Katy for Kansas
June 14, 2026 · Newsletter
It’s Time for Courage
One of the most frequent questions I get asked on the campaign trail is where I stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Early on, I dodged the question or relied on familiar talking points: “Benjamin Netanyahu is a warmonger, but Israel had a right to defend itself after the horrors of October 7, 2023.”
While there is truth in that statement, I’ve come to realize that platitudes will no longer suffice. It’s time for courage.
First, it is time to state clearly, forcefully, and unequivocally: the killing—and the United States’ complicity in it—must stop.
For decades, we have funded Israel’s military operations with billions of dollars in aid. We have supplied weapons, intelligence, diplomatic cover, and political support. Congress continues to deepen that relationship even as the region spirals further into violence. I think that is a mistake.
More than two centuries ago, George Washington warned against exactly this kind of entanglement. In his Farewell Address, he cautioned that excessive attachment to any foreign nation could draw America into quarrels and wars that are not our own and lead us to sacrifice our own interests in the process:
“…Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove, that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government.”
Washington understood something that many of our leaders have forgotten: friendship between nations should never require blind loyalty. We should be willing to confront our allies when they are making a mistake or steering the world toward more suffering and less peace.
Second, we must confront a reality on the ground that no longer matches the rhetoric coming out of Washington.
For years, politicians have repeated their support for a two-state solution. But if we’re honest about the current situation, we must acknowledge that conditions on the ground have moved further and further away from that outcome. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank continue to live without the security, sovereignty, and self-determination that a genuine two-state solution would require.
Meanwhile, the conflict has expanded beyond Gaza. Lebanon continues to be targeted, and the War with Iran has escalated things dramatically. The risk of a broader regional war grows by the day, and I’m forced to ask myself: Is any of this making the region safer? Is it bringing us closer to peace? Or are we simply wearing the same rosy colored glasses we wore back in the early 2000s in Iraq and Afghanistan? We learned then that fear, anger, and unquestioning support for military action are poor substitutes for sound judgment. We also learned that the ideological and political tensions in this region span centuries and will not be resolved overnight with quick military action.
Yet, too many of our leaders continue to ignore lessons learned from those earlier conflicts and treat criticism of Israeli government policy as something unacceptable in American politics. Too many are afraid to have an honest conversation because they fear political consequences more than they fear the consequences of continued war.
I want to be clear: I have many Jewish friends. I have Jewish supporters. Some of them are among the people I love and respect most in this world. My criticisms of the Israeli government’s actions and American support thereof are not criticisms of Jewish people. They are a recognition that governments, like all institutions, should be judged by their actions. And we do neither Israelis nor Palestinians any favors by pretending that more war will somehow produce lasting peace.
Public opinion increasingly agrees with that sentiment. Americans’ views on our relationship with Israel are changing. Many now believe that the current approach does more to harm U.S. interests than advance them. Large numbers of Americans favor either ending military aid to Israel altogether or conditioning it on how those weapons are used.
So, even though Americans are growing tired of the status quo, once again, we see the familiar pattern of lawmakers in Washington ignoring the will of their constituents and instead responding to the entrenched political interests that fund their reelection campaigns every few years. That’s not representative government—and it’s certainly not courage.
Courage is being willing to tell the truth when powerful interests would prefer you stay silent. Courage is acknowledging that two things can be true at the same time: the atrocities committed on October 7th were horrific AND the ongoing destruction of Gaza is horrific. It is recognizing that while Israeli families deserve to live in safety, so do Palestinians, Lebanese, and Iranians.
For too long, too many of our leaders have treated this conflict as a political calculation rather than a human tragedy. They have measured their words against donor pressure, lobbying campaigns, and election concerns instead of measuring them against the innocent lives being lost every day. That must change.
America should be a force for diplomacy, de-escalation, and peace. We should use our influence to stop wars, not initiate or perpetuate them. We should be willing to tell our allies the hard truth when their actions undermine peace and stability.
Because, as I said in the beginning, the killing must stop. And if our leaders will not find the courage to stop it, then it is time for the American people to elect leaders who will.