Amidst growing interest in the United States surrounding the upcoming presidential election, Pete Hegseth, increasingly well-known as one of the rising stars in American conservative media, participated in a week-long factfinding mission to Israel. Organized by the American Friends of Ateret Cohanim under Dr. Joe Frager, Dr. Paul Brody, and Odeleya Jacobs, the visit gave the media personality the chance to better understand many of the issues facing Israel. Also in Israel with the delegation was fellow Fox News political affairs analyst and commentator Lisa Daftari.
Hegseth is today a Fox News contributor who also guest-hosts many of the network’s news programs. Most recently, he was part of the team assigned to cover both the Democratic and Republic conventions. A veteran of the United States military, holding the rank of Major, Hegseth served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and has gone on to be one of the most prominent voices for the veteran community.
Speaking at a media briefing in Jerusalem, attended by the Queens Jewish Link, Hegseth said that even after just a short time in Israel he quickly understood that the mainstream media was lacking in portraying a realistic picture of Israel’s challenges – and its wonders. A native of a small town in Minnesota, he admitted that he had never met a Jew until going to college. But he says that the only way to really understand Israel is to come and experience it. “Seeing is believing, and it is therefore critical that as many people of all backgrounds are encouraged to come to Israel,” Hegseth said.
While acknowledging that as a Fox News contributor he was not able to endorse any specific candidate for the presidency, Hegseth nevertheless made his political allegiances extremely clear during the one-hour briefing. Describing Hillary Clinton as an “historically terrible candidate,” he also described the Obama administration as having significantly weakened America’s influence in global policy.
Hegseth is the author of the recently released “In the Arena,” a vision for a new direction for American domestic and foreign policy based on a passage from a famous address delivered by President Theodore Roosevelt. “A world without American leadership is a world set adrift, and the lesson that we have learned from the last seven years is that when America retreats the world becomes a far more chaotic place.”
Dr. Joe Frager, Dr. Paul Brody, and Odeleya Jacobs have been responsible for bringing many influential American figures to Israel in recent years, including Gov. Mike Huckabee, Glenn Beck, and Washington Congressman Dave Reichert. Dr. Frager said that the value of such a visit cannot be overestimated. “Pete Hegseth is a star who reaches millions of people each day, who directly influences how many Americans think and how they understand the world,” Frager said.
“We therefore knew that he needed to come and see Israel first hand and not simply absorb a media narrative that we all know is typically biased and misleading.”
The weeklong visit would take Hegseth and the other members of the delegation to many sites. On the first day, the trip organized by Ateret Cohanim explored the Jewish presence throughout all of Jerusalem’s Old City, an experience that Hegseth described as deeply enlightening and important. He said that the newfound experiences would enable him to have better perspectives on the region, which would benefi this reporting and the understanding of his viewers. While in Jerusalem, he hoped to be working on a series of pieces for the Fox News network, including interviews with IDF personnel.
“The alliance between America and Israel is indispensible in ensuring the future of freedom in the free world,” Hegseth said. He stressed that this was an understanding shared by the Republican candidate.
“The people around Trump are stressing to him that if there is one way to recapture America’s leadership in the world it will be by strengthening our support for Israel.”
In comments particularly critical of many in the Democratic Party and what he described as the “liberal left,” Hegseth said he saw a major failing in their willingness to confront the real challenges and threats facing modern society. “They are unwilling to fight enemies that have real faces, so instead of confronting terrorists and hostile nations and actors, they address faceless ones like climate change.”
The comments came amidst a particularly difficult few weeks for the Trump campaign. In his remarks, Hegseth conceded that if the election were to be held under the present conditions, Hillary Clinton would likely become the next president. “But there is a long road ahead where much can change.”
Hegseth, who was joined on the Israel visit by his wife Samantha, was also scheduled to travel to Shiloh in Samaria, as well as stops in the Golan Heights, Hebron, Sderot, and sites in Gush Etzion where a spate of recent terror attacks have taken place.
Having trained forces in counter-terrorism tactics, Hegseth said that America could learn a great deal from Israel in how to confront and overcome an enemy. But, referring directly to the Democratic candidate and President Obama, who have repeatedly been cited for failing to address connections between recent terror attacks and Islamic fundamentalism, Hegseth said bluntly, “You can’t defeat an enemy that you’re not willing to name.”
As for the stakes of the November 8 election, Hegseth minced no words, saying, “The question facing voters is very simple: Do you want to continue to have an America or not?”
