“Pull the plug on Israel and God will pull the plug on you.” The words of Lindsey Graham

“The death of Lindsey Graham at the age of 71 is a loss for the country and for the cause of global freedom,” writes the Wall Street Journal. “An Air Force veteran, Graham often travelled abroad to gain first-hand insight into conflicts and was particularly influential with European and Middle Eastern leaders. He was more effective than most of the media realise, especially behind the scenes. During his first term, he persuaded Trump not to make mistakes such as the complete withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, Syria, South Korea and Europe. During his second term, he was a key dissenting voice against Vice-President J.D. Vance and others in the Administration and Congress who described Ukraine as a lost cause against Russia. Kyiv no longer seems like a lost cause. Graham pushed for increased military spending to strengthen American deterrence around the world. He was one of those politicians – all too rare today – who faced criticism with the spirit of a ‘happy warrior’. He understood that he needed allies for the next battle. As Trump and many others around the world are saying, Graham was a patriot whose work in defence of freedom will be sorely missed. Will other Republicans pick up the baton he has dropped? Someone has to.”

On 13–14 August 2025, at a South Carolina Republican Party event, Senator Graham said: ‘Israel is fighting for its very survival. Our friends in Israel are surrounded by people who would kill them all if they could. I’m fed up with the word ‘genocide’. Let me tell you about genocide. If Israel wanted to commit genocide, it could. It has the capability. It chooses not to. Hamas, on the other hand, would commit genocide in thirty seconds. It simply cannot. That’s the big difference, folks. To those in my party, I say: I’m fed up with this rubbish. Israel is our friend. It’s the most reliable friend we have in the Middle East. It’s a democracy surrounded by people who would slit its throat if they could. It’s not a difficult choice if you’re an American. It’s not a difficult choice if you’re a Christian. A word of warning: if America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us. And we won’t let that happen.”