US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), speaking in the Dirksen Senate office building in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2025. Photo: IMAGO/MediaPunch via Reuters Connect

US Sen. Lindsey Graham delivered a forceful defense of the US-Israel alliance at a South Carolina Republican Party meeting on Wednesday, warning that withdrawing American support for the Jewish state would carry both strategic and spiritual consequences.

“If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us,” Graham told the crowd, framing the alliance as a moral imperative for the US.

The South Carolina Republican, a longtime supporter of Israel, criticized the use of the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, arguing that the label is politically weaponized. “If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they could. They have the capability to do that. They choose not to,” he said. “Hamas … would commit genocide in 30 seconds. They just can’t.”

Graham cast Israel as the most reliable ally of the US and emphatically defended the Jewish state as a force for good in the Middle East.

“Israel is not the bad guys. They’re the good guys. The bad guys are the radical Islamists who would kill everybody in this room if they could,” Graham said.

His speech drew applause from the audience, underscoring the strong pro-Israel sentiment among Republican voters in his home state.

The remarks came amid growing divides in US domestic politics over the Israel–Hamas war, particularly regarding the use of charged terms like “genocide” and the balance between military support and humanitarian aid. While Graham’s comments echoed the staunchly pro-Israel position favored by the Republican Party’s foreign policy establishment, some in the party, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-SC) have called for greater scrutiny of US backing of Israel.

Graham spoke at the Silver Elephant Gala, one of South Carolina’s most prominent political gatherings, which has long served as a platform for party leaders to stake out their positions ahead of key election cycles. This year, Graham used it to reaffirm his belief that America’s commitment to Israel is both a matter of national security and divine mandate.

Graham’s statement sparked backlash from Greene, who falsely accused Israel of attempting to eradicate the Palestinian population. Greene, a conservative Republican with an extensive history of antisemitic statements, has recently accused Israel of committing a so-called “genocide” in Gaza.

“That is quite a statement and is an acknowledgment that nuclear-armed Israel is more than capable of defending themselves, by themselves, and not only defeating their enemies, but completely wiping them out!” Green wrote on X/Twitter.

In recent weeks, Greene has established herself as a vocal critic of Israel, breaking ranks with the rest of the Republican party. In July, she introduced amendments to a House appropriations bill which, if passed, would have stripped Israel of defense funding, claiming that Congress should stop sending “hard-earned tax dollars to foreign countries.”

“We don’t believe we go to heaven based on how much money we blindly give and how many bombs we drop on the secular government of Israel’s enemies,” Greene continued.

Cover art for “Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm.” Photo: Provided

The US-based distribution company Menemsha Films has acquired worldwide rights, exclusive of Scandinavia, to a comedic documentary film from Canadian filmmakers and award-winning comedy duo Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion, The Algemeiner has learned.

The film, titled “Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm,” follows the performers from Montreal as they travel around Stockholm, Sweden, and learn about Jewish identity and culture. “Through meshugenah encounters and eye-opening revelations, these two (gefilte) fish out of water explore 250 years of Swedish Jewish culture, from the earliest immigrants to today’s Yiddish renaissance, including discovering how Yiddish came to be a protected government-recognized language in Sweden,” according to a synopsis of the film provided by Menemsha Films. “Along the way, they dive into a cultural revival that is as unexpected as it is joyous.”

Menemsha Films will premiere “Swedishkayt” at international film festivals next year, starting with its world premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival in January, followed by a theatrical release in North America.

“When we first discovered that, of all places, Sweden is the new mecca of Yiddish language and culture, we knew we had to share this crazy secret with the rest of the world,” said Elman and Batalion. “We were excited to dip into the Yiddish scene in Stockholm for this film, and are delighted to work with the mensches at Menemsha Films, who have proven their ability time and time again to take Jewish
projects to wide audiences.”

Batalion and Elman co-created the first Yiddish-language sitcom “YidLife Crisis,” an award-winning web series that explores religious and cultural Jewish life in the modern world. The show has featured celebrity guest appearances by Mayim Bialik and Howie Mandel. It has amassed over 4 million online views and led to Battalion and Elman having sold-out live performances across North America and Europe.

“We have been huge fans of YidLife Crisis for many years, and it is our privilege to bring these comedy icons to a larger audience around the world,” said Neil Friedman, founder and president of Menemsha Films, in a joint statement with Menemsha Films Executive Vice President Heidi Oshin.

The comedic duo has released previous projects like “Swedishkayt” that chronicle their travels and exploration of Jewish identity, including the “Global Shtetl” series, “Narishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Krakow,” and “Chewdaism: A Taste of Montreal.” Together, they have over 25 years of credits across television, theater, music, and film, including “Mad Men” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” They have written, directed, and produced short and feature films that have appeared at major film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and SXSW.

Watch the trailer for “Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm” below.



Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025, in this screen grab from video. Photo: Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS

Hezbollah raised the specter of civil war with a warning on Friday there would be “no life” in Lebanon if the government sought to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed terrorist group.

The government wants to control arms in line with a US-backed plan following Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah, which was founded four decades ago with the backing of Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards.

But the Islamist group is resisting pressure to disarm, saying that cannot happen until Israel ends its strikes and occupation of a southern strip of Lebanon that had been a Hezbollah stronghold.

“This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together – or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us,” its leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech.

Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in the last two years, killing many of its top brass, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah, and 5,000 of its fighters and destroying much of its arsenal.

Lebanon‘s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Qassem’s statements carried an implicit threat of civil war, calling them “unacceptable.”

“No party in Lebanon is authorized to bear arms outside the framework of the Lebanese state,” Salam said in a post on X carrying his statements from an interview with the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

The Lebanese cabinet last week tasked the army with confining weapons only to state security forces, a move that has outraged Hezbollah.

DIALOGUE POSSIBLE

Qassem accused the government of implementing an “American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife.”

However, he said Hezbollah and the Amal movement, its Shi’ite Muslim ally, had decided to delay any street protests while there was still scope for talks.

“There is still room for discussion, for adjustments, and for a political resolution before the situation escalates to a confrontation no one wants,” Qassem said.

“But if it is imposed on us, we are ready, and we have no other choice … At that point, there will be a protest in the street, all across Lebanon, that will reach the American embassy.”

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which left parts of Lebanon in ruins, erupted in October 2023 when the group opened fire at Israeli positions along the southern border in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.

Hezbollah and Amal still retain influence politically, appointing Shi’ite ministers to cabinet and holding the Shi’ite seats in parliament. But for the first time in years, they do not hold a “blocking third” of cabinet posts that in the past enabled them to veto government decisions.

Hezbollah retains strong support among the Shi’ite community in Lebanon but calls for its disarmament across the rest of society have grown.