A long-smoldering debate over US support for "Israel" burst into public view after Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts defended Tucker Carlson, arguing that "Christians can critique the state of Israel without being antisemitic."

According to Responsible Statescraft, the remarks made amid criticism of Carlson’s interview with avowed "white nationalist"  Nick Fuentes ignited a fierce split within the Republican coalition between traditional pro-"Israel" hawks and a rising restraint-oriented faction.

Roberts’s intervention, which included denouncing many of Fuentes’s views while urging debate over them, has prompted high-profile responses from figures such as Senator Ted Cruz and other conservative institutions seeking to discipline Heritage and marginalize Carlson. At the same time, MAGA and America-First voices have rallied behind Roberts and Carlson, framing the dispute as a necessary reassessment of US foreign commitments.

Policy uncertainty under Trump

The rupture reflects deeper currents in Republican foreign policy. A struggle between a neoconservative tradition that views support for "Israel" as central to US interests and a resurgent paleoconservative/restraint movement skeptical of extensive foreign entanglements has emerged.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has insisted that supporting "Israel" is “innately tied to America's fundamental interests,” while polling cited in the report shows substantial base appetite for paying less attention to problems overseas and growing youth skepticism toward "Israel".

Tucker Carlson’s prominence has amplified the dispute, serving as “a vehicle for some segment of the American political establishment that is unhappy with the present terms of the US-Israel relationship,” Murtaza Hussain of Drop Site News told Responsible Statescraft. 

A Heritage Foundation intervention has intensified a GOP battle over "Israel", pitting pro-"Israel" hawks against a rising restraint faction and deepening policy uncertainty under Trump.

Read more: Majority of American Jews say 'Israel' committed war crimes in Gaza

Israeli officers gave orders on Iran in Pentagon

Carlson has said that Israeli occupation forces officers operating inside the Pentagon during the 12-day war waged by the US and the Israeli regime against Iran, “enraged” American military staff by giving direct orders and making demands.

Speaking on his show, Carlson said, “During the 12-day war, such as it was with Iran, the US and Israel versus Iran, bombing on all sides during that short conflict, IDF officers [were] in the Pentagon. By the way, they're not the only foreign military officers in the Pentagon. There are NATO officers, they’re from Britain and other countries. But there are a bunch of Israeli Defense Force officers in the Pentagon that week.”

He went on to describe what he characterized as inappropriate interference: "Ask anyone who works at the Pentagon. They enraged American Pentagon staff by just barging into meetings, giving orders, making demands. And nobody did anything about it."

Carlson concluded by saying that this has been the “state of play” for years, adding that "it has been for a very long time. And they’re not even pretending.”

Read more: Majority of Americans support recognizing Palestinian state