NEW YORK – Meghan McCain is confident that “the U.S.-Israel alliance is incredibly strong” despite the rise of antisemitism nationwide and mounting political pressure from various factions.
In an interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening before receiving the “Champion of Israel” award from the American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA)—an organization aiding Israel’s emergency medical and disaster response services—McCain pointed out that the subject of U.S.-Israel relations seems more politically divisive, particularly on the left.
McCain mentioned observing some pro-Israel Democrats, with specific reference to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “hedging in different places.” During her award acceptance speech at this year’s AFMDA New York City gala, she also criticized New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who faced backlash for past endorsements of antisemitic statements like “globalize the intifada.”
“Pray for this city,” McCain commented, adding, “he’s an animal.” Her remarks were met with applause from the audience at Manhattan’s Cipriani Wall Street.
In her address to the gala attendees, McCain emphatically defended the U.S.-Israel relationship, alongside her own steadfast backing of the Jewish nation.
“Regardless of how much of the world—driven by moral cowardice, material interest, or the latent antisemitism that still haunts society—chooses to turn away from Israel, I will not. I never will. And I represent millions of Americans who share the exact sentiment,” McCain asserted to an enthusiastic crowd.
McCain credited her father, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his relationship with the late Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., for her desire to deliver a strong defense of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
“My father always understood the importance of the connection between America and Israel. His deep friendship with the man who was for all intents and purposes my uncle, the late Senator Joe Lieberman, was what exposed me to Jewish life, thought, and practice from a young age,” McCain said. Later in her speech, she added that she and her husband, Ben Domenech “feel the same way, as so many Americans do: that Israel’s cause is right, Israel’s fight is noble, and Israel’s means are just.”
Magen David Adom (MDA), which is essentially Israel’s version of the Red Cross, handles a wider range of issues than its American counterpart, the Red Cross, such as disaster relief and blood services.
On Oct. 7, 2023, MDA handled over 21,600 emergency calls, five times more than the number of calls it gets on an average Saturday. Additionally, MDA dispatched 1,430 ambulances and intensive care units alongside hundreds of emergency motorcycles, three helicopters, command and control vehicles, and 24 mass casualty response vehicles equipped to deploy mobile treatment sites. Since the Israel-Hamas war began, 38 MDA personnel lost their lives.
McCain concluded her speech with a stark warning — that Israel’s fight is America’s fight and that “If Israel were to lose its war — God forbid — the armies of darkness would march toward us here in America, too.”
