The Lie:
Israel assassinated Charlie Kirk because he criticized the Israeli government.
The Truth:
Israel did not kill Charlie Kirk. Throughout his career, Charlie freely and openly criticized the Israeli government as he saw fit, while consistently maintaining strong support for Israel and the Jewish people.
Background:
- Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025.
- In the immediate aftermath, Candace Owens began circulating a conspiracy theory alleging that Israel orchestrated his killing because he was diverging from a pro-Israel line and criticizing the Israeli government.
Truth Explained:
- Charlie publicly expressed his disagreements with the Israeli government whenever they arose, consistently doing so throughout his career: “Anytime Israel does something I don’t like, I say something about it.” (YouTube), (YouTube), (Newsweek), (YouTube)
- In May 2025, he wrote a seven-page letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing “deep love” for Israel while outlining concerns about the government’s failure to effectively defend Israel in the public arena. (New York Post)
- On September 18, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly denied any Israeli involvement in Charlie’s death. (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- On November 17, 2025, Charlie’s security chief Brian Harpole told Shawn Ryan there is no evidence whatsoever linking Israel to the murder: “How you can derive Israeli hitmen out of that, I have no idea.” (The Shawn Ryan Show)
- Charlie’s primary frustration regarding Israel stemmed from pro-Israel Americans who were upset that he gave a platform to anti-Israel voices like Tucker Carlson. He expressed this frustration openly and repeatedly. (Megyn Kelly), (Times of Israel)
- Up until the day of his death, Charlie Kirk was actively consulting with pro-Israel friends on how to defend Israel against critics. On the night of September 9, 2025, he held a Zoom call with Newsweek’s Josh Hammer and his friend Rabbi Pesach Wolicki to work out talking points in preparation for addressing “smears against Israel” at Utah Valley University the next day. (Newsweek), (J-TV)
- The suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, has no known ties to Israel, is not Jewish, and has no history of Israel-related activism. Officials confirmed that Robinson was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” and evidence suggests he was motivated to kill Charlie over his opposition to gender ideology. (New York Times), (The Gateway Pundit)
Quotes:
“The Israeli government is far from perfect.” — Charlie Kirk
“I’m not an unapologetic defender of the government of Israel, and I want to make sure that’s clear.” — Charlie Kirk
“We lost an incredible human being. His boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.” — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, said that the bigger the lie, the faster it will spread. Well, somebody’s fabricated a monstrous big lie: that Israel had something to do with Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder.” — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“There were prominent people . . . actively working to [get him to] drop his support for Israel on a daily basis. And he resisted.” — Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
Takeaway:
There is no factual basis for the claim that Israel assassinated Charlie Kirk. The allegation originated as an online conspiracy theory and is contradicted by Charlie’s own record, statements from his security team, Israeli officials, and the known facts of the case.
