Short answer: Yes. The late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who died suddenly in July 2026, was one of the most consistently pro-Israel voices in the U.S. Senate for over two decades: frequent trips to Israel, close personal ties to Prime Minister Netanyahu, hawkish positions against Iran and Hezbollah, and strong AIPAC backing, while also publicly opposing West Bank annexation and favoring an eventual two-state solution. As of August 2026.
Graham represented South Carolina in the Senate from 2003 until his death this past July. He did not live to see this article published, so everything below is written in the past tense, as a record of what he said and did.
What Lindsey Graham has actually said and done
- November 2, 2025: Graham warned Israeli hard-liners that a one-state outcome, meaning permanent annexation without Palestinian statehood, warning it would do more damage to Israel's future than any bomb Iran could ever build, while continuing to back an eventual two-state solution once security conditions allowed for it, according to VINnews (also reported by The Jerusalem Post).
- December 21, 2025: Graham met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Netanyahu welcomed him on video as "a great friend of Israel" and a "great personal friend," per reporting from Fox News.
- January 16, 2026: Graham announced another upcoming trip to Israel to meet with Netanyahu, saying "the Trump-Netanyahu alliance has thus far been one of the strongest partnerships in the history of the US-Israel relationship," according to the Times of Israel.
- February 2026: Graham traveled to Israel again to meet with Netanyahu, days before the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war that same month, as reported by Jewish Insider.
- April 2026: At a campaign event in Greenville, South Carolina, Graham told supporters, "one anti-Israel party is enough in America," adding, "I intend to proudly stand with Israel and vocally oppose this garbage," referring to antisemitism, according to ABC News 4 Charleston.
- July 11, 2026: Graham died suddenly that Saturday night at age 71, hours after returning from a trip to Ukraine; his office confirmed the death early the next morning. A preliminary D.C. medical examiner report cited aortic dissection as the cause, following what his office called a "brief and sudden illness," according to NPR (also confirmed by The Hill).
- July 12, 2026: Following news of his death, Netanyahu said Israel had "lost one of its greatest friends" who "understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable," while President Isaac Herzog called Graham "a beacon of moral clarity" for the U.S.-Israel partnership, according to Jewish Insider.
The bigger picture
Beyond these dated moments, Graham was widely known on Capitol Hill for making at least 10 trips to Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, for his repeated meetings with Mossad Director David Barnea, and for his hawkish calls for U.S. military support against Iran and Hezbollah. He had long been a critic of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. AIPAC publicly thanked him for his "incredible leadership and support for the U.S.-Israel alliance." His position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict set him apart from Israel's political right: he opposed West Bank annexation while still backing the idea of a two-state solution once conditions allowed for it, a stance he stated plainly and repeated in the months before his death.
The bottom line
Lindsey Graham's record, from his trips to Israel and his relationship with Netanyahu to his hawkish posture on Iran and his warnings against annexation, made him one of the Senate's most visible and consistent supporters of Israel for more than two decades. Israeli leaders said as much themselves when they mourned him in July 2026.
Carry that support with you
Senators like Graham spoke up for Israel in Washington. You can speak up in your own way, every day, with a piece from our I Stand With Israel collection, including the I Stand With Israel bracelet, a simple, wearable way to show where you stand.
Related
Does John Bolton Support Israel?
Does Nikki Haley Support Israel?
Does Josh Hawley Support Israel?
Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
