Four score years ago, Israel was a dream. Today, it stands as a vibrant democracy, a world leader in technology, medicine, and agriculture, a thriving society built from the dust of deserts and the rubble of war. This is a modern miracle and proof of what free people can achieve with vision, perseverance, and the grace of God.
Yet despite this remarkable success, Israel is constantly pressured to give more. The so-called “land for peace” formula has failed time and again. Each time Israel has withdrawn from territory, terrorism has filled the vacuum. Concessions made in the hope of peace have too often been met with incitement, rockets, and unspeakably barbaric terrorist attacks. No other nation would tolerate these terms. Why do we expect Israel to?
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The countries that normalized relations with Israel through the historic Abraham Accords must step forward in true support. These agreements are not just about trade or tourism, but also about acknowledging Israel’s rightful place in the region and its legitimacy as a sovereign Jewish state. That vision should include clear and unwavering support for Israel’s sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. The Jews living there are not occupiers. They are heirs to an ancient homeland that predates every flag flying in the halls of the United Nations today.
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The Abraham Accords Caucus in Congress, which I helped found, was created to strengthen and expand this breakthrough. It showed what can happen when people choose peace over politics and partnership over propaganda. We must build on this foundation. We must not allow momentum to be stalled by pressure from institutions that are hopelessly compromised.
Nowhere is that compromise more evident than in the U.N. During President Donald Trump’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly, he laid bare what so many of us already know: The U.N. has drifted far from its original mission to become a breeding ground for corruption, hypocrisy, and hostility. Instead of standing for peace and human dignity, the U.N. has become a place where despots are applauded and Western democracies are demonized. Nowhere is this more apparent than in its treatment of Israel.
The only thing the U.N. seems to be united on is its animosity toward the Jewish state. Israel is condemned more than any other nation. More than Iran. More than North Korea. More than regimes that systematically murder their own citizens. The double standard is outrageous. It is not just anti-Israel. It is anti-Western. It is anti-freedom.
This hostility is not limited to Israel. It extends to America and everything we represent. Our partnership with Israel is not simply strategic. It is moral. America and Israel are two nations rooted in Judeo-Christian values. We believe in freedom, not as a license to do anything, but as the responsibility to do what is right. We believe in equality, in human dignity, in the right of every individual to live without fear. This is the essence of Western civilization. It is worth defending.
Yet today, we see nations that once shared these values turning their backs on them. Some of our oldest allies are lining up to recognize a Palestinian state — not one built through negotiation and grounded in mutual recognition, but one meant to replace Israel altogether. They are not standing up for peace but surrendering to diplomatic pressure. In doing so, they are abandoning the very principles that once united us.
As renowned historian Victor Davis Hanson aptly stated, “In the history of civilization, the real question is whether the United States, indeed any Western democracy, still possesses the moral clarity to identify evil as evil and then the uncontested will to marshal every available resource to fight and eradicate it.”
This is why American leadership matters more than ever. We are the only country with the economic power, military capabilities, and moral authority to lead the world. If America steps back, the world spins out of control into chaos. That is what we began to see before Trump returned to office.
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The U.S. must not shrink from our role. We must stand with our allies, especially Israel. We must confront the corruption of the U.N. and call out its disloyalty to its original mission. We must support those in the region who choose peace over violence. And we must reject the lie that peace comes through abdication and weakness.
Israel has shown what courage and conviction can build. It is time the world stopped demanding its surrender and started celebrating its strength. The path to peace runs through truth. And the truth is that a strong Israel makes the world a better place, and a strong America ensures that the world stays free.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers represented Washington’s Fifth Congressional District from 2005 to 2025, cofounded the bipartisan, bicameral House Abraham Accords Caucus, and served as a congressional representative to the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 and 2020. She is currently a fellow at the U.S. Israel Education Association.