'Being pro-Israel means telling hard truths' - US Senator Graham warns annexation of Judea and Samaria will Isolate Israel

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham told The Jerusalem Post on Friday that the internationally favored two-state framework remains the only viable solution to the Middle East conflict.

“Being pro-Israel means telling hard truths,” Graham said at the Republican Jewish Coalition summit in Las Vegas. “The only path that keeps Israel Jewish and democratic is a two-state framework, when the conditions are real."

“There is no other alternative,” the senator from South Carolina said. He warned that a one-state solution would threaten Israel's security.

“A one-state solution would either end Israel as a Jewish state, or leave millions without rights, which the world will not accept. To be pro-Israel, you need to be honest with Israel,” Graham stated.

Far-right Israeli politicians, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have both called for Israel to fully annex the Judea and Samaria region, internationally known as the West Bank. However, without mentioning any names, Graham warned against such a diplomatic move.

“If you want to marginalize the Jewish state, go down that road,” he argued. “It will do more damage to Israel’s future than any bomb Iran could ever build. You would lose support here in America, and you would isolate Israel from the world,” Graham warned.

He emphasized that Washington cannot ignore the views of one billion Muslims.

“There are a billion Muslims. If you imagine a new Middle East with no Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, you are living in a dream world,” he argued.

“Israel absolutely should insist, there cannot be radical Islamic terror in the West Bank and Gaza. There will never be a Palestinian state with this crowd. But over time, with different leadership and real security arrangements, you can get to something that protects Israel and gives Palestinians a life to live for rather than a cause to die for,” he added.

Graham is considered a veteran Israel supporter and has backed the Jewish state’s right to self-defense against the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

He is also a strong supporter of expanding the Abraham Accords peace agreements between Israel and the Arab world. In October 2024, Graham called for a diplomatic normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

“Vice President Harris has consistently supported efforts to ensure Israel is more deeply integrated in the Middle East region, including a potential historic normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. She believes such integration is critical to counter the threats posed by Iran,” Graham stated at the time. He views the disarmament of radical Islamist forces like Hamas as the other side of the coin.

“Hamas must be gone as a governing and fighting force,” Graham told The Jerusalem Post. He then repeated his call for forging closer ties between Israel and moderate Arab states, including Saudi Arabia.

“Then you put Gaza in the hands of Arabs who do not want to kill all the Jews, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others. They reconstruct Gaza. They change the school system so it does not glorify killing Jews. You devolve authority based on performance. If they cannot meet the metrics, they do not get the power. Meanwhile, Israel gets new security boundaries and the right to act,” Graham said.

Hamas has so far refused to disarm. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel will act if the international community does not. Senator Graham acknowledged this reality, criticizing the international community’s ineffective efforts to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities in Gaza.

“All the evidence since the ceasefire is that they consolidate power, suppress opposition, and plan the next assault. Waiting will only make the next fight bloodier,” he warned, adding that “it will fall on Israel” to disarm Hamas if the international community fails.

Placing Hamas' disarmament in the context of the ayatollah regime, he said: “You isolate Iran and you remove their tools of disruption, Hamas and Hezbollah,” adding that “you create a ground component, Israel leads, and the United States can provide air power to disarm them by force.”

While opposing the annexation of Judea and Samaria, Graham remains a vocal supporter of the Jewish state.

“Israel is our friend,” Graham stated in August. “They’re the most reliable friend we have in the Mideast. They’re a democracy, surrounded by people who would cut their throats if they could. This is not a hard choice if you’re an American.”

Graham, is an observant Christian, stressed that America has a duty to support the Jewish state.

“A word of warning: If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us. And we’re not gonna let that happen,” Graham stated.

Looking ahead, he predicts that Saudi Arabia and Israel will normalize their ties in 2026.

“You have to give [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman a political horizon he can sell to the Arab world because it preserves dignity for Palestinians without endangering Israel,” he concluded.