Lindsey Graham’s sister vows to carry on his support for Israel

Senator Darline Graham recently met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, vowed to continue her late brother’s support for Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

US Senator Darline Graham has pledged to continue her late brother Lindsey Graham’s longstanding support for Israel, revealing that she personally assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of her commitment when the Israeli leader traveled to Washington for the senator’s funeral last month.

Graham, who was appointed to represent South Carolina following her brother’s sudden death in July, said she met with Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, during their visit to the United States for the memorial ceremonies.

The Republican senator told South Carolina’s FOX Carolina that she and Netanyahu had a “really good conversation” about her brother’s close relationship with the Israeli prime minister and his decades of advocacy for the US-Israel alliance.

Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for Lindsey Graham’s friendship and support for the Jewish state during the meeting, according to Graham.

Darline Graham said the two did not discuss in detail how she would approach Israel policy if she wins election to the seat in her own right, but she made her overall position clear.

She told Netanyahu that she would continue standing with Israel.

The pledge follows a series of steps Graham has taken during her brief time in the Senate signaling that she intends to maintain at least part of her brother’s strongly pro-Israel foreign policy.

Her office said last week that she was backing several measures related to Israel and antisemitism, including the US-Israel FUTURES Act, aimed at expanding joint research and defense cooperation, and the Jewish American Security Act, which seeks to strengthen federal efforts to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish institutions.

“I stand with Israel,” Graham said in announcing her support for the legislation.

She added that “we have a moral and religious duty to stand with the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.”

Graham has also backed measures intended to increase economic pressure on Iran, including legislation targeting foreign individuals involved in selling or transporting Iranian oil.

The positions echo those of her brother, who was among Israel’s most vocal supporters in Congress and developed a particularly close relationship with Netanyahu.

Lindsey Graham died suddenly from a heart ailment on July 11 at age 71, shortly after returning from an overseas trip that included stops at a NATO summit in Turkey and in Ukraine. At the time of his death, he was seeking a fifth Senate term.

Netanyahu was among the foreign leaders who flew to Washington for Graham’s July 28 funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also attended, reflecting Graham’s prominent role in advocating US support for both countries.

Following the senator’s death, Netanyahu described Graham as both a political ally and a personal friend.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Netanyahu said.

President Donald Trump, who also delivered remarks at Graham’s funeral, recalled the South Carolina senator as one of Washington’s most aggressive advocates of an interventionist American foreign policy.

“He was extremely hawkish — he never saw a war that he didn’t like,” Trump said at the service.

Graham’s positions frequently put him at the center of debates over US policy in the Middle East.

He was an outspoken advocate for military action against Iran, strongly defended Israel during its wars following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, and repeatedly pushed Washington to provide Israel with the weapons it requested.

His sister entered the Senate under highly unusual circumstances.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham on July 13 to fill the remainder of her brother’s term, with Trump publicly supporting the move.

She was sworn in the following day.

Before entering the Senate, Graham had spent decades in South Carolina state government and had never previously held elected office.

She worked as a certified optician before moving into public service and eventually served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.

Lindsey Graham had played a parental role in his younger sister’s life after both of their parents died while he was in his early 20s and Darline was still a teenager.

She remained closely involved in his political career over the decades, appearing alongside him at campaign events and Senate swearing-in ceremonies.

Darline Graham is now seeking to transform her temporary appointment into a full six-year Senate term.

She finished first in South Carolina’s crowded August 11 special Republican primary but failed to secure the majority necessary to win the nomination outright. She will face Rep. Ralph Norman in an August 25 runoff.

Trump has endorsed Graham, and she has also picked up support from South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Russell Fry, who finished third in the primary before backing her for the runoff.

The winner will face Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews in November in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1998.

Benjamin NetanyahuDarline GrahamLindsey Graham