‘A Patriotic American,’ White House Says of Adviser Accused of Dual Loyalty to Israel

The White House’s National Security Council confirmed on Monday that it hired Merav Ceren, a national and economic security expert, as its Israel and Iran director, after critics, including antisemitic ones, said that Ceren has a conflict of interest due to her prior experience at the Israeli Defense Ministry. Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, wrote that “this is disgusting.” “Merav is an experienced professional. We’re lucky to have her in this role, and she wasn’t an official of Israel’s Defense Ministry. She did a fellowship there,” Brodsky wrote. “This may be controversial in Doha and Tehran, but it isn’t here. A former White House chief of staff served as a volunteer in the IDF as well. Take the antisemitism back in the gutter where it belongs.”