US Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) talking to reporters after a meeting of the Republican House caucus at the US Capitol. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Supporting Israel is part of an “America First” foreign policy agenda, according to US Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY).

During an interview with journalist Michael Tracey at the Republican National Convention (RNC) this week, Barr defended his decision to vote for a foreign aid package earlier this year that included $26 billion in military support to Israel. The congressman argued that a thriving and secure Israel benefits the United States, underlining the necessity of American military and diplomatic support for the Jewish state.

“A strong Israel that is able to defend itself is not just in the interest of our greatest ally and democracy in the Middle East,” Barr said. “It is in the interest of the United States. A strong Israel is a bulwark against terrorism in a very dangerous and difficult part of the world. And they are a forward operating base for our fight against radical Islamic terrorism.”

The lawmaker rejected the notion that the US federal government’s support for Israel comes at the expense of American national interests. 

“Being pro-Israel is ‘America first,’ plain and simple,” Barr declared, making an apparent reference to the “America First” policy agenda of former US President Donald Trump, who on Thursday officially became the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee.

Barr also asserted that both Jews and Christians in Kentucky prioritize support for the Jewish state. The congressman claimed that the Bluegrass State’s Christian population “understand that Israel is the Biblical homeland of the Jewish people.”

“It is extremely meaningful for the people of our country to harken back to our Judeo-Christian heritage, and remember that those who bless Israel are blessed by God,” Barr said. 

Barr lambasted US President Joe Biden for “pushing back” against Israel, arguing he has hampered the Jewish state’s ability to dismantle Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that runs Gaza. He argued that Biden has exhibited a more adversarial posture toward Israel, a US ally, than Hamas. 

Here’s my interview on the floor of the GOP Convention with Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) who declares: “Being pro-Israel is ‘America First.’ Plain and simple.”
pic.twitter.com/S4UA6fXO3Q

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 18, 2024

Biden has come under heavy fire from Republicans as well as pro-Israel Democrats for what they’ve described as him turning against Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The US president expressed strong support for Israel following Hamas’ brutal invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 hostages during their onslaught. In recent months, however, Biden has paused some weapons shipments to Israel and accused the US ally of “indiscriminate bombing” — a charge rejected by Israeli officials.

The Biden administration also discouraged Israel from launching a military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to target some of the last remaining Hamas battalions, arguing such an operation would put too many civilians at risk. Experts told The Algemeiner at the time that Israeli forces needed to operate in Rafah in order to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities.

More broadly, the relationship between the Democratic Party and Israel has deteriorated in the months following Oct. 7. Several high-profile Democrats, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), have floated the theory that Israel’s military operations in Gaza are tantamount to a “genocide.” A group of 30 House Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA), signed a letter earlier this year urging Biden to block arms transfers to Israel if the Jewish state “fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza.”