Tucker Carlson must be one of the most popular conservative commentators in the country. His show on X attracts clicks by the hundreds of thousands. This week he sought falsely to blacken Israel’s reputation by promoting the views of a Bethlehem pastor that Israel mistreats Christiand. In so doing, he obviously seeks to drive wedge between Israel and Christian supporters of Israel. While Israel is engaged in a fight for its life, I thought the timing was peculiar and that Carlson deserved to be called out for the mendacity of his performance. I wrote about it here.
Mosaic senior editor Andrew Koss put it this way in the site’s daily email roundup this morning:
On Tuesday, the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson devoted his online video show to an interview with a pastor from Bethlehem, who rattled off a familiar litany of misleading and libelous complaints about Israel, the “difficulties” of living under “military occupation,” and the evils of U.S. Middle East policy, while trying to undermine the Jews’ historical connection their homeland. Neither mentioned that Bethlehem is governed not by Israel but by the Palestinian Authority, and Carlson at no point challenged any of his interviewee’s claims. In other words, it was the sort of interview one might hear on National Public Radio, less so from outlets further to the right.
Carlson also accused Israel of killing Christians and attacking churches, and stated that it’s “obvious” that American evangelical leaders “care much more about the highly secular government of Israel than they care about Christian communities in the Middle East.” Indeed, in his preface to the interview, he argued that evangelicals have shaped a U.S. foreign policy that is detrimental to Christians. All these arguments aren’t new to the anti-Israel right of Pat Buchanan and the American Conservative, but they have been fringe positions for the past several decades. Carlson is exceptional in that he has long been at the center of American conservatism.
As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one who noticed or found Carlson’s performance worthy of comment. I have collected the comments of some intelligent observers below. Incidentally, I don’t think Tucker is stupid or uninformed. I think his isolationism has led him into a dark place.
Let’s lead off with the great Victor Davis Hanson.
“I think a lot of it is based on ignorance…”@VDHanson on the arguments happening on the right about Christians and Israel.
Watch below, and download: https://t.co/F96HgI8fyu pic.twitter.com/4EdqL7P0lo
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) April 10, 2024
Bill Jacobson is the proprietor of Legal Insurrection.
Jews are under assault around the world, so @TuckerCarlson decides to stoke hatred by presenting false portrayal of Israeli Jews being responsible for decline of Christians in M.E. even though Israel the only place Christian population is growing.
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) April 10, 2024
“Mike” is Michael Doran, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East.
This is stupid and malevolent. Christians live far better in Israel than in any of the surrounding countries. Palestinian rule — not Israeli — is what drove Christians from Bethlehem. Before the Israelis withdrew, per the Oslo Accords, Christians thrived there. https://t.co/9XE3yEO6g7
— Mike (@Doranimated) April 9, 2024
David Harsanyi is the senior editor and syndicated columnist for The Federalist.
Tucker knows well that Bethlehem isn't governed by Israel. This is shameful bullshit. https://t.co/7WprwOVCRY
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) April 9, 2024
Bonchie is the front page contributor to RedState.
If you are looking to report on the persecution of Christians and settle on Israel, you are either a moron or something worse.
Go interview a Nigerian Christian.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) April 9, 2024
Andrew Klavan is the conservative commentator and Edgar Award-winning author.
OK. So, if @benshapiro, a patriotic American Jew, cares deeply about America's great Jewish ally, that's disloyal. But if @TuckerCarlson spreads anti-Israeli distortions and lies in defense of terrorist murderers holding American hostages, that's patriotism. Got it. 🤪 https://t.co/S267xYxiZr
— Andrew Klavan (@andrewklavan) April 10, 2024
David Friedman is the former United States ambassador to Israel in the Trump administration.
Tucker, my friend, before the Palestinians took over Bethlehem pursuant to the Oslo Accords in the mid-1990’s, Bethlehem was under Israeli control and its population was 80% Christian. It was one of the centers of the Christian world. Since Oslo and the resulting Palestinian… https://t.co/Jk6VwRm7Aa
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) April 9, 2024
“I’m very concerned with the mistreatment of Christians which is why I will ignore how they are killed and persecuted in almost every Middle East country except to attack the one where they have equal rights and are thriving”
Makes perfect sense. No ulterior motives detected.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 10, 2024
🇮🇱 Number of Christians in Israel has grown by 500%
🇵🇸 Number of Christians in Bethlehem under Palestinian rule has shrunk by 80% https://t.co/cDGuU9wVKf
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) April 10, 2024
Ben Domenech is editor at large for The Spectator. I hope he is right.
Talking to my circle of Evangelical friends, this seems like the moment they realized the grift. The Russia propaganda was more offensive to me, but this crap does not fly in the Bible Church set. https://t.co/wNfSZ8XSWu
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) April 10, 2024
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