Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be scrambling to maintain Israel’s foothold within US President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, openly dismissing conspiracy theories about an Israeli role in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On Thursday, Netanyahu called the allegations a "monstrous, big lie", adding, "this is insane, it is false, it is outrageous", according to Newsweek.
Earlier, he told media the claims linking Israel to Kirk's death were "ridiculous lies", comparing them to suggestions that Israel controls the sun and moon. For a leader who typically ignores fringe narratives, the repeated denials are striking - a measure of how seriously he views the risk of Israel losing ground with Trump's base.
Kirk had been one of the loudest pro-Israel voices on the American right.
Under Trump, the alliance between MAGA and Israel has been cemented by unprecedented concessions: the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the Abraham Accords, US strikes on Iran's nuclear energy facilities and unwavering backing during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
But despite Kirk’s allegiance to Trump, an alleged change in his positions hinted at a shift with regards to Israel.
In the months before his death, he opposed US involvement in a potential war with Iran, with Trump allegedly shouting at the 31-year-old MAGA figure due to his lack of support.
MAGA journalist and Israel critic Tucker Carlson has since claimed Kirk "did not like" Netanyahu and was "appalled by what was happening in Gaza". Journalist Yashar Ali echoed that, saying Kirk told him the same "many times".
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, meanwhile, released a final text from Kirk in which he raised the idea of her debating about AIPAC, a subtle departure from his previous line.
Some have said this mix of scepticism and dissent unnerves Israel. A growing wing of MAGA - non-evangelical Christian nationalists and America First hardliners - is increasingly hostile to foreign entanglements and openly critical of Israel's influence in US politics.
Trump himself has attacked "global elites", embraced conspiratorial rhetoric, and courted far-right critics of Israel.
Netanyahu’s remarks suggest Israeli officials are worried that support for Israel within Trump’s movement, once considered dependable, may be weakening.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tried to steady the line, appearing with Netanyahu to warn that conspiracy theories around Kirk’s death are a "destructive threat to democracy".
Yet Rubio's intervention could mark what many consider to be the growing fragility of Israel’s position, with it suddenly forced to defend its standing inside the movement that once seemed its most dependable ally.