betwixt the planetary Left and extremist Islam is the top information to humanity today,” Ben-Gvir said.

“Charlie Kirk saw the information and warned astir it. But the bullets of the despicable murderer struck him.”

In immoderate of his last nationalist appearances, Kirk – who regularly bashed Islam and Muslims – promoted the unfounded conspiracy mentation that Islam and the governmental near are moving unneurotic to undermine the US and Europe.

“Islam is the sword the near is utilizing to slit the pharynx of America,” helium wrote successful a societal media station connected Tuesday, a time earlier helium was shot.

Several Israeli politicians underscored Kirk’s ties to Israel portion lauding his views.

For example, erstwhile Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz described Kirk arsenic a “voracious defender of Judeo-Christian values, America & the State of Israel”.

The word “Judeo-Christian values” appeals to mainstream US conservatives, but critics accidental it aims to exclude Muslims and different spiritual groups from Western societies.

They besides reason that it is ahistorical, fixed the hostility and anti-Semitism Jewish communities person faced successful Christian societies successful Europe implicit the past centuries.

But “Judeo-Christian values” were a recurring taxable successful the Israeli eulogies for Kirk.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich joined different Israeli officials successful calling Kirk a “true person of Israel”.

The execution of Charlie Kirk is simply a tragic and devastating blow.

Charlie was a existent person of Israel, but beyond that, helium was a antheral who engaged successful genuine dialog with his opponents arsenic a mode to beforehand his values.

A dialog successful which helium defended the morals and principles he… pic.twitter.com/Ta4wncQr9G

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) September 11, 2025

Kirk’s Israel views

Kirk was so a staunch protagonist of Israel – but not without occasional misgivings.

Last month, helium denied the well-documented Israeli-imposed starvation successful Gaza, echoing Israeli officials’ falsehoods that the United Nations-declared famine successful the territory is “pure ocular warfare”.

Still, contempt his years of pro-Israel advocacy, helium was not immune to the ideas of the increasing “America First” question that has been questioning the benefits of Washington’s devotion to its Middle East ally.

As Israeli leaders lobbied Trump to weaponry Iran successful June, Kirk warned that the US president’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) basal was opposed to the war.

“I tin archer you close now, our MAGA basal does not privation a warfare astatine each whatsoever,” Kirk said connected his podcast. “They bash not privation US involvement. They bash not privation the United States to beryllium engaged successful this.”

Kirk supported Trump’s crackdown connected Palestinian rights field advocacy, including efforts to deport Columbia University pupil Mahmoud Khalil, which activists accidental violated escaped code rights.

However, helium sometimes spoke retired against overreaches by pro-Israel advocates to censor the country’s opponents.

In May, helium voiced absorption to a proposed law to penalise boycotting Israel.

“In America you are allowed to clasp differing views. You are allowed to disagree and protest,” Kirk wrote connected X astatine that time.

“We’ve allowed acold excessively galore radical who hatred America determination present from abroad, but the close to talk freely is the birthright of each Americans.”

In July, helium hosted a sheet of young conservatives sceptical of the US-Israel confederation and appeared to explicit vexation with accusations of anti-Semitism against immoderate disapproval of Israel.

“I’m told by immoderate radical that if I criticise AIPAC, I’m anti-Semitic,” Kirk said, referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.