The rift over “Israel” within the American right is widening!

In an interview, the United States’ Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, made the following remarks:

“The neocon element believes war is the only way to solve problems. The President believes the strength of his personality—his responses in certain situations—can move people to do better things in line with the interests of the U.S. government. I believe that too.”

Published on May 11 in Breitbart News, a leading outlet of the pro-Trump right, the interview came in response to heavy criticism Witkoff had received from neoconservative and pro-Israel circles over his handling of Russia, Iran, and broader Middle East policy. Just two days later, Trump gave a fiery speech in Riyadh, where he openly attacked the bipartisan neocon agenda—sending shockwaves through both neocons and Zionists. The speech raised an unsettling question: Was the United States heading for a break with Israel?

Republican Senator Rand Paul, long known for his opposition to America’s endless wars, echoed this sentiment in a May 28 interview with Breitbart, saying the American people remained committed to Trump’s “America First” foreign policy vision. Still, behind the scenes, the neocons wielded considerable power and were actively working to undermine Trump’s peace efforts.

“There are a lot of neocons among Republican lawmakers and senators,” Senator Paul warned. “They don’t like much of what Trump is doing—not enough to confront him directly, but they try to undercut him.” He singled out hawkish Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was drafting aggressive sanctions bills aimed at derailing Trump’s efforts to engage with Russia.

Senator Paul warned that neocons were attempting to infiltrate the Trump administration and sabotage it from within. “And frankly,” he said, “they have tried to infiltrate.” He urged Trump to be aware of those around him who might be advancing their own agendas at odds with his.

One such figure, Paul noted, was James Jeffrey, Trump’s Special Envoy for Syria during his first term. According to Paul, despite Trump’s order to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, Jeffrey misled the administration about the number of remaining forces. “The idea that people could lie to the President,” Paul said, “is tantamount to treason in my view. That’s why Trump needs to be vigilant about who surrounds him—there shouldn’t be people sneaking their own agendas into the administration.”

Paul added that the American public, and especially the Republican base, has long leaned toward a foreign policy of restraint and fewer overseas entanglements. “Trump understood this instinctively,” he said. “I don’t think Trump is a doctrinaire libertarian, but I do believe he has a gut-level belief that we shouldn’t enter wars unless absolutely necessary. He’s found a good balance—projecting strength while still being willing to negotiate.”

Paul expressed concern that the power struggle in Washington hadn’t ended: “I think the people are with President Trump, but there are still many inside the foreign policy establishment who actively work against him.”

In the U.S., criticizing neocon policies is often treated as synonymous with being “anti-Israel.” That’s why figures like Senator Paul are frequently vilified by the Israel lobby. Opponents of the neocon worldview are typically branded as “isolationists” for advocating limits on military interventionism.

At a February event hosted by a Jewish organization, Senator Lindsey Graham warned: “There’s a growing isolationist movement on the right that I’ve always fought against.” He expressed concern that these isolationists were beginning to target Israel as they sought to curtail America’s global footprint. Graham claimed that many on the right now viewed Israel as the driving force behind the U.S.’s interventionist foreign policy.

The late American columnist Charley Reese had strongly opposed the Iraq invasion, propelled by neocon influence. In an August 2002 column, he highlighted the neocons’ long track record of promoting Israel’s agenda while pretending to speak in America’s interest.

In short, the escalating debates over unconditional support for Israel are a clear sign of the widening fissures within the Republican Party and the American right.