Tipsheet

CPAC Hungary Focused on a Decidedly Pro-Israel Theme When Most Needed

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  June 02, 2025 10:15 AM

Last Thursday, 2025 Hungary CPAC kicked off in Budapest, where Townhall was present to cover. In addition to including speakers from Hungary and throughout Europe, the two-day conference also featured American and Israeli speakers, including for a key conversation between Israeli commentator Yaír Netanyahu and Bryan Leib, a senior fellow at the Center for Fundamental Rights in the United States. 

CPAC, in Hungary and the United States, has had a decidedly pro-Israel view, but this year felt different. Just over a week before the conference began, two Israeli embassy staff members were murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Before beginning the conversation, Leib asked audience members to stand for a moment of silence for the victims, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. 

Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, there has been a significant amount of pro-Hamas and antisemitic protests going on in the United States and around the world. This especially includes but is not limited to college campuses. Hostages kept captive by Hamas--with terrorists taking approximately 250 that day and close to 60 still being held--were even taunted by images of terrorist sympathizers at Columbia University, which has been a particularly problematic institution.

When it comes to these protests, Netanyahu made a particularly crucial point about the so-called "Free Palestine" movements, which is that it's not really about "Palestine" at all. Rather, these protests are about the red-green alliance, Netanyahu explained, which represents the Marxists (red) and the Islamists (green) partnering together in an effort to destroy Judeo-Christian values and western civilization. 

At pro-Israel demonstrations, we're used to seeing the Israel flags, and, if the event takes place in the United States, an American flag, Leib and Netanyahu also touched upon. When pro-Hamas activity takes place, however, the American and Israeli flags are burned. Burning these flags, Netanyahu stressed, makes clear their intentions are really about "destroying western civilization."

The United States and the world have seen calls for globalizing the intifada. Unfortunately, we've seen that actually means happening in real time with targeted attacks against Jews at home. 

Not only had a terrorist attack against Israeli employees taken place a week before the conference began, but days later, as Townhall has been covering, Mohamed Soliman allegedly targeted pro-Israel participants of a "Run for Their Lives" event in Boulder, Colorado. Soliman is reportedly an illegal immigrant from Egypt who had overstayed his visa. As those who have been sharing footage of the horrific attack on social media have pointed out, they're not just burning flags anymore, which speaks to Netanyahu's point during the conversation with Leib last Thursday, they're burning people. 

Later on Thursday, Ben Shapiro touched upon a variety of topics during a Question & Answer period. Israel was referenced for having birth rates above replacement level, unlike much of the rest of the world, but also because Shapiro was quite candid in his views on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

As Leib and Netanyahu had discussed, and Shapiro also touched upon, Hamas comes for "first the Saturday people, then the Sunday people," in reference to terrorists targeting not just Jews but also Christians. Shapiro also strongly spoke out against those who claim Israel is committing a genocide. As he pointed out, they are using "ulterior motive that is not factually driven."

There was also mockery for those who would be pro-Hamas and yet support the LGBTQ+ movement, specifically at the ignorance of those who "have a Hamas armband and a rainbow flag," which is "so historically ignorant," Shapiro also warned that such ignorance is "societal suicide."

Leib also spoke with Townhall at the conference after he had his conversation with Netanyahu about the importance of such a message at the conference. "CPAC Hungary is more than a conference—it’s a coalition building event of sovereign nations rising to meet the defining challenge of our time. When the United States, Hungary, Israel, and patriots from across Europe come together, we are not just strengthening alliances, we are standing united to protect our borders, preserve our national cultures, and defend the principle of sovereignty in the face of globalist pressures. This is how we secure freedom for the next generation," he shared. 

Since Sunday's attack, Leib has posted and reposted extensively, emphasizing in particular how important it is for Jews to be armed. This includes troubling video of the suspect.