Mark Levin, Image via Twitter
One of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken supporters is turning on him over his deal to end the Iran war.
“I have asked for days, why can't we, the people, see the damn [memorandum of understanding]?” radio host Mark Levin, who traditionally supports the president, commented on Monday. “Not through people briefed by an anonymous person. Honestly, I've never seen anything like this. If it is a great outcome for peace, then release it.”
In a separate post, Levin commented on how Trump has shifted in his characterization of America’s relationship with Israel.
“In a period of two-months, Israel has gone from a great ally and partner in war, fighting by our side against a horrible enemy that has killed thousands of our people, killed tens of thousands of their own people, and was a dire nuclear threat intent on attacking us, to Israeli PM Netanyahu being a difficult person who should be thanking us for saving his country from Iran and should get our permission if he wants to defend his people from Hezbollah and Iran, and stand down when his country is attacked,” Levin wrote.
He added, “And just yesterday, Israel's [prime minister] avenged the execution of 5 American soldiers by taking out a Hezbollah commander/terrorist. And only Israel has been killing Hezbollah leaders who murdered our Marines, soldiers, embassy staff, and more. It seems to me a kind word is in order. How does this make any sense?”
Despite Trump attempting to convince Israel to no longer attack either Iran or Iran’s proxy militia in Lebanon, Hezbollah, the three parties continue to engage in hostilities against each other.
“Iran has conditioned that deal on an end to the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and its militia ally, Hezbollah,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Tehran upped the ante overnight by firing waves of missiles at Israel after Israel attacked Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Despite Trump’s effort to calm the growing tensions, Israel retaliated against targets in Iran including an important petrochemical facility, extending an exchange of fire that Iran warned could pull in energy facilities across the region.”
Trump responded by posting on social media that Israel and Iran need to stop attacking each other, prompting both nations to cease their violence against each other while saying they may resume later. The president has been particularly focused on Israel, describing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “crazy” for attacking Lebanon and adding that “everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” He also claimed Netanyahu would have been in prison for corruption if not for Trump’s intervention.
Since Netanyahu’s war against Gaza, American opinion has noticeably shifted toward Israel, with Netanyahu appearing unconcerned with the problem. Along with the increase in criticism of Israel, there has also been an increase in bigotry against Jews in general. Speaking with AlterNet in March about the issue of American anti-Semitism, Brandeis University historian Jonathan Sarna pointed out that people have often struggled to distinguish between criticizing the Israeli government and hating Jews in general.
“If you go back to ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ — the great antisemitic forgery of the turn of the last century — that really began this sense that Jews are all-powerful, that they operate behind the scenes, and that whatever happens is ultimately their fault,” Sarna said. “Before then, for centuries, the prevailing view was that Jews were persecuted and lowly because they had killed Christ, and that was what they deserved — they were powerless. That was their punishment. But ‘The Protocols’ flipped that.”
Sarna continued that “especially as Jews in modernity have begun to succeed economically, it doesn't much matter what the issue is — whether it is 9/11, which some blame on the Jews, or the crash of 2008, or now the war with Iran. You can predict before it happens that people will blame Jews, because as The Protocols taught people, it's always the Jews. It's the great conspiracy theory. And even many people who have never read The Protocols believe many of the things in it — just as many people have never read Darwin, but they know the word ‘evolution.’ This is simply the latest iteration.”
Sarna ultimately concluded, “I can be critical of President Trump without being un-American. Most people who criticize President Trump or the Republicans would assure you how much they love America and hold a fundamentally positive view of it. It seems to me that it's deeply important for us to do the same with Israel — that is, to make clear that there is a huge difference between disliking the policies of the Prime Minister of Israel and hating Israel itself. If you wouldn't equate criticism of the President with hating America, there is no reason — and indeed it is wrong and wicked — to do so with regard to Israel.”