Washington, DC – Mere minutes after information broke out that American right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was shot, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a social media submit expressing his sympathy.
As Kirk was declared lifeless on Wednesday, Netanyahu and different Israeli officers rushed to eulogise the 31-year-old activist and emphasise his help for Israel.
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“A lion-hearted buddy of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” the Israeli prime minister wrote on X. “I spoke to him solely two weeks in the past and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that go to is not going to happen.”
That push, to painting Kirk as a fallen champion of Israel as a lot as of the US conservative motion, comes as many influential right-wing commentators have been increasingly critical of Washington’s unconditional help for its Center East ally.
Israeli International Minister Gideon Saar known as Kirk an “unimaginable buddy” of Israel.
“Charlie represented the Judeo-Christian values that unite Israel and America,” he mentioned in a social media submit. “Above all, he was a fearless warrior for reality and freedom. He was murdered for that.”
No suspect has been detained for the killing of Kirk, an in depth ally of United States President Donald Trump, and the motives behind the killing stay unclear.
Israel’s Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir paid tribute to Kirk on Wednesday, sharing a photograph of the right-wing activist with an Israeli flag outdoors the Ibrahimi Mosque, one in every of Islam’s holiest websites, within the occupied West Financial institution.
“The collusion between the worldwide Left and radical Islam is the best hazard to humanity at present,” Ben-Gvir mentioned.
“Charlie Kirk noticed the hazard and warned about it. However the bullets of the despicable assassin struck him.”
In a few of his last public appearances, Kirk – who often bashed Islam and Muslims – promoted the unfounded conspiracy idea that Islam and the political left are working collectively to undermine the US and Europe.
“Islam is the sword the left is utilizing to slit the throat of America,” he wrote in a social media submit on Tuesday, a day earlier than he was shot.
A number of Israeli politicians underscored Kirk’s ties to Israel whereas lauding his views.
For instance, former Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz described Kirk as a “voracious defender of Judeo-Christian values, America & the State of Israel”.
The time period “Judeo-Christian values” appeals to mainstream US conservatives, however critics say it goals to exclude Muslims and different non secular teams from Western societies.
Additionally they argue that it’s ahistorical, given the hostility and anti-Semitism Jewish communities have confronted in Christian societies in Europe over the previous centuries.
However “Judeo-Christian values” have been a recurring theme within the Israeli eulogies for Kirk.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich joined different Israeli officers in calling Kirk a “true buddy of Israel”.
The homicide of Charlie Kirk is a tragic and devastating blow.
Charlie was a real buddy of Israel, however past that, he was a person who engaged in real dialogue along with his opponents as a strategy to promote his values.
A dialogue during which he defended the morals and rules he… pic.twitter.com/Ta4wncQr9G
— בצלאל סמוטריץ’ (@bezalelsm) September 11, 2025
Kirk’s Israel views
Kirk was certainly a staunch supporter of Israel – however not with out occasional misgivings.
Final month, he denied the well-documented Israeli-imposed hunger in Gaza, echoing Israeli officers’ falsehoods that the United Nations-declared famine in the territory is “pure visible warfare”.
Nonetheless, regardless of his years of pro-Israel advocacy, he was not proof against the concepts of the rising “America First” motion that has been questioning the advantages of Washington’s devotion to its Center East ally.
As Israeli leaders lobbied Trump to bomb Iran in June, Kirk warned that the US president’s “Make America Nice Once more” (MAGA) base was against the struggle.
“I can inform you proper now, our MAGA base doesn’t desire a struggle in any respect in any way,” Kirk mentioned on his podcast. “They don’t need US involvement. They don’t need the USA to be engaged on this.”
Kirk supported Trump’s crackdown on Palestinian rights campus advocacy, together with efforts to deport Columbia College scholar Mahmoud Khalil, which activists say violated free speech rights.
Nevertheless, he typically spoke out towards overreaches by pro-Israel advocates to censor the nation’s opponents.
In Might, he voiced opposition to a proposed law to penalise boycotting Israel.
“In America you’re allowed to carry differing views. You’re allowed to disagree and protest,” Kirk wrote on X at the moment.
“We’ve allowed far too many individuals who hate America transfer right here from overseas, however the suitable to talk freely is the birthright of all Individuals.”
In July, he hosted a panel of younger conservatives sceptical of the US-Israel alliance and appeared to precise frustration with accusations of anti-Semitism towards any criticism of Israel.
“I’m informed by some those that if I criticise AIPAC, I’m anti-Semitic,” Kirk mentioned, referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
