Tucker Carlson Says Israel ‘Lost Its Morality’ In Channel 13 Interview

Tucker Carlson told Channel 13 on Tuesday night that Israel has “definitely lost its morality,” accusing the Israeli government of killing innocent civilians in Gaza and saying the United States should stop sending military aid to Israel.

The interview, conducted by Udi Segal, marked one of Carlson’s sharpest direct attacks on Israel in Israeli media. Carlson, once one of Donald Trump’s most prominent media supporters, said he broke with Trump over the war with Iran and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pressuring the U.S. president into a conflict he said harmed American interests.

“Israel has definitely lost its morality. There’s no question about that,” Carlson said, while acknowledging that Israel has enemies who have committed atrocities against civilians.

Carlson said his criticism was rooted in American involvement. “There’s no reason the United States should be sending any money at all to Israel, and particularly not to its military,” he said. “You can’t kill people who did nothing wrong.”

Segal repeatedly challenged Carlson over his framing of Israel’s war in Gaza, pointing to the October 7 Hamas massacre, the rape of women, the kidnapping of infants and the long months hostages were held in tunnels. Carlson responded by comparing Israel’s response to the U.S. response after September 11, saying America killed perpetrators but also innocent civilians.

“It is never allowable, period, for any person to kill an innocent,” Carlson said. “You can’t kill a child. The child did nothing wrong.”

The exchange grew sharper when Segal argued that Carlson was ignoring the threats Israel faces from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Carlson said he accepted Israel’s right to self-defense but rejected the idea that civilian deaths could be justified by Hamas atrocities.

Carlson then turned his criticism toward Trump, saying the president had betrayed his own anti-war promises by joining Israel’s war with Iran. “I blame Donald Trump for folding under the pressure from Benjamin Netanyahu and his many allies in the United States,” he said.

He claimed that on February 28, the United States “followed Israel into this war,” and said U.S. officials had admitted that Israel chose the timing. “Why did Donald Trump allow a nation of 9 million people to pull the United States, a nation of 350 million people into a war that will change its future and that is bad for the United States?” Carlson asked.

Carlson also claimed that Israel is “not a democracy in any sense,” pointing to Palestinians in Gaza and Judea and Samaria who do not vote in Israeli elections. Segal pushed back, arguing that Israel is a democracy acting in self-defense against Iran, which he described as a terror regime.

Carlson said he did not equate Israel and Iran, but added, “The behavior of the Israeli government in Gaza is disgusting and immoral.” He also dismissed criticism of his use of the term genocide, saying, “You can call it genocide or ethnic cleansing. You can call it a crime, a sin, an atrocity. I don’t really care.”

Segal directly asked Carlson whether he understood why Jews and Israelis hear some of his language about hidden power and influence as echoing “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” dual loyalty and antisemitic claims about Jews pulling strings behind the scenes. Carlson denied that charge, saying he was criticizing Israel, not Jews.

“Israel does not represent all Jews despite its claims,” Carlson said. “That is not an attack on an ethnic group.”

In another part of the interview, Carlson said Israel was “probably the most violent country in the world” and pointed to Israeli assassinations of terrorist leaders. Segal responded that Israel is also one of the most attacked countries in the world and is defending itself from enemies seeking its destruction.

Carlson ended by saying he wanted the United States to end “all aid” and “all special deals” for Israel. He said he was not running for office but had begun to believe neither major American party served U.S. interests.

“I would like a democracy in the United States like I’d like one in Israel,” Carlson said.