What made US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham a controversial figure | Political Affairs

Lindsey Graham, a former Republican United States senator, has died after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said.

A former ally of President Donald Trump, the 71-year-old politician ran for the US state of South Carolina and is slated for the November mid-term elections.

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“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump posted on his social media accounts earlier Sunday. “She worked hard all the time, and was a true American fan. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”

Known for his protectionism and foreign policy views, Graham has been instrumental in Ukraine’s war with Russia and Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. He also called for “regime change” in Iran and endorsed a US-Israeli military strike on the country.

Graham’s actions and public statements, therefore, made him a political contender not only in the US, but around the world.

Here’s what we know:

Help for Israel

Strongly supportive of Israel, Graham made many controversial statements.

In 2017, a year before the Trump administration moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Graham signed a resolution supporting the move and called Jerusalem “the undisputed capital of Israel”.

“Moving our embassy from Tel Aviv to west Jerusalem is not against any peace process. It is in line with the reality – as I and many others know – that the capital of Israel is Jerusalem,” he said.

The US move to relocate its embassy was widely criticized by the Palestinians and several Gulf states.

Graham also supported Israel’s war of destruction in Gaza. In July 2024, when anti-war protests took place around the world, including in the US, he spoke out against the Palestinians on social media.

“The Palestinians in Gaza are the most fanatical people in the world who are indoctrinated to hate Jews from birth. It will take years for this problem to end,” Graham said. post on X.

“When I hear ‘From the river to the sea,’ it reminds me of ‘The Last Road.’ Hamas terrorists are the SS on steroids,” he added, comparing them to the Nazi military, the Schutzstaffel (SS).

Graham also said that Israel would be eligible to use nuclear weapons in Gaza, where Israel’s attacks since October 2023 have not stopped, despite the “ban” signed by Hamas in October.

“Give Israel what it needs to fight a war it cannot afford.” This is Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids,” he said.

Israel’s Defense Ministry on Sunday said it was saddened by the death of Graham, “who stood by Israel at a very difficult time”.

Supporting the US-Israel war on Iran

A US senator was too assistant about the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Immediately after Iran was attacked on February 28, Graham said it was necessary to spend money “to remove this regime”.

“When this regime falls, we’re going to have a new Middle East, and we’re going to make a lot of money,” Graham, a long-time supporter of the US military presence, told the Fox News network.

“This regime is in danger of death now; it will fall, it will fall, and when it falls, we will have more peace than ever, we will have a better life than anyone can imagine,” Graham said.

A few weeks before it arrives The recent war in Iran began, Graham made several trips to Israel to meet with members of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.

“They will tell me things that our government cannot tell me,” he said.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Graham also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during these trips, “teaching him how to help the President (Trump) take action”.

Netanyahu then showed Trump the wisdom that “convinced” him to launch a joint war on Iran, the US senator said.

In response to the US-Israeli attack, Iran has been attacking US assets in the Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.

Recently, Graham called on the UAE and Saudi Arabia to start a war against Iran.

“I want them to join the war. We sell them weapons. Iran is attacking their country; they have good technology,” he said.

Last week, Graham criticized Saudi Arabia for not joining the war against Iran.

“Americans are dying and the US is spending billions to get rid of Iranian terrorists who threaten the region. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia seems to be giving words and doing things behind the scenes that are of little use,” he wrote on X.

“We hope that the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council will participate more because this war is behind them.

Supporter of the war in the Gulf, North Africa

In addition to Iran, Graham has also supported US forces in the Gulf and North Africa over the past two decades, including the devastating 2003 Iraq war that devastated the Arab world.

More than 270,000 Iraqis were killed as a result of the war. US troops withdrew partially in 2009, although some of them remained to train Iraqi security forces.

Graham also supported the US military in Syria and Libya.

Divided Libya is ruled by two rival factions, while the recently-reformed Syrian government has taken control of most of the country under the leadership of President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Syria is transitioning to a new government after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict, and nearly half of its pre-war population has been displaced, creating a refugee crisis that has reached Europe.

Russia’s war in Ukraine

Graham was one of the most vocal advocates in the US Congress for military aid to Ukraine in the fight against Russia.

A day before his death on Saturday evening, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. “This is his 10th visit to our country, and we appreciate this support,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

In March 2023, Russia placed Graham on a wanted list, according to Russian media reports citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Moscow’s move came after the Ukrainian president’s office released a redacted video of a meeting between Graham and Zelenskyy, which showed the US senator saying, “Russians are dying”, and that US aid to Ukraine was “the best money we ever spent”.

Graham responded to Russia’s move by saying that he wears a “bond certificate” as a “badge of honor”.

“Knowing that my commitment to Ukraine has angered the regime of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin makes me very happy,” he wrote, urging Russian authorities to continue their case at the International Criminal Court, which has already issued a verdict. to be arrested to Putin.

“Come on make a good decision,” Graham replied with a smile. “See you in The Hague!”

From anti-Trump to loyalist

Although Graham has been a supporter of the US president’s policies around the world, he was once an opponent of Trump and not before.

When he was running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2015, Graham criticized Trump as a “bait, xenophobe” and “gentleman”.

As Trump, during his presidential campaign, called for all Muslims to be banned from entering the US, Graham told reporters: “If we elect Trump, we will be destroyed… and we deserve it.”

But the two later developed a close political and personal relationship, becoming best golf buddies and confidants.

After meeting with Trump in March 2017, Graham wrote on X: “President Trump is committed to rebuilding our military which is music to my ears.”

From that time until his death on Saturday, Graham supported US military intervention in the Gulf, higher taxes on countries supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, and controversial domestic immigration policies, among others.

Asked in February by US broadcaster NBC News how he maintains his relationship with Trump, Graham said: “Well, one, have a little fun. Play some golf. And understand that he’s been a good president.”

“Sometimes I don’t agree,” he said. “You know what we have in common? I love him, and he loves her.”