Vowing 'to continue supporting Israel,' British Col. Kemp says his name was on al-Qaida’s death list in Syria

British military veteran Col. Richard Kemp, who is a strong Israel advocate, revealed on Monday that his name was found on the Islamist terrorist organization al-Qaida’s death list in Syria. 

“My name was found on an al-Qaeda death list in Syria a few years ago. Very rarely does a day go past without me receiving on social media severe threats against me and my family as well as a result of my support for Israel,” Kemp said during an interview with the Israeli news outlet Ynet. 

However, he vowed to continue speaking the truth about Israel and the Middle East. 

“I'm attempting to tell the truth about a situation that's so often distorted in the Western media, particularly on social media. If anything, it will encourage me even more to continue supporting Israel,” Kemp stated. 

Kemp who served in the British military from 1977 to 2006, has emerged as one of the world’s most prominent non-Jewish defenders of the Jewish state. He has frequently used his vast military experience to explain the complex challenges that the Israeli forces face against Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists who embed themselves in urban civilian areas. 

Following Hamas' October 7 massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, Kemp decided to learn first-hand about Israel’s challenges by spending much of his time residing in the Jewish state. 

While much of international opinion has turned against Israel, Kemp continues to back Israel’s right to defend itself against enemies that openly call for its destruction.

Furthermore, Kemp argues that the Islamist war against Israel is also a war against the entire free Western world and its values. 

“But it's not just a war against Israel. It's also a war against the West. It's striking against all of our Western values. When you look at protests in the UK and in the U.S. and other countries, which actually support Hamas, they may not say they do, but the practical effect is to support Hamas,” he assessed. While the Israeli political and military leadership has faced considerable criticism, Kemp believes that it is managing well despite many challenges. 

“I don't think Israel's leadership needs my advice. As far as I can see, the IDF, Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Defense in Israel have been doing an extraordinary job in a very demanding and complex situation.” 

The British military veteran also shares Israel’s assessment that the key to conflict is not in Gaza or Lebanon but in Iran, the patron of the terrorist militias. 

“I do believe that the key to the conflict is Iran,” Kemp said. “Iran has been severely damaged by the partial destruction of Hezbollah, the partial destruction of Hamas and the loss of Syria, all of which are down to Israeli actions. I think now it's the next major target really for Israel's offensive should be directly against Iran itself,” he continued. 

Following Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel in April, Kemp backed a strong Israeli counterattack on Iran. This eventually materialized on October 26 when some 100 Israeli Air Force planes inflicted considerable damage on Iran’s aerial defenses and missile production capabilities. 

While the military battlefield is in the Middle East, Kemp criticizes Western governments of appeasing anti-Israel propagandists at home who demonize the Jewish state by falsely accusing it of “genocide” and “war crimes.” 

“Western governments like Britain and the U.S. know exactly what Israel's doing, yet they also do criticize Israel for infringing human rights and carrying out unnecessary killings. That, of course, fuels the anti-Israel sentiment, which also directly supports and encourages Hamas and targeting Israeli soldiers as part of that,” Kemp argued. He concluded with cautious optimism that things will change for the better with the incoming Trump administration. 

 “In many ways, the game will change when Trump comes into the White House.”