Israel will posthumously honor the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk with an award for combating antisemitism at a conference in Jerusalem later this month, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The announcement came Wednesday evening, with the conference scheduled for late January.
Netanyahu’s office said Kirk would receive the award at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem, an event it has described as focused on confronting antisemitism and Holocaust denial in today’s world. The government said the conference is being held in Jerusalem again as the second time Israel’s government has hosted it.
The announcement follows Kirk’s assassination while speaking at an American university four months earlier. The AP report said Kirk was a staunch supporter of Israel, and that Netanyahu later described him in terms of loyalty and advocacy for the country.
Netanyahu’s office said Kirk would be recognized at the event alongside other high-profile figures expected to attend. The AP report said several pro-Israeli leaders are expected, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Before his death, Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA and frequently drew on scripture and prophecy in urging American Christians and conservatives to stand by Israel against its enemies, the AP said. The office’s announcement framed the award around Kirk’s work combating antisemitism.
After Kirk’s death, Netanyahu described him as a “lion-hearted friend” of Israel and a “defender of our common Judeo-Christian civilization,” according to the AP account. The comments were part of a broader effort by Israel’s government to shape how Kirk’s legacy is remembered.
At the same time, the AP said Kirk’s public record on Israel and related issues became contested among some American conservatives. The report said some of his comments about Jewish philanthropy and Hollywood drew accusations of antisemitism, and that debate over Israel within U.S. conservative politics contributed to disputes over his legacy.
The AP also said that as these debates intensified, Kirk told an audience that support for Israel had become so rigid that he felt unable to voice even mild criticism of its policies.