Lindsey Graham, staunch backer of Israel and US wars, dies aged 71
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the most significant voices on US foreign policy and a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, has died at the age of 71 following a brief illness, his office announced on Sunday.
A statement from Graham's office said he died on Saturday evening and that his family had requested privacy.
First elected to the Senate in 2002, Graham regularly courted intense international criticism for his pro-war rhetoric and interventionist foreign policy.
He served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was a prominent voice on issues ranging from Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.
Trump paid tribute to Graham in a social media post, describing him as a "true American patriot".
Graham had returned from Kyiv only days before his death, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed legislation to increase pressure on Russia.
He was among the strongest congressional advocates of US military assistance to Ukraine. In 2023, he warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin's ambitions extended beyond Ukraine.
"Putin will not stop in Ukraine," Graham told the BBC. "To be weak in Ukraine means that you lose in Taiwan."
'Hateful and absurd'
Although Graham frequently clashed with Trump, including after the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol, he later emerged as one of the president's most dedicated supporters and endorsed his 2024 presidential campaign.
"Trump and I, we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way," Graham said in a Senate speech following the Capitol riot. "All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough."
He later reversed course, telling the BBC in 2023: "There is a dark side to Donald Trump … and he was a very good president. But I am sticking with him because I saw what he did."
Graham backed Israel in the US Congress and called for increased military assistance to Tel Aviv alongside increased aid for illegal settlements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterised him as a close friend of Israel, while President Isaac Herzog declared Graham's support for the country had been unwavering.
Throughout Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, Graham repeatedly defended Israeli military actions and opposed efforts to restrict US support for Israel.
His comments frequently drew criticism from Palestinian rights advocates, human rights groups and Muslim civil rights organisations.
In July 2024, Graham described Palestinians in Gaza as "the most radicalized population on the planet who are taught to hate Jews from birth" in a social media post that sparked widespread condemnation.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations responded by saying that he was promoting racist stereotypes about Palestinians, calling his comments "hateful and absurd".
Graham also drew flak for suggesting that Israel should consider measures comparable to those used by the United States against Japan during World War Two, remarks that opponents described as inflammatory.
In 2019, during a visit to the occupied Golan Heights, Graham called Israel's security and prosperity vital to US national security and advocated recognition of Israeli control over the territory.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said earlier this year that Graham was among US officials who threatened him over the court's pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
More recently, he was a vocal supporter of a hardline military approach toward Iran.
During the US-Iran conflict, Graham repeatedly urged the White House to use military force to secure the Strait of Hormuz and compared the confrontation with Tehran to Britain's struggle against Nazi Germany.
Graham also drew criticism from Gulf states for his positions on the Middle East.
In March, he blamed Saudi Arabia for refusing to join the US-Israeli war against Iran and warned of potential "consequences" for countries that declined to support military action against Tehran.
His confrontational manner also generated diplomatic controversy in Europe.
In 2025, Norwegian officials moved to defuse tensions after Graham threatened consequences following a decision by Norway's sovereign wealth fund to divest from companies linked to Israel's war in Gaza.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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