Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisconsin), a retired Navy SEAL, businessman, and actor, was the first US government official not stationed in Israel to come here after the October 7 massacre.
He served in the Navy for 26 years, during which he had five combat deployments, and retired as a senior chief.
Van Orden remains deeply engaged in global security matters.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post in Jerusalem on Wednesday, during a 48-hour visit to Israel, he discussed his personal oath to the Jewish people, his meetings with wounded soldiers, Israeli cabinet ministers and security officials, and the broader political implications of US-Israel relations.
Van Orden did not hesitate when he heard about the October 7 massacre.
“When I retired [from the Navy], I made a personal oath between me and God that if something like October 7 happened, I would help the Jewish people,” he said. “Not the country of Israel – the Jewish people.”
Van Orden said that commitment, rooted in his deep Christian faith, led him to board a plane to Israel immediately.
A deep connection to Israel
“I didn’t tell anyone about this oath, not even my wife,” he said. “But when I finally did, she looked at me and said, ‘Then why are you still here?’”
His wife, a veteran SEAL Team spouse, understood the seriousness of his convictions.
During his visit, Van Orden traveled to some of the hardest-hit areas, including Be’eri, where he met survivors and heard firsthand accounts of the massacre.
“I spoke with a man whose parents were Holocaust survivors,” he said. “They were butchered on October 7. I met the Orthodox volunteers who retrieve and prepare bodies for burial. They had to pull burnt infants from the wreckage.”
Van Orden was deeply moved and donated blood at an Israeli hospital, citing his background as a combat medic. “In any war, blood is needed,” he added.
Van Orden also met with cabinet ministers and government officials to assess the situation.
Beyond offering solidarity, he came with a warning: “I told people in Israel that the Biden administration would turn their back on the Jewish people. The international community would turn their back. People would start questioning whether this was really a Holocaust-like event. And then they’d start blaming Jews for the destruction of Gaza. Every single one of those things happened.”
Bluntness over hostage negotiations
A self-described student of history, Van Orden has no illusions about how global politics unfold.
“I spent my entire adult life in combat, and I’ve worked in two different US embassies,” he said. “I know how this works.”
After he returned to Washington, Van Orden took concrete action to counter anti-Israel sentiment. He personally delivered reusable cups from the Supernova music festival massacre site to every member of “The Squad” – a group of progressive Democratic lawmakers – to remind them of the innocent lives lost.
“I wrote them letters explaining that these cups represented kids who would never grow up because they were murdered,” Van Orden said.
He also delivered a speech in Congress censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) for her repeated anti-Israel statements.
“One of my proudest moments in Congress was calling out antisemitism for what it is: evil,” he said. “If you were a member of the KKK, would it be acceptable for you to be in Congress? No. So, why should it be acceptable to discriminate against Jews?”
Regarding the ongoing hostage negotiations, Van Orden was blunt.
“It’s incredibly difficult to negotiate with the devil,” he said. “Hamas is evil. They are using hostages as human shields. And they are realizing that the more hostages they release, the less leverage they have.”
Van Orden pressed Israeli officials about what the US government can do to help.
“They told me they’re receiving everything they need from the US in terms of hostage recovery efforts,” he said. “That’s good to hear.”
Van Orden is frustrated with what he sees as a lack of understanding in Washington.
“Israel is fighting America’s war right now,” he said. “Every Hamas terrorist that the IDF kills is one less terrorist that could kill Americans. It’s that simple.”
Van Orden addressed groups of Israeli soldiers and young pre-army trainees, thanking them for defending shared values.
“These kids are fighting so that young Americans don’t have to come here and do it themselves,” he said.
When asked about Jewish members of Congress who have been less vocal in their support for Israel, he didn’t hold back.
“[Sen.] Chuck Schumer [D-New York] should be ashamed of himself,” he said. “American Jews need to do some soul-searching. They’re supporting a party that is funding organizations that, in turn, fund people actively trying to kill Jews. How does that make sense?”
Van Orden cited Iran’s role in funding terrorism against Israel.“All these rockets hitting Israel – they come from the pallets of cash that [former US president Barack] Obama sent to Tehran and from the relaxed sanctions under [for US president Joe] Biden,” he said. “That money went straight to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”
The Trump administration’s policies are far more beneficial to Israel, Van Orden said.
“The Abraham Accords were historic,” he said. “If the international community was honest, they’d have given Trump the Nobel Peace Prize.”
He hopes to see an expansion of the accords under the Trump administration.
Regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Van Orden is confident that Israel and the US will never allow it.
“Iran has said, ‘You can’t stop us from getting a nuke,’” he said. “Well, that’s just wrong. The US and Israel will never let that happen.”
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Van Orden believes the right strategy could bring it to an end.
“You don’t negotiate peace with everyone at the table from the start,” he said. “You start with a small group, establish a framework, and then bring in others. Trump knows how to negotiate. His approach – sending people like [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio and [National Security Advisor] Mike Waltz – makes sense.”
Van Orden’s message to Israelis is clear: “You are not alone. There are Americans who stand with you from beginning to end so that ‘from the river to the sea’ never happens.”