US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), speaking in the Dirksen Senate office building in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2025. Photo: IMAGO/MediaPunch via Reuters Connect

US Sen. Lindsey Graham delivered a forceful defense of the US-Israel alliance at a South Carolina Republican Party meeting on Wednesday, warning that withdrawing American support for the Jewish state would carry both strategic and spiritual consequences.

“If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us,” Graham told the crowd, framing the alliance as a moral imperative for the US.

The South Carolina Republican, a longtime supporter of Israel, criticized the use of the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, arguing that the label is politically weaponized. “If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they could. They have the capability to do that. They choose not to,” he said. “Hamas … would commit genocide in 30 seconds. They just can’t.”

Graham cast Israel as the most reliable ally of the US and emphatically defended the Jewish state as a force for good in the Middle East.

“Israel is not the bad guys. They’re the good guys. The bad guys are the radical Islamists who would kill everybody in this room if they could,” Graham said.

His speech drew applause from the audience, underscoring the strong pro-Israel sentiment among Republican voters in his home state.

The remarks came amid growing divides in US domestic politics over the Israel–Hamas war, particularly regarding the use of charged terms like “genocide” and the balance between military support and humanitarian aid. While Graham’s comments echoed the staunchly pro-Israel position favored by the Republican Party’s foreign policy establishment, some in the party, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-SC) have called for greater scrutiny of US backing of Israel.

Graham spoke at the Silver Elephant Gala, one of South Carolina’s most prominent political gatherings, which has long served as a platform for party leaders to stake out their positions ahead of key election cycles. This year, Graham used it to reaffirm his belief that America’s commitment to Israel is both a matter of national security and divine mandate.

Graham’s statement sparked backlash from Greene, who falsely accused Israel of attempting to eradicate the Palestinian population. Greene, a conservative Republican with an extensive history of antisemitic statements, has recently accused Israel of committing a so-called “genocide” in Gaza.

“That is quite a statement and is an acknowledgment that nuclear-armed Israel is more than capable of defending themselves, by themselves, and not only defeating their enemies, but completely wiping them out!” Green wrote on X/Twitter.

In recent weeks, Greene has established herself as a vocal critic of Israel, breaking ranks with the rest of the Republican party. In July, she introduced amendments to a House appropriations bill which, if passed, would have stripped Israel of defense funding, claiming that Congress should stop sending “hard-earned tax dollars to foreign countries.”

“We don’t believe we go to heaven based on how much money we blindly give and how many bombs we drop on the secular government of Israel’s enemies,” Greene continued.