MK Amit Halevi of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee addressed the JNS International Policy Summit, arguing that Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran-backed groups represents a broader global struggle against radical Islamist ideology.
Speaking under the title “Who Is the Real Head of the Snake?" Halevi compared radical Islamist movements to 20th-century totalitarian regimes, claiming that both Iran’s Shiite Islamist system and Sunni Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood share what he described as expansionist, authoritarian, and violent characteristics.
Halevi said the world faces an ideological threat that extends beyond Israel’s borders, arguing that the focus should not only be on weapons systems such as missiles, drones, or nuclear capabilities, but on the ideology driving them.
“The enemy is not the drone, the missile, or even the nuclear bomb," Halevi said. “The enemy is the murderous ideology that commands a regime."
Addressing Iran, Hamas, and Turkey’s regional influence, Halevi accused Islamist movements of seeking to expand their control across the Middle East and beyond. He compared current developments in the region to the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany before World War II, drawing criticism of what he described as international reluctance to recognize the scale of the threat.
Turning to the United States and Western governments, Halevi criticized those who argue that the conflict is primarily Israel’s concern.
“Israel is not fighting only for Israel," he said. “Israel is fighting for you."
“Our soldiers are fighting today in Lebanon and Gaza for Washington and Florida, for London and Paris - and, truthfully, for Mecca and Medina as well," Halevi added, portraying Israel as being on the front line of a wider confrontation.
Halevi specifically criticized U.S. officials who, he said, underestimate the ideological dimension of Iran and its allies. Referencing historical examples from the years before World War II, he warned against what he called a failure by Western leaders to identify the nature of the threat.
The MK argued that Israel has historically served as an early warning system for global dangers, saying that threats targeting the Jewish state often later affect other parts of the world.
“Throughout history, the Jewish people have always been the seismograph for the entire world," Halevi said. “They were the first to identify the danger, the first to fight, and the first to take the hit."
He concluded by calling on Western countries to join Israel’s efforts, while pledging that Israel would continue fighting until what he described as “total victory."