There is a schism that’s been forming since the horrific October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, but it’s not just on the left, it’s among the conservative movement as well. There’s no clearer example of this divide than the public feud between the Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro and fellow conservative commentator, Candace Owens, formerly of the Daily Wire as of last week.
The two commentators have been in a public spat since the Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of hostages. And in turn, conservatives in the America First movement have been picking sides if you read into the comments people have been making on X (formally Twitter).
Owens’ criticism of Israel represents a wing of the America First movement that wants to get away from foreign entanglements and focus American resources right here at home. She has criticized Israel’s operation in Gaza with a great degree of fanfare behind her. There is, however, another side to all of this. The staunch pro-Israeli America First conservatives have stuck by Israel’s right to defend itself and have defended the Israeli government’s offensive into Gaza, as well as stating America’s need to continue to provide Israel with all necessary funds and equipment to finish its war against Hamas.
It all started in November when Owens was responding to Shapiro’s criticism of her Israeli stance at an event when she posted the following on X:
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
“You cannot serve both God and money.”
Shapiro’s response was pointed and direct:
“Candace, if you feel that taking money from The Daily Wire somehow comes between you and God, by all means quit.”
Owens’ criticism of Israel highlights the shift in attitude among some in the conservative base towards both focusing American resources at home and criticizing the extent of Israel’s operation in Gaza.
The two sides of the movement are now at an impasse as of last week as Owens and The Daily Wire have ended their relationship. Owens insists that she didn’t get fired and that the parting of ways was mutual.
Some are viewing this separation as “cancel culture” being executed by the Daily Wire due to Owens’ ongoing critique of Israel. While others in the pro-Israel side of the America First movement are applauding the new development.
And then we have Matt Walsh, conservative commentator for the Daily Wire, who raised eyebrows this past February when he said he doesn’t want to send foreign aid to any country, including Israel.
On February 13 of this year, Walsh posted the following on his X account:
“Foreign aid, by definition, is taxation without representation. Tax payers are funding foreign governments without any say in how the funds are used. This country was literally formed to stop that sort of injustice. The whole system of foreign aid is corrupt, immoral, and evil.”
An X user responded by saying, “So you agree we should stop all funding to Israel?” Walsh responded and said, “Yes, all countries.”
These comments alone represent a break from historical staunch support of Israel by an influencer with a strong following in the conservative movement. What’s makes it more telling is a now deleted blog post by Walsh from 2013 that was titled, “Bow Before Israel (unless you’re an antisemite)!”
In this post, Walsh argues that the outrage pointed at Barack Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense was because Hagel was critical of Israel. In the post, Walsh seems to defend Hagel’s criticisms of Israel by saying:
“What exactly is the problem with what he said? Are we now denying that a Jewish lobby exists?…Lobbies, aside from architectural structures, are in the business of intimidating. And bribing. And buying. It’s what they all do.”
He goes on to say:
“We punish people for making truthful statements and then turn around and whine, ‘Why won’t anyone tell the truth!’ Because they don’t want to be tarred and feathered by a violent mob of self-contradicting nitwits, that’s why. Only people who have never told the truth into a microphone don’t understand why people are hesitant to tell the truth into a microphone.”
Interestingly enough, nothing else was found in terms of Walsh’s comments on the Israeli conflict recently other than he thinks we should stop sending them aid.
The divide is real. And before conservatives start pointing to the Democrats at how much their own house is in disorder when it comes to domestic Israeli politics, conservatives need to look into our own tent as well.
3 comments
It is a bit upsetting that so few in America have any knowledge of the history of the land once known as Palestine. People need to read Grace Halsell’s “Journey To Jerusalem” and what happened to her after it was published. People need to read about the actions of the settlers after the occupation of the West Bank. There are no clean hands to be had. People need to look back at the movement started by Netanyahu and his conscripting America’s evangelicals, see “Prophecy and Politics”. This started long before 10/07/2023 but sadly so few are aware. America is being torn apart by this foreign entanglement and unless something is done to reduce the influence of foreign groups it will only get worse. Currently one can not speak out against the Deuteronomy based actions of Israel without risking be shunned and that is not America of days of old. Today in America it is approved speech and free speech
There are no peacemakers in Gaza, in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, the UN or anywhere else in the world today. When everyone is dead set on killing each other, including in America, what possible reason is there to draw lethal attention to your self by advocating for peace? You gear up, man up, and prepare as best you can for the inevitable. There is a time for peace and a time for war. Our diplomats and politicians think they can always guess what time it is.
The bigger picture is the historic continuation of Islamic terrorism. Probably the greatest genocide in history occurred as a result of the Muslim takeover of Hindu India. The slaughter of Hindus continued for about 800 years and it is estimated that, at a minimum, 80 million Hindus were genocided – this is a low-end estimate – the numbers may actually run into the billions as it was Muslim policy to kill 100,000 Hindus per year to celebrate Islam. There is no question that Israel is the number one target of Islam, but any non-Islamic nation or group is a target. Ask yourself how many Islamic-based terrorist massacres have occurred around the world since 9/11. The numbers are substantial and worldwide. (The Chinese totalitarian government considers Islam to be a mental illness and is destroying mosques around the country in an attempt to stop Islam. Only in the West have we ignored this rising and persistent threat to civilization.)