The Trump White House is facing scrutiny following its appointment of Merav Ceren, a former fellow at Israel’s Ministry of Defense, to serve as a director on the National Security Council (NSC) despite her history as a high-level operative in the IDF.

Though the White House has attempted to downplay her work in Israel’s defense apparatus, critics say her background raises serious questions of impartiality and the power of DC’s Isarel lobby, particularly as the U.S. continues to broker delicate negotiations in the Middle East.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed strong opposition, arguing that placing someone with prior ties to the Israeli military in charge of American policy on both Israel and Iran “undermines diplomacy and raises the potential for war.”

Ceren, whose biography on the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) website openly states she worked at Israel’s Ministry of Defense, is described as having “participated in negotiations in the West Bank between Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories and Palestinian Authority officials.” However, her LinkedIn profile omits this experience, raising further questions about the transparency surrounding her appointment.

Despite the growing concerns, the White House has defended her. Brian Hughes, spokesman for the NSC, dismissed the criticism outright:

“Ceren is a patriotic American committed to implementing President Trump’s agenda, and these lies are efforts to undermine the president’s agenda.”

Supporters have also attempted to reframe the backlash as rooted in antisemitism. Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, wrote:

“Merav is an experienced professional… She did a fellowship [at the Israeli Defense Ministry]. This may be controversial in Doha and Tehran, but it isn’t here… Take the antisemitism back in the gutter where it belongs.”

Others in conservative circles have praised Ceren as highly qualified. Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute called her “a patriotic American public servant with expertise… No conflict.”

But not everyone is convinced.

The controversy comes at a time of heightened sensitivity around Israeli influence in U.S. policymaking. Critics point out that Ceren’s brother, Omri Ceren, is a long-time pro-Israel foreign policy adviser to Senator Ted Cruz, raising further concerns about the family’s ideological alignment and its influence on U.S. foreign affairs.

Ceren, born in Haifa, Israel, and returned to what the Los Angeles Times referred to as her “native country” in 2004, has long worked at the intersection of foreign affairs and defense policy.

While she has since built a career in Washington, serving in senior roles on Capitol Hill and at think tanks, her Hebrew fluency and experience liaising with both Israeli and Palestinian officials in the West Bank add complexity to her appointment.

The controversy has reignited a broader debate over accusations of dual loyalty, long entangled with conspiratorial claims that a powerful pro-Israel lobby holds outsized influence over U.S. foreign policy and national security institutions.

For example, President Nixon privately voiced fears of a “Jewish cabal” working against him inside his own administration—a reflection of the distrust that has periodically surfaced at the highest levels of government.