Lindsey Graham, stalwart ally of Israel in Congress, dies at 71

Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and one of Israel's most vocal allies in Congress, has died at the age of 71. Graham represented a generation of politicians for whom support for Israel and assertive U.S. foreign policy were bipartisan tenets.

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Ten percent of the United States Senate is in Israel because we care. Five Republicans and five Democrats. If I had a bigger plane, we probably would have brought the entire Senate.

In the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, Graham organized a joint Republican-Democratic trip to Israel, highlighting what he described as broad American support for the nation. "Ten percent of the United States Senate is in Israel because we care," Graham stated at a press conference in Tel Aviv on October 22, 2023, emphasizing the delegation's commitment.

Graham's decades-long career in Congress, beginning in the House and continuing in the Senate since 2003, was marked by strong backing for U.S. aid to Israel, a firm stance against Iran, and frequent meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His most recent visit to Israel in February preceded the U.S.-Israel actions against Iran, which he later claimed to have influenced.

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They’ll tell me things our own government won’t tell me.

Iranian media notably celebrated Graham's death. This occurred shortly after pro-regime Iranians displayed placards targeting Graham at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in joint U.S.-Israel operations. Graham consistently supported Israel's military responses, including after the October 7 attack, advocating for Israel to defeat Hamas "by any and all means necessary" and suggesting the need to "flatten the place."

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defeat Hamas by any and all means necessary

While Graham promoted a two-state solution, he also adapted to shifting political currents, including isolationist and anti-Israel sentiments within his party. He supported Netanyahu's proposal to gradually reduce U.S. aid to Israel and urged Israel to avoid bombing Iranian oil refineries.

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flatten the place.