NatCon 2026 in Israel: Coming home?

What is NatCon, and what was NatCon 6 in Jerusalem intended to discuss?

NatCon is short for the National Conservatism Conference. The project began in 2019 in Washington to promote the “New Right” in the United States. It brings together conservatives who emphasize national sovereignty, migration limits, and resistance to supranational institutions. Its importance now lies in how the project connects American and Israeli nationalist politics.

NatCon 6 took place in Jerusalem during the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks. Its speakers and schedule focused on maintaining Israel as a Jewish state, securing Israel after October 7, strengthening Judeo-Christian conservative unity across the West, and preserving the U.S.-Israeli alliance.

The Jerusalem event also reflected a political shift. Critics described it as an effort to show that American and Israeli conservative nationalism share core values, despite declining American support for Israel’s war in Gaza. The conference therefore became both a discussion of national conservatism and a defense of Israel’s policies and alliance.

Who is Bezalel Smotrich, and what did he say Israel and the United States should change about their security relationship?

Bezalel Smotrich is Israel’s finance minister. He spoke at NatCon 6 in Jerusalem and argued that Israel can and must carry a growing responsibility for its own security. His remarks presented a stronger Israeli role as compatible with preserving the alliance with Washington.

Smotrich said the relationship should move “from dependence to partnership between two independent nations.” He also said Israel should explain why the alliance serves American interests. In rare situations, he argued, the two countries might still need to fight “shoulder to shoulder” against a common enemy, citing Iran as an example from that year.

His comments appeared to support proposed Pentagon-based integration. That approach would replace some controversial congressional aid with contractual arrangements inside the military bureaucracy. The broader change would not end cooperation. Instead, it would seek to make Israel more self-reliant while embedding the alliance more deeply in military institutions.

What would proposed Pentagon-based U.S.-Israeli military arrangements change compared with direct aid approved by Congress?

The proposal would change how American support reaches Israel. Instead of relying as heavily on direct aid approved by Congress, the two countries would create new contractual arrangements inside the Pentagon’s military bureaucracy. The article describes this as part of a phaseout of more controversial congressional aid.

The key mechanism is institutional rather than simply financial. Pentagon contracts could organize cooperation through established military systems, while Israel would assume more responsibility for paying for and managing its own security. The arrangement would therefore present the alliance as cooperation between two independent nations, rather than as one country depending on the other.

The article does not provide the contracts’ exact terms or say how much aid would change. It does show the political purpose: preserve and deepen the alliance while reducing reliance on direct congressional assistance. Smotrich’s comments suggest the proposed model could make cooperation more durable, but also less directly shaped by Congress.

How has NatCon changed from its first American conference in 2019 to the Jerusalem event in 2026?

NatCon started in 2019 as an American project designed to promote the “New Right.” Its first U.S. conference included traditional hawks, neoconservatives, restrainers, New Right thinkers, elected officials, and MAGA figures. The event therefore spanned major factions of American conservatism, even when they disagreed about foreign policy.

The Jerusalem conference had a narrower and more international focus. Its speakers and schedule centered on Israel as a Jewish state, security after October 7, Judeo-Christian conservative unity, and maintaining Israel’s relationship with the United States. Israeli officials and hardline American figures featured prominently.

The change matters because critics now see NatCon as more than a debate about national sovereignty. They describe it as a direct response to weakening American support for Israel and as an effort to align American conservative nationalism with Israeli ethno-religious nationalism. The project expanded globally, but its Jerusalem event placed Israel at its center.

How large is the destruction in Gaza described in the article, in terms of deaths and the amount of rubble?

The article presents Gaza’s destruction through two striking figures: more than 74,000 Palestinians killed and 61 million tons of rubble. It says most of those killed were civilians. It also describes Gaza’s once congested cities as buried under the debris.

These figures explain the political setting surrounding NatCon 6. The conference took place while Americans were reportedly turning against Israel over the war. Critics connected the destruction to accusations against Israel’s government of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, slaughter, and forced exile. Those are serious allegations described in the article, not findings established by the figures alone.

The scale also shapes the debate over the U.S.-Israeli alliance. Supporters at NatCon emphasized Israel’s security and continued American partnership. Critics argued that the conference was trying to preserve Washington’s backing for Israeli policies despite the war’s human cost and declining public support.

What consequences could follow if the United States shifts from providing Israel direct aid to treating Israel as a more independent military partner?

The article does not spell out every consequence of changing the aid system. Based on its description, Israel could assume more responsibility for financing and organizing its defense, while the alliance continued through Pentagon contracts. This would fit Smotrich’s proposed move from dependence to partnership between independent nations.

The mechanism would also alter American oversight. Direct aid approved by Congress is visibly connected to congressional decisions. Contractual arrangements inside the Pentagon could make cooperation more continuous and bureaucratic, while reducing the prominence of annual or politically contested aid debates. The exact oversight rules are not provided.

Politically, the change could cut both ways. It might reassure Israelis that military cooperation will continue even as direct aid changes. But critics could argue that deeper institutional integration still makes Washington responsible for supporting Israeli operations, especially amid the Gaza war. The article presents this dispute, not a confirmed outcome.

What are nationalism, ethno-religious nationalism, and national self-determination, and how do these ideas shape arguments about who has rights to a territory?

Nationalism is the belief that a distinct nation should govern itself and protect its political community. Ethno-religious nationalism goes further by defining that community through shared ancestry, ethnicity, religion, or a combination of them. National self-determination is the principle that a people should choose its political status and govern its collective affairs.

These ideas shape territorial arguments because they raise a basic question: who counts as the nation entitled to rule? A state may claim that history, religion, or national identity gives one group special rights. Another group may answer that its population, history, and political identity also establish a right to self-determination. The conflict then concerns both land and membership.

In the article, Smotrich denies that Palestinian nationalism is genuine and says rights belong to the Jewish people. Critics describe the broader project as Israeli ethno-religious nationalism. Those opposing claims show how definitions of nationhood can be used either to justify territorial control or to challenge exclusion.

Key Facts:

📌 NatCon began in Washington in 2019.

📌 NatCon 6 was held in Jerusalem.

📌 Its themes included Israel’s security and Jewish-state identity.

📌 Bezalel Smotrich is Israel’s finance minister.

📌 He called for moving from dependence to partnership.

📌 He said Israel and America may fight together against common enemies.

📌 Proposed arrangements would operate inside the Pentagon bureaucracy.