Palestinian activist urges U.S. action as Senator Lindsey Graham's legacy fades
Bassem Eid, a Palestinian human-rights advocate, reflects on Senator Lindsey Graham's death, highlighting his military background and bipartisan work on Ukraine, Israel and sanctions, and calls for continued American engagement.
Palestinian human-rights activist Bassem Eid writes an opinion piece mourning Senator Lindsey Graham, whose death from an aortic dissection ended a career defined by extensive military service and legislative activism. Graham served as a judge-advocate in the Air Force, later joined the South Carolina Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, and earned a Bronze Star before retiring as a colonel. In the Senate he authored the Taylor Force Act, co-sponsored anti-BDS measures, backed the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem, and led a bipartisan delegation to Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks.
His final weeks included a visit to Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelensky and a push for Saudi-Israel normalization, alongside a Russia-sanctions bill backed by 85 co-sponsors. Eid contends that American leadership, as embodied by Graham, is essential to counter Iranian and Russian influence and to protect Palestinian interests, urging action rather than symbolic mourning to preserve Graham’s legacy.
Why it matters
The piece argues that U.S. leadership, modeled on Graham’s approach, is crucial for stability in the Middle East and Ukraine.
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