Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) with a delegation of Republican US senators in for the embassy opening. From left: Sen. Lindsey Graham R-S.C.), Sen. Ted. Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO.

The death of US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) marks a “fundamental shift” in Israel’s relationship with Congress, leaving the country more dependent on President Donald Trump at a time when it has fewer lawmakers to turn to in Washington, former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren said in an interview with The Algemeiner.

Graham, one of Israel’s most dependable allies in Congress, died Saturday at 71 after what his office described as a brief and sudden illness. His death prompted tributes from across Israel’s political spectrum, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his leading opponents mourning a senator whose support spanned the country’s deep partisan divisions.

Oren, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States during the Obama administration, said Graham became a crucial channel through which Israel could mobilize support on Capitol Hill during periods of tension with Washington.

“When we had a problem with Obama, Bibi would tell me to call Lindsey Graham,” Oren said, referring to the Israeli prime minister by his nickname. He added that Graham would then rally senators including John McCain and Joe Lieberman, as well as other members of Congress.

Israel now has almost no equivalent recourse in Congress, Oren said. “That’s a fundamental shift against us. There’s no one we can complain to. Now we can rely only on Trump’s relationship with us.”

Oren named Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as two lawmakers who could assume parts of Graham’s mantle, but said neither had the same impact or range of relationships.

The breadth of Graham’s standing in Israel was evident within hours of his death. Netanyahu, opposition leader Yair Lapid, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz and ministers from the coalition’s far-right flank all described Graham as a personal friend who had repeatedly stood with Israel during war and diplomatic isolation.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends,” Netanyahu said. “America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “shocked and heartbroken,” calling Graham a “beacon of moral clarity” and a leader of the US-Israel partnership. Lapid said Graham had been “first and foremost a friend,” while Bennett said he had stood with Israel “through our darkest hours.” Gantz called him an “unwavering, unflinching, true friend.”

The breadth of the reaction was also visible across Israel’s sharply divided media. Political strategist Raz Sauber noted on X that veteran Israeli reporter Barak Ravid was “practically in tears over him” on Channel 12, while Channel 14 host Yinon Magal recited Kaddish, the Jewish mourner’s prayer, for Graham even though he was not Jewish.

https://x.com/raz_sauber_/status/2076395981092823419

Oren said Graham’s support was particularly notable because it could not be readily explained by domestic political incentives. He was not an evangelical Christian and represented a state with a relatively small Jewish population.

“He had two things: Clarity of vision and he had guts — he wasn’t afraid of anybody,” Oren said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized Graham’s repeated visits after the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023. Graham returned to Israel several times during the ensuing war and defended its right to respond militarily. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who said he had long referred to Graham as both “the best senator and the best friend,” described his support for Israeli security as boundless.

Days after the Oct. 7 attack, Graham organized a delegation of five Republican and five Democratic senators to Israel. At a news conference in Tel Aviv, he noted that 10% of the Senate had made the trip and joked that he could probably have brought the entire chamber with a larger plane.

That bipartisan role was central to Graham’s value for Israel. He favored an active American role abroad, strong military alliances and the use of US power against governments and armed groups he viewed as threats to Washington’s allies. Those positions increasingly put him at odds with isolationist currents in the Republican Party, while his close relationship with Trump gave him access to the White House.

Graham backed sanctions against the International Criminal Court over its pursuit of Israeli leaders and urged a harder line against Iran. He had long advocated military action to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and supported the joint American-Israeli campaign against Iran earlier this year.

He was also a major advocate of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, an effort he had pursued since the Biden administration. Oren said that while Graham had invested heavily in the initiative, he doubted the current Israeli government could bring his vision to completion. According to an Axios report by Ravid, Graham had nevertheless been preparing a renewed diplomatic push after Israel’s late-October election and the US midterms, including planned visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia to assess the prospects for an agreement.

Without him, Oren said, “our challenges are now that much greater. He was actually indispensable.”