From Gaza to Epstein: Why Israel is losing MAGA and the evangelicals

23 snips

Nov 28, 2025

Guest

Omer Benjakob

Guest

Ben Samuels

Ben Samuels, a Haaretz Washington correspondent, analyzes the GOP's realignment concerning Israel and highlights Marjorie Taylor Greene's departure as a warning signal. He discusses how MAGA-style isolationism is fracturing traditional support for Israel. Omer Benjakob, reporting on disinformation, reveals a multi-million dollar Israeli campaign targeting American evangelicals to counter rising antisemitism. Both guests emphasize the dangers of current online narratives and Israel's missteps in these turbulent political waters.

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INSIGHT

Gaza War Upended U.S.-Israel Politics

The Gaza war has reshaped U.S. politics, breaking the old partisan certainty on Israel support.
Republicans' isolationist and extremist wings now openly question the U.S.-Israel alliance.

INSIGHT

Greene's Resignation Tied To Israel Narrative

Marjorie Taylor Greene's split with Trump blended MAGA isolationism, Epstein conspiracies, and critiques of pro-Israel lobbying.
Israel became a central pillar in Greene's narrative against Trump and the GOP establishment.

INSIGHT

Israel's Multimillion-Dollar Rebranding Push

FAR filings show Israel funded multi-platform campaigns targeting American evangelicals and MAGA-adjacent audiences.
The goal shifted from traditional Hasbara to preserving a fracturing pro-Israel base amid rising antisemitism.

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The feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and MAGA congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene may not be exclusively about Israel, “but Israel is one of the pillars of the narrative” that fueled Greene’s decision to resign earlier this week, Haaretz’s Washington correspondent Ben Samuels told the Haaretz Podcast.

Until recently, the right was viewed as an unshakeable mainstay of American support for Israel. Schisms within the Republican Party have ruptured over Israel’s compatibility with MAGA-style isolationism, critiques of Israel’s wartime conduct and commentator Tucker Carlson’s embrace of Nick Fuentes.

Greene’s departure, which also comes amid a swirl of conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein and the Mossad, is a red flag regarding the “deep realignment” taking place in the GOP and among evangelical Christians, Samuels said – and Israeli leaders are worried.

Omer Benjakob, Haaretz’s cyber and disinformation correspondent, joined the podcast to discuss his recent investigation into a major multi-platform online campaign by the Israeli government that seeks to rehabilitate its image among the American Christian right.

Benjakob said the multimillion-dollar campaign seems to be “less about pro- or anti- Israel arguments and more about trying to quell a growing wave of antisemitism.”

He noted that the “rapid decline of this ‘unshakable bond’ points to a dependency on a population that progressive voices have warned Israel for years against getting in bed with.”

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Why Netanyahu Is Sharing Leftist Conspiracy Theories About a Mossad Sex Cabal

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Resigns From Office, After Trump's Support Withdrawal Last Week

Israel's Right Wing Bet the Country's Future on American Christian Nationalists. That Has Backfired

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