How Israel is Leveraging Islamophobia to Maintain Support in the West

During a lengthy and productive meeting with the chief of staff to a Republican member of Congress, discussions centered around United States policy towards Israel, the scepticism of many Grand Old Party members regarding the relationship, and the challenges they face in speaking out given President Donald Trump’s iron grip on the matter. One final agenda item involved the member’s participation in the newly created "Sharia-Free America Caucus," a group of US representatives standing against what one founding member described as a religion of violence, abuse of women, and ruthless political conquest, with laws and practices having no place in American society. The staffer dismissed concerns, explaining that Muslims are simply the low-ranking target, while the focus is really about Indians, brown people in general, and Jewish people, assuring that it would not interfere with putting America first and noting that Randy Fine is the only member who genuinely believes the rhetoric about Israel.

The rise of visible and visceral Islamophobia in the US has left many in the Muslim community looking back almost wistfully to the days of George W Bush, who visited a mosque following the September 11, 2001 attacks to declare that Islam is peace. Such inclusivity has largely vanished from the Republican Party, replaced by bigotry that has fueled a spike in anti-Muslim attacks, including the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in May that resulted in the deaths of two worshippers and a security guard. Additionally, a proposal by Dallas Fort Worth international airport to add unobtrusive foot-washing stations for Muslims performing wudu was swiftly abandoned after Texas Governor Greg Abbott condemned the installation as unconstitutional.

This trend partly reflects politics promoted by President Donald Trump since his 2015 presidential campaign, which sought to divide Americans by claiming the White majority and its social hierarchy are at risk. Consequently, minorities face attacks, as seen with the administration's actions against Black history and Hispanic culture. However, regarding Islamophobia, there is a more targeted driver.

In January, the government of Israel hosted an anti-Semitism conference in Jerusalem, attended by European far-right leaders, including representatives from Poland’s PiS, Spain’s Vox, Hungary’s Fidesz, and France’s Rassemblment National. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told these allies they were united in the fight against the invasion of radical Islam. Since then, Netanyahu has continued this theme, warning that the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons would be Britain, and campaigning under a billboard titled "Don’t let them win" featuring Hezbollah and Iranian leaders alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Israel's promotion of Islamophobia extends beyond its borders and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As Israel's reputation has declined, particularly due to actions in Gaza, it has turned to public relations and propaganda campaigns for salvation. Efforts include automated text messages sent to Americans via Clock Tower X from Clock Tower X, declaring that the US-Israel relationship promotes stability. Simultaneously, Israel has sought to delegitimize its critics by rallying the right through a calculated campaign of Islamophobia. This strategy may stem from a leaked study by US public relations firm Stagwell Global, solicited by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which concluded that driving fear of radical Islam and jihadism is the most effective tactic to shift public opinion.

Netanyahu has increasingly leaned into the narrative that Israel serves as a model in the struggle against radical Islam threatening the civilized world. This has manifested in Israel's hasbara strategy, such as in Canada in 2024, where an Israeli-government-funded influence operation under the name United Citizens for Canada ran social media campaigns alleging that Muslim immigrants threatened society and sought to impose Islamic law.

Despite these efforts, many Americans and Europeans have rejected such tactics, as evidenced by primary wins for Muslim congressional candidates like Abdul El-Sayed. Nevertheless, Muslim communities increasingly feel under siege. While Israeli society focuses on Jewish supremacy and demographic homogeneity, Western countries grow increasingly diverse. Israel's propaganda aims to make the West look more like Israel, posing a significant test for Western pluralism. Ultimately, this foreign influence operation driven by a struggling state may fail to secure long-term Western far-right support while unleashing deeper harms through fear and hatred.