Say what you mean and mean what you say

In order to maintain a free press, a free country, and a healthy conversation, we must be willing to speak freely (and respectfully) about our values.

Tucker Carlson, a man who I admire and deeply respect for his fearless reporting on the biggest issues of our day, had a guest on his program earlier this week with whom I share radically different perspectives.

This man is named Munther Isaac. He’s a Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem, an area governed by the Palestinian Authority.

I am an unapologetically patriotic American Jew from New Jersey. I believe that Israel is a nation that brings a lot more good to the world than bad, and I strongly consider it to be by far the most righteous country in the Middle East. I was fiercely critical of Israel’s policies during the Covid era, and I strongly believe that no nation should be free from robust criticism.

Now, pastor Isaac does not believe that Israel has the right to exist whatsoever, as he considers the entirety of both Israeli and Palestinian lands as “occupied” Palestinian territory. Had Tucker Carlson or his guest revealed that much, the conversation would be much more honest and insightful.

Nonetheless, I am not one to say that this man doesn’t have the right to his opinion. Fair enough. But his ideology is something similar to belonging in the camp of far-left American lunatics who declare in 2024 that they are living on top of stolen Native American land.

In his interview with Tucker, the church leader did not reveal his truly held sentiments whatsoever. Instead, he spent his time declaring that Israel mistreats its Christian population, despite not really making it clear that he does not represent Christians living in Israel, believes Israel to be illegitimate, and serves under the auspices of the hyper-tyrannical Palestinian Authority government, which rewards jihadists with a lifetime salary for murdering “infidels.”

Had Tucker Carlson’s audience known that this man carries an incredible ideological bias on top of a weighty government censorship apparatus into the conversation, they would be able to more fairly judge his comments on Israel and the Palestinians. Instead, the viewer is left with the impression that this “pastor,” a representative of his faith, is merely airing his righteous grievances.

After watching the interview, I dug up more information on Mr Isaac. I found a sermon he delivered one day after the horrific October 7 massacre, in which he applauded the barbaric Hamas attack and excused it as a form of “resistance.” He described the innocent young men and women who were slaughtered at the music festival as a bunch of “wealthy people” who basically had it coming for them, declaring that he was "shocked by the strength of the Palestinian man who defied his siege.”

When watching the pastor’s sermon, I couldn’t help but notice that his entire congregation was comprised almost wholly of people of an advanced age. But it makes sense if you investigate the data. Under Islamic rule, the Christian population of Bethlehem has not grown whatsoever, slowly decreasing to the point that Christians now make up only about 10% of the city. Sadly, while the Muslim population is soaring in Palestinian lands (despite claims of an ongoing “genocide”), the Christian population in areas governed by the Palestinian governments will soon cease to exist.

Lutheran church in Bethlehem, Oct 8, 2023

Notably, Tucker did not mention that there are almost 200,000 Christians in Israel, the vast majority of whom say they’re content with their living situation. Israel possesses the only growing Christian community in the Middle East.

If we want to create a healthier and more robust dialogue, it’s essential for those with significant platforms to make their values and perspectives clear to their audience.

I don’t know what is in Tucker Carlson’s heart, though if I were to guess, I would surmise that he’s deeply skeptical of Israel and U.S. policy regarding Israel. Ideally, he will just inform his audience, so that he can share his perspective and maybe even bring on guests who arrive at a different conclusion.

So he should just say that instead of being weird about the issue. And of course that pastor should make his position clear too. Of course, it’s a little more difficult for the government-sanctioned pastor to maintain an honest conversation. For Mr. Carlson, however, there’s no such excuse.

It’s hard for us to learn anything from our critics if we don’t know where they’re coming from. It’s even more difficult when they intentionally or mistakenly misrepresent their positions to win converts to their overt or clandestine ideological campaigns.

In order to maintain a free press, a free country, and a healthy conversation, we must be willing to speak freely (and respectfully) about our values.

We all deserve better. Beating around the bush does a disservice to everyone involved in the conversation. Say what you mean and mean what you say, and let the chips fall where they may. Misrepresentations and deceptions don’t do anyone any good.