Megyn Kelly’s recent conversation with Emily Jashinsky shines a harsh light on a fight breaking out on the right over Israel, and it ought to wake conservatives up. What looked like a tidy, unified pro-Israel stance has instead exposed bitter disputes between establishment hawks, America First skeptics, and attention-seeking provocateurs on the online right.
This division is not theoretical; it has real consequences for policy and for the reputation of the conservative movement. Influencers and pundits are trading blows—some warning against endless foreign entanglements, others rightly insisting that America must stand by its closest ally in a violent neighborhood—while the media licks its chops and amplifies every fracture.
Emily Jashinsky, a smart, no-nonsense voice on the right, reminded viewers that nuance matters: there is a clear and important difference between criticizing the policy choices of the Israeli government and traffickng in anti-Jewish tropes. Conservatives who lose that distinction hand the left its favored narrative and handcuff our ability to defend both Israel and free speech honestly.
Part of the chaos is self-inflicted. Loud fringe figures have flirted with tropes and conspiracies that cross the line from criticism into antisemitism, producing predictable backlash and internal purges that weaken the conservative coalition. The drama around high-profile personalities has made the argument about Israel into a culture-war weapon rather than a sober foreign-policy discussion.
Still, the backbone of the Republican coalition remains staunchly pro-Israel, driven especially by evangelical voters and broad strategic instincts about democracy and Western civilization. That reality should guide conservatives: stand with Israel, call out antisemitism unapologetically, and do not allow a handful of provocateurs or the self-righteous left to dictate the terms of the argument.
Patriots on the right should also reject the lazy framing that any skeptical question about foreign aid is treasonous, while simultaneously refusing to tolerate prejudice cloaked as “critique.” The smart, practical conservative position is to defend the Jewish people and Israel’s right to exist, demand transparent policy from our leaders, and call out weaponized hysteria from both the left and the fringe.
This moment is a test of conservative maturity: will we fracture into performative camps chasing clicks, or will we return to principled, robust defense of our allies and an honest debate about American interests? The choice is ours, and hardworking Americans deserve a right that stands united against antisemitism, against bad foreign policy, and against the cynical media machine that profits from our infighting.
