Short answer: Yes. As of August 2026, William "Bill" Kristol, the veteran neoconservative commentator and editor-at-large of The Bulwark, has a long, well-documented record of supporting Israel. He co-founded a pro-Israel advocacy group in 2010, has repeatedly backed Israeli military action against Iran's nuclear program (including as recently as June 2025), and took part in a major American Jewish Committee forum on U.S. support for allies including Israel in 2025. He is Jewish by birth.
What William Kristol has actually said and done
2010: Kristol co-founded the Emergency Committee for Israel, a pro-Israel political advocacy group, alongside Gary Bauer and Noah Pollak. The group was formed explicitly to counter the influence of the left-leaning organization J Street, according to Wikipedia's summary of contemporaneous reporting.
2013: The Emergency Committee for Israel remained active, opposing Chuck Hagel's nomination as Secretary of Defense over his record on Israel-related issues, before the group later went dormant, per the same Wikipedia entry.
April 28, 2025: Kristol, as editor-at-large of The Bulwark, took part in the AJC "Great Debate" at the American Jewish Committee's Global Forum 2025 in New York. He argued that genuine American strength requires sustained U.S. global leadership rather than retreat, a position framed around continued U.S. support for allies including Israel, according to the American Jewish Committee.
June 13, 2025: Kristol posted on X, "I've not been in recent years a supporter of Netanyahu. But I support Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear program," drawing a clear line between his criticism of the Israeli prime minister personally and his support for the strike itself. The statement is documented on his verified X account and was also covered by The Nation.
May 15, 2026: Kristol announced on X that he had registered as a Democrat, ending decades as a Republican and several years as an independent (2021 to 2026), citing opposition to Donald Trump's direction for the GOP. This was a domestic party-affiliation change, not a reversal on Israel. The announcement is documented on his X account and was reported by the American Thinker.
Where William Kristol's views on Israel come from
William Kristol was born December 23, 1952, in New York City into a Jewish family. His father was Irving Kristol, a founding figure of American neoconservatism, and his mother was historian Gertrude Himmelfarb. He is Jewish by birth and upbringing. Kristol built his career as founding editor of The Weekly Standard and is now editor-at-large of The Bulwark, where he remains an active commentator.
His support for Israel has been consistent across decades of neoconservative foreign-policy writing, though it is not uncritical. He has been openly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally in recent years, even while backing specific Israeli military actions such as the June 2025 strikes on Iran's nuclear program. His May 2026 move to register as a Democrat was driven by domestic opposition to Donald Trump, not by any change in his position on Israel. He has continued discussing Israel-Iran dynamics on his podcast, Conversations with Bill Kristol, and in Bulwark commentary into 2026.
The bottom line
William Kristol supports Israel. His public record spans co-founding a pro-Israel advocacy organization in 2010, consistent hawkish commentary backing Israeli security actions (most recently the 2025 strikes on Iran's nuclear program), and appearances at major Jewish organizational events such as the AJC Global Forum. His criticism is aimed at specific Israeli leaders (Netanyahu) and at Donald Trump, not at Israel's right to defend itself or at the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Wear your own answer
Whatever side of the debate a public figure lands on, plenty of us know exactly where we stand. If you want to say it plainly, our I Stand With Israel collection has pieces made for that, including the I Stand With Israel bracelet, a simple, everyday way to wear your support.
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Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
