The National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism reconvened independently after cutting ties with the Heritage Foundation amid controversy over Heritage president Kevin Roberts’ defense of Tucker Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes. The group, founded to address antisemitism largely on the left, now says it will confront threats from the right as well; it held its first public meeting since the split on Tuesday.
The task force announced its separation from the Heritage Foundation about two weeks ago following backlash to Roberts’ defense of Carlson after Carlson hosted Fuentes on his podcast, according to NPR’s reporting from the meeting. Fuentes, a far-right figure known for praising Hitler and embracing racist, white nationalist and antisemitic rhetoric, has drawn criticism from prominent Republicans. (wfdd.org)
At Tuesday’s public session—the first since the split—co-chair Luke Moon described a broadened mandate. “The fight on the left is still happening. That is not done. That is a work that still has to go on. But we now have an emergent threat on the right,” he said, adding that the group intends to push back on rhetoric from figures like Fuentes. (wfdd.org)
Attendees included conservative Christian organizations, conservative-leaning Jewish leaders and several prominent evangelical figures. President Trump’s ambassador to Israel, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, addressed the task force by video. “So, in Genesis, when the scripture says, God will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel, we don’t argue with God about that,” Huckabee said, urging respect for Judaism as the foundation of Christianity. (wfdd.org)
NPR also noted that evangelical Christians have historically been among the strongest U.S. supporters of Israel, sometimes more so than American Jews on certain measures grounded in biblical interpretation. Surveys over the past two decades show white evangelicals often express more hawkish pro-Israel views than other groups—for example, being likelier to say God gave Israel to the Jewish people or that the U.S. is not supportive enough of Israel. (wfdd.org)
Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal pro-Israel group J Street, cautioned that invoking divine claims intensifies conflict. “When any side, whether it is Muslims, Christians or Jews, begin to introduce the idea that God somehow gave only one people a piece of land, you make it a conflict that can’t be resolved,” he said. (wfdd.org)
A Heritage spokesperson, responding to the split, pointed to Roberts’ prior statement calling for confronting antisemitism across the political spectrum. Moon said he would not rule out reconciling with Heritage in the future, calling the current moment—just after the November off-year elections and well ahead of the 2026 midterms—a good time for conservatives to debate how to address antisemitism. (wfdd.org)
Context: Roberts’ initial defense of Carlson’s Fuentes interview triggered internal turmoil at Heritage and criticism from GOP leaders, even as Roberts later sought to clarify his position. Reporting by outlets including the Washington Post and Politico has detailed resignations and dissent within the think tank over the episode. (washingtonpost.com)
