Conservative commentator Steve Bannon has a new message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Fox News pundits: the short-lived war in Iran is over and won’t require American troops on the ground.
Why It Matters
Bannon, a former senior White House adviser during President Donald Trump‘s first term, and others in the conservative sphere, like Tucker Carlson, were outspoken when Iran and Israel traded warfare. They warned against regime change in the region and pushed back against Israel’s purported attempts to draw the United States deeper into another foreign war.
What To Know
Bannon took to his War Room podcast on Wednesday, iterating the end of any perceived conflict in the Middle East that would further involve the United States.
“The 12-day war is over,” Bannon said. “So, for Tel Aviv Levin and the people that are the town criers for the Netanyahu regime, bad news: the war is over. Not going to be any more American involvement; no more support for any regime change. President Trump is done. One and done. He couldn’t have been more adamant about that.”
“Tel Aviv Levin” refers to Fox News host Mark Levin, who, along with another Fox News personality, Sean Hannity, praised Israel’s strikes on Iran ahead of the United States’ attack on three Iranian nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan—last Saturday.
In comments to Newsweek on Wednesday afternoon, Bannon clarified that he is a big supporter of Israel but wouldn’t designate the nation as an “ally.”
“I have no problem, I’ve been a strong believer in Israel,” Bannon said. “We’ve been with these guys on Gaza. In right-wing media, it’s not even a question that we’re the biggest supporters of Israel, and I’m proud of that. I love the Israel and the Jewish people and all of it, but they should be Israel First.
“I’ve never said anything about Netanyahu doing what he does for his own country. What I’m saying is that America First—what happened here is just not acceptable. They’re not an ally, and don’t ask me on that; ask President Trump.”
He referenced how Israel and Netanyahu “bailed out” 30 minutes before the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, who was killed in January 2020 by an American drone strike ordered by Trump.
Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran’s nuclear program has been “obliterated.” He has also tried to stay out of the war of words between his own supporters affiliated with the MAGA movement.
Bannon also said Wednesday that though the U.S. did its part, he expects continued calls from Fox News and others with similar views to continue to shield and aid Israel at the behest of American troops.
“There’s going to be tremendous pressure put on President Trump’s administration—boots on the ground, regime change—you watch,” Bannon said on War Room. “The ‘Israel First’ crowd over at Fox is gonna be relentless, and we’re gonna make sure we’re here to blunt it.
“That’s why they’re all worked up, they’re leaking oil, because we shut down their regime change, which they wanted to go to.”
Bannon also suggested that perhaps regime change should be considered in Jerusalem, referencing a Washington Post story citing multiple Israeli officials who reportedly said that Netanyahu decided to attack Iran last year and months in advance of Trump reentering the White House.
Even after Trump was elected, senior Israeli government officials purportedly said a decision was reached in March—about one month before Trump met with Netanyahu in Washington—to strike Iran with or without U.S. assistance, according to The Post.
“What they did is they drew us into a war they knew they couldn’t finish,” Bannon told Newsweek. “They drew us into a war they knew they couldn’t defend against. So, this is my problem. We need to reset. We don’t have an alliance with them, just like Ukraine. We’ve got to stop saying they’re allies, they’re not allies. In the one situation we needed them to help, Netanyahu went out of his way to back out.
“They’re a protectorate, and as someone that defends Israel, we have to put that in perspective. That changes everything. Support for Israel, which you see is collapsing particularly under people 40 years old…It has to change and we have to do a better job of explaining what our relationship is.”
He added that Israel ought to consider regime change in Jerusalem.
“It’s an open secret,” Bannon said. “Nobody trusts [Netanyahu] because he’s Israel First. I have no problem with that, but it means that we have to deal with them very differently because he’s so Israel First.
“I think it’s something has to be addressed and I think unless it’s addressed, they’re gonna lose support from the the people—particularly evangelical Christians and other people in the MAGA movement that do support Israel. They’re going to just lose support and I think that’s got to be reversed now.”
What People Are Saying
Mark Levin last week on Hannity: “Let us be clear: This is a country that tried to assassinate our president. In the good old days, that would be enough to blow them off the face of the earth—they tried twice, and we haven’t done anything. We have been fighting these b******* for 47 years—half a century.
“They go on with their bumper stickers, ‘Forever Wars, Forever Wars.’ Well, guess what? The Israelis will put an end to these forever wars, and so will Donald Trump.”
Tucker Carlson to Bannon earlier this month: “The point is, if you think that saying, ‘Hey, let’s focus on my country, where I was born, where my family’s been for hundreds of years, that was the promise of the last election, please do it,’ if you think that’s hate, you know, you’ve really lost perspective, I guess, is what I would say.”
What Happens Next
On Wednesday, Trump warned that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran may not hold: “Some day it could maybe start again soon.”
The post Steve Bannon Says Israel ‘Not an Ally’ of US appeared first on Newsweek.
