The conservative movement in the United States, which is exemplified by President Donald Trump’s administration these days, is being buffeted by a growing debate over the U.S.’ alliance with Israel and accusations that some of its supporters are unfriendly toward the American Jewish community.

The rift on the right between pro and anti-Israel conservatives exploded into the open following a recent interview conducted by the podcaster Tucker Carlson. His interviewee was the white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, who opposes the United States’ special relationship with Israel on both anti-Jewish and nationalist grounds.

Fuentes leads the Groypers, an informal association of mostly young, disaffected men who vent their grievances by attacking minorities and women. Their chief target is often Jews.

During his appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show on October 27, Fuentes claimed that “organized Jewry in America” is blocking unity in the country. He also voiced admiration for Joseph Stalin, the late autocratic leader of the now-defunct Soviet Union.

Carlson, who campaigned for Trump last year, did not challenge Fuentes even once. He did not question him about his remarks about Jews, his Holocaust denial, or his admiration for Adolf Hitler.

This prompted The National Review, a major conservative magazine, to wonder why he treated Fuentes with kid gloves, while he hurled barbs at Senator Ted Cruz on one of his previous shows. “The obvious answer is that Fuentes is an avowed Jew-hater, while Cruz is a staunch supporter of Israel,” the magazine speculated.

Carlson, whose Fox News show was cancelled in 2023, dislikes Christian Zionists like Cruz and Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Claiming they have been infected by a “brain virus,” he said, “I dislike them more than anybody.” Carlson went on to say that, as a Christian, he was offended by their support of Israel. He likened their affinity to Israel as “Christian heresy.”

In the past few months, Cruz has........

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