Tuesday, July 07, 2026

07/06 Links Pt2: From Historian to Polemicist: What Went Wrong with Omer Bartov; Are the Democrats to become America’s anti-Israel party?; GOP Voters Remain Deeply Supportive of Israel

From Ian:

Jeffrey Herf: From Historian to Polemicist: What Went Wrong with Omer Bartov
Bartov’s betrayal of the craft of history is apparent in a deficiency of evidence and causal reasoning. He refers to the “genocidal intentions openly expressed by Israel politicians and senior military officials” as if this was a proven fact. Nowhere in this book is there a discussion of the details of Israeli military operations, of the battle for specific towns or areas in Gaza, or of how various Israeli units conducted themselves. Yet Bartov claims that “the pattern of operations by the IDF” in Gaza, which he has not examined, leads him to conclude “that these [genocidal] intentions were put into practice.” Attacks on civilian infrastructure, hospitals, schools, water supplies, and electricity grids “went far beyond military necessity … . All of this was not accidental, but part of a strategy to destroy Gaza as a livable space for Palestinians. Even if there was no formal order for genocide, military logic show that genocide was the consequence.” It was “no longer a coincidence” but was “a deliberately pursued policy” (pp. 193-194).

Bartov fails both to establish that a genocide occurred and, even on that assumption, to provide evidence or a causal account of it as a “deliberately pursued policy.” This is a shocking conclusion for an historian of Nazi Germany to advance. As readers familiar with the works of Yehuda Bauer, Richard Breitman, Christopher Browning, Lucy Dawidowicz, Raul Hilberg, Saul Friedländer, Ian Kershaw, Peter Longerich, and many others know very well, the effort to establish the causal connections between Hitler’s ideology and the decision-making that led to the Final Solution has consumed thousands of pages, tens of thousands of footnotes, years of research in archives, careful examination of the dates and sequence of statements, meetings and orders to the Einsatzgruppen, and the construction and operation of the death camps. Yet Bartov, without access to Israeli archives and having made no serious examination of the public record of Israeli decision-making confidently asserts the existence of a “deliberately pursued policy.” There is no reason to take this conclusion seriously. Here again, Bartov has abandoned the historian’s craft in favor of polemics.

Bartov the polemicist concludes with an accusation of collective guilt against Israelis. “How,” he asks, “How do we come to terms with the obliteration of Gaza? Will Israel ever face justice for its genocidal actions?” (p. 201). The long-term consequence of “this travesty may, however, be that the genocide in Gaza will finally liberate Israel of its status as a unique state rooted in a unique Holocaust.” The “license that Israel, the land of the victim, has long enjoyed and abused may be expiring. The sons and daughters of the next generation will be free to rethink their own lives and their future, beyond the memory of the Holocaust; they will also have to pay for the sins of their parents and bear the burden of the genocide perpetrated in their name” (p. 203).

So having written a book of unsubstantiated accusations, Bartov plays judge and jury declaring the accused guilty. Israel will “not be viable,” will become a “pariah state … isolated from its allies and the Jewish diaspora,” and eventually “Israeli apartheid will implode, as happened in South Africa under the pressure of mass protests, violence an arms embargo and economic sanctions by the international community” (206). An alternative to that is the replacement of the existing state of Israel with some form of confederation of Israelis and Palestinians that replaces the Zionist project.

Bartov has written a book that combines a paucity of evidence and a compelling causal argument with a writing style that is likely to appeal to journalists and political activists and even academics eager to read an Israeli-born historian of the Holocaust who eloquently reinforces their increasingly antagonistic views not only of the State of Israel but also of the Israelis as people. The question is not whether Bartov is an antisemite, though it is clear that he thoroughly rejects Zionism. The issue is whether, in Israel: What Went Wrong, he advances arguments that are true or false—and, if false, whether the book recycles and skillfully refurbishes the oldest and most enduring accusation at the core of antisemitic ideology: namely, that the Jews, since the time of the Crucifixion, through the Koranic stories of Jews killing the prophets, to the blood libels and modern conspiracy theories blaming them for wars, are a people uniquely inclined by habit, tradition, and character toward the murder of the innocent. This calumny lay at the heart of centuries of anti-Jewish persecution and culminated in the Holocaust, when the Nazis propagated the idea of international Jewry bent on the “extermination” of the German people.

The charge of genocide against the State of Israel should be understood within this long history of antisemitic libels. Like the calumnies that preceded it, it transmutes claims supported by little or no evidence into articles of faith and passionately held convictions. The problem with Bartov’s argument is not that it is wrong because it is antisemitic; it is wrong because it is false. Yet the repeated circulation of such falsehoods against the Jews—and now against Israel—inevitably fuels antisemitism, intensifying hatred of Jews around the world, and deepening the growing hostility toward Israel.

Bartov’s tome is likely to contribute to the ongoing effort to make hatred of Israel respectable in the faculty lounge, the editorial office, the think tank, and in many political parties. I hope that in this case, the strategy of prestige transfer fails and that more discerning readers will ponder the question “What went wrong with Omer Bartov?” The book does not represent the standards expected from professional historians nor from what we should expect from a distinguished publisher such as Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Nevertheless, initial responses indicate that it may be a successful polemic and a commercial success. Its lack of scholarly distinction will not diminish its contribution to the global campaign to undermine the legitimacy of the state of Israel. If so, it will not be the first time that a very bad book has an outsized impact on public and published opinion.
Jonathan Tobin: Are the Democrats to become America’s anti-Israel party?
Is it possible for the pendulum among Democrats to swing back to the center over the course of the next two years? Possibly. If leftist candidates, like Michigan’s pro-Islamist Abdul El-Sayeed, are defeated by Republicans in November (Maine’s Nazi-tattooed Israel-bashing Graham Platner may be crashing and burning due to allegations of sexual assault that may destroy his candidacy long before the voters render their verdict), it could convince many Democrats to change course. The far left’s dominance in primaries has given Trump an issue that could lead to the disappointment of the Democrats’ expectations for a midterm blue wave in the same manner that sunk the GOP’s hopes for a red wave in 2022.

Such a scenario could be ideal for Shapiro. But in a party that seems convinced that it lost the White House and Congress in 2024 because their leaders were insufficiently anti-Israel, rather than because of their embrace of far-left ideas like gender ideology and critical race theory, that sort of sensible thinking seems unlikely.

And it’s unclear if Fetterman, whose health issues have dogged him for the past four years, will even try to hold onto his seat in 2028. Though he has a respectable amount of money on hand in his campaign treasury, his fundraising efforts have stalled in the last couple of years. Were he to cross the aisle and become a Republican, that might be an easier path to another six-year term, though that seems unlikely. And while independents have won Senate races in other states, that is viewed as less likely in Pennsylvania, due to both the partisan spirit of the times and the way the commonwealth’s election system is skewed toward enforcing party dominance. The smart money is now on him simply not running for re-election. If so, he will be missed because of his rather unique style, both in terms of his centrism and his sartorial choices.

A haunting precedent
The problem for someone like Shapiro, who tries but usually fails to conceal his unquenchable ambition for higher office, is that the shift to the left among Democrats may have already gone too far to accommodate someone with his views, particularly on Israel.

Indeed, his hopes for a return of the Democratic Party of 1992 should worry rather than encourage him. In that time, the dominant politician in Pennsylvania was one of his predecessors in Harrisburg, Gov. Bob Casey Sr. (father to his namesake, who represented Pennsylvania in the Senate from 2007 to 2025). The popular Casey was a throwback to an earlier era of American politics in many ways, not least because he is usually referred to as the last of the pro-life Democrats. The Clinton camp denied him a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention largely because they felt that it was no longer possible to give that sort of prominence to someone who was so out of touch with the rest of the party on an issue on which so many felt so strongly.

That precedent should haunt Shapiro. Because just as anti-abortion Democrats are now extinct, it’s entirely possible that if current trends hold, by 2028 or soon thereafter, pro-Israel Democrats might be put in the same position. Indeed, right now, I’d say the odds of Shapiro being denied a speaking slot at the 2028 DNC are slightly higher than his rather minimal chances of being nominated for president at that gathering.

Even if you don’t share Shapiro’s high opinion of his capabilities, that’s tragic. If, as recent primaries and the polls indicate, opposition to Israel is a requirement to get the votes of most Democrats, the party is on the verge of becoming as anti-Israel as it is pro-abortion. While the rise of antisemitism on the right is creating genuine concerns about the future of the Republican Party, the far more serious situation on the left is now creating the possibility that the national Democratic Party will soon not be so much divided on Israel but will have become a space where politicians like Shapiro, let alone Fetterman, will have no place in it.


GOP Primary Voters Remain Deeply Supportive of Israel, Poll Finds
Anti-Israel radicals are ascendant in the Democratic Party, but Republican primary voters remain deeply supportive of the Jewish state, a Washington Free Beacon poll found.

The survey, conducted in early June, found that likely Republican primary voters prefer a candidate who supports a strong U.S.-Israel relationship by a margin of 57 percentage points and who explicitly denounces antisemitism by a margin of 52 percentage points. By the same token, survey respondents also said they were less likely to support a candidate who describes Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal, who takes steps to economically isolate Israel, and who votes against congressional resolutions denouncing antisemitism—by margins of 25 points, 43 points, and 43 points respectively.

The poll, conducted for the Free Beacon by Echelon Insights, surveyed over 1,100 likely GOP primary voters across the country between June 5-9, just a few weeks before socialist candidates—united by their opposition to Israel—won Democratic primaries in New York and Colorado. They include Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, and Brad Lander, all of whom oppose U.S. military aid to Israel, which they describe as an apartheid state and have accused of genocide.

Their views are consistent with rising anti-Israel sentiment among the Democratic electorate. An April 2026 Pew Research poll found that 8 in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have an unfavorable view of Israel and that just 4 percent of Muslims view Israel in a positive light.

Though likely Republican voters are supportive of Israel and of the president’s focus on international threats in Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba, their biggest concerns remain on the economy and immigration. Asked about the biggest issue facing the country today, the cost of living, immigration, and jobs and the economy topped the list at 31 percent, 13 percent, and 12 percent respectively.
US liberals ‘license’ antisemitism when framed as Israel criticism – psych study
US liberals judged individuals who expressed unqualified prejudice more harshly than conservatives did, but liked prejudiced individuals more when they justified antisemitism with statements about Israel, according to a recent peer-reviewed psychology study.

In two out of three experiments, anti-Jewish prejudice justified by Israel’s actions increased liking from liberals, but the “licensing effect” did not apply to conservatives. A third experiment did not find conclusive differences between liberals and conservatives.

The American Psychologist journal published the study in its June edition, an issue that focused on antisemitism. The authors were Jordan W. Moon of the UK’s University of Southampton and Brunel University of London, and Michael Barlev and Steven L. Neuberg, both of Arizona State University.

The article cited previous research that found that people “rarely express prejudices without accompanying justifications,” some of which make prejudice more socially acceptable.

The researchers defined prejudice as a negative view of a social group, or its members, regardless of the prejudice’s justifications. Liberalism and conservatism were self-reported on a scale, not defined by affiliation with political parties.

The researchers recruited 979 participants, using the online platform, Prolific, in a sample meant to resemble the broader US population. The surveys took place in late 2024, and Jewish participation was negligible, the study said.

Participants read about hypothetical individuals expressing prejudice toward minority groups — either Jews, Muslims or Black people — with or without justification for their prejudice.

For unqualified prejudice, researchers told participants that “[Name] doesn’t like Jews,” and for justified prejudice, they said, “[Name] doesn’t like Jews, because [Name] strongly disapproves of Israel and its war in Gaza.”
Maine Dem party, Schumer, others call on Platner to drop out of Senate race
The Maine Democratic Party called on Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for Senate in the state, to withdraw from the race after he was accused of raping a woman in 2021.

The party in the state “stands with women and survivors, and that principle does not bend based on party affiliation,” the state party’s chair, vice chair and executive director stated. “We respect the women who made the hard decision to come forward.”

“The Senate race comes at a pivotal moment in the struggle against a government, supported by Sen. Collins, that serves the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of ordinary Maine people,” they wrote, of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “It is essential that we refocus this campaign on that struggle.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called the allegations “incredibly disturbing” and said that “violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable.”

“Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,” they stated. “The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) were among those who took their endorsements back. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had not revoked his endorsement nor otherwise commented on the story at press time. The Washington Post reported that he Sanders, “one of Platner’s most high-profile supporters, did not respond to questions about the allegations.”

While lawmakers and leftist groups are citing the most recent rape allegations, many on social media wondered why anyone endorsed a man with a Nazi tattoo to begin with, and why didn’t withdraw those endorsements after Lyndsey Fifield accused Platner a month ago of treating her roughly when they dated.

“Mine weren’t sufficiently troubling or serious for you, right?” she wrote to Gallego.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) stated that “I have no endorsement to rescind. Graham Platner should drop out.”

The Jewish Democratic Council of America noted that it also never supported Platner, “because he doesn’t share the values of our community.”

“The allegations of sexual assault make clear he should have no place in this race,” it stated. “We hope to support a Democratic candidate who reflects the priorities—and morals—of Jewish Americans and will beat Susan Collins in November.”

AIPAC stated that “perhaps the Nazi tattoo should have been enough of a warning sign.” (Platner has also accused Israel of “genocide.”)

Under state law, Platner has until 5 p.m. on July 13 to withdraw from the race, which would allow Democrats to select a replacement nominee by 5 p.m. on July 27 for the November ballot.


The ‘anti-Zionists’ are hounding British Israelis through the courts
The judge found that the Foreign Enlistment Act was never intended to criminalise dual nationals serving in the armed forces of another country of which they are citizens. If it were, this would mean that, say, a dual British-Indian national returning to serve in India’s armed forces could potentially face prosecution on their return to the UK. This is plainly not what the law was intended to achieve – in the words of the magistrate, it would be ‘an absurd extraterritorial overreach of UK legislation’.

The application was also based on selective and unreliable material. Unbelievably, one of the witnesses put forward as an ‘expert’ – Dr Mandy Turner – was a member of an ICJP WhatsApp group. This relationship had not been properly disclosed. The magistrate found that Turner was a ‘campaigner and an activist, committed to the political agenda pursued by this prosecution, rather than an independent expert’.

Turner also advanced claims that the court found to be demonstrably false, including the suggestion that Israel was to blame for the explosion at the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City in October 2023, when a misfired rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad was actually responsible. The judge found there was no satisfactory explanation for an expert getting such important details wrong, and criticised Turner for ‘promoting an entirely false account’.

There were further disturbing details. The judgement revealed that the ICJP had written to the Metropolitan Police in 2022, inviting its Counter Terrorism Command to ‘open an investigation into British citizens who joined the IDF’. It did not candidly disclose to the court that it had previously made this request. The magistrate found that its failure to do so was ‘at best disingenuous’ and ‘at worst misleading’.

The judgement concluded with the finding that the application had been brought with the ‘dominant motive… to advance a political or ideological agenda’. These are strong, excoriating words from a judge – and they were more than merited.

This application should frighten all of us. The ICJP had clearly tried to criminalise British-Israeli dual nationals – first through calls for police investigations, and then through a private criminal prosecution. The case relied on partisan experts and failed to disclose relevant relationships and history. Had it succeeded, it could have opened the door to a legally sanctioned witch-hunt against British Israelis and other dual nationals.

Private prosecutions are an important safeguard in our justice system. They should not be allowed to become a means of intimidating people, manufacturing public suspicion or pursuing a warped political agenda through the criminal courts.

This case shows how vigilant we must be against overt abuses of the legal system to such sinister, hateful ends. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians should hang its head in shame.
Irish students given exam accusing Israel of 'Genocide' in Gaza
In an official politics exam in Ireland, students aged 17 and 18 were required to answer a question on children's rights around the world. Alongside the question, they were shown a text from Al Jazeera claiming that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza.

According to the text presented in the exam, "at least 20,000 children" were killed out of some 67,000 Palestinians killed, and "one child was killed every hour." It also stated that almost one in four children suffers from "severe acute malnutrition," that "more than 2,300 educational facilities were destroyed" and that "450 Palestinian children are being held in Israeli prisons." The link to the material was titled "Two years of Israel's genocide in Gaza by the numbers."

The move sparked criticism in Israel amid claims of bias in educational content in European countries. IMPACT-se, an organization that has examined textbooks in several countries, has previously claimed that Ireland presents the conflict in a biased manner and that some content reflects "hostility and disinformation," at times also toward Judaism and Jews.

The organization said the bias in Ireland's education system stems, in its view, either from ignorance or from a deliberate trend that promotes a predominantly Palestinian narrative, especially since the events of Oct. 7.

Ireland is considered one of the most critical countries of Israel in Europe. It supports various initiatives for sanctions in the European Union and is also advancing legislation to restrict trade with Judea and Samaria. It has also recently assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, a move that has raised concern in Jerusalem over the possible promotion of anti-Israel initiatives during its tenure.
Call me Back: Does the Start-Up Nation brand need a rebrand? - with Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner Levy
As Americans mark Independence Day, we're revisiting one of the most popular episodes of What's Your Number?, a conversation that feels even more relevant today. Yonatan Adiri and Yael Wissner Levy are joined by Dan Senor, host of Call Me Back and co-author of Start-Up Nation which revolutionized the world’s respect for Israel and its entrepreneurial spirit and successes. Nearly two decades after the book's publication, Israel's tech sector is stronger than ever, yet the country's global brand faces unprecedented challenges. What does this mean for Israel’s reputation, innovation and its place in the world?

In this episode:
08:00 – How Start-Up Nation changed Israel's image
14:35 – Israel's brand crisis after October 7
19:10 – Why global investors keep doubling down on Israel
25:55 – Does Israel need a new audience?
32:15 – The rise of defense tech
37:35 – AI, brain drain, and Israel's next challenge
44:30 – Does the "Start-Up Nation" reputation still apply?
46:55 – How would Dan characterize Israel's brand now?




Democratic Socialists of America Descend on Michigan To Boost El-Sayed for Senate
Fresh off a series of wins in deep-blue House districts in New York and Colorado, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are homing in on Michigan in an attempt to propel left-wing insurgent Abdul El-Sayed to victory in the state's Democratic Senate primary.

DSA officials have "already shifted organizers, volunteers and resources" into Michigan as El-Sayed squares off against the more moderate congresswoman Haley Stevens in a bruising Democratic primary, Politico reported. El-Sayed's campaign has also held discussions with the DSA about holding rallies in the state with left-wing officials like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), who recently endorsed El-Sayed, according to Politico.

"It's DSA summer. We can't stop racking up wins," left-wing media host Emma Vigeland told the outlet. "We're seeing the culmination of 10 years of democratic socialism becoming more mainstream."

The DSA's organizing in Michigan is notable given that El-Sayed is not officially a DSA member—and that he's running for Senate in a swing state that narrowly backed President Donald Trump in 2024. Socialist candidates like Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York City and Melat Kiros in Denver, by contrast, won primary elections in deep-blue districts that are almost guaranteed to send them to Congress come November.

"Abdul El-Sayed is not DSA affiliated, but he's a progressive fighter," anti-American streamer Hasan Piker, who campaigned with El-Sayed in April, told Politico.

"Everybody in the coalition is on the same page, whether it be Justice Dems, whether it be [the Working Families Party], whether it be DSA," added left-wing consultant Vincent Vertuccio, who said that Michigan is "absolutely the next focus of this national movement."

El-Sayed, like Chevalier, Valdez, and Kiros, has made opposition to the "pro-Israel lobby" a centerpiece of his campaign. Earlier this month, he said he was "honored" to accept an endorsement from an Arab-American lobbying group whose leader called for Israeli Jews to be "sent back to Poland," the Washington Free Beacon reported. During a May debate, El-Sayed sidestepped a question about whether the Democratic Party has an antisemitism problem and instead accused Israel of committing "apartheid and genocide."
‘Hearty Congratulations’: Abdul El-Sayed Hailed Mosque Opening Alongside Holocaust-Denier and Imam Who Asked Allah 'To Grant Victory to Our Brothers in Iran'
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D.) joined the Holocaust-denying Shiite cleric Fadhel Al-Sahlani on stage last month to celebrate the grand opening of the Islamic Institute of America's new mosque. During the event, El-Sayed also offered "hearty congratulations" to the mosque's imam, Hassan al-Qazwini, an Iraqi-born cleric who has used his perch to praise Hezbollah leaders and spread antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Speaking at a June 6 ceremony, El-Sayed called it an "honor and a privilege" to commemorate the Islamic Institute’s new $16 million mosque in Dearborn Heights, Mich. "This is an incredible masjid," El-Sayed said of the 67,000-square-foot facility, which features five golden domes and was built in part with $2 million from Iraq’s prime minister.

El-Sayed’s role in the inauguration of the mosque could raise questions for the left-wing Democrat in his high-profile Senate race, which could determine which party controls the upper chamber. El-Sayed has already faced scrutiny for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a Turkish-American influencer who said that "America deserved 9/11" and called Israel much worse than Hamas.

El-Sayed, who used his speech to criticize Israel and "the ongoing genocide that is being perpetrated by our tax dollars," spoke ahead of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) and Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani, an Iraqi-born cleric who has said the Jewish death toll of six million in the Holocaust "has been exaggerated." Al-Sahlani has lauded Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, saying in a speech that "our movement" made "great change" in the Arab world and across the globe.

Al-Qazwini, who founded the Islamic Institute in 2015, has made similar remarks over the years.
Socialist Poised To Be DC's Next Mayor Says She Now Regrets Backing Resolution Condemning Antisemitism, Unearthed DSA Recording Shows
Janeese Lewis George, the Democratic Socialists of America activist who is poised to become the next mayor of Washington, D.C., told DSA leaders last year that she regretted voting in favor of a 2022 resolution condemning antisemitism.

During an interview with leaders of the Metro D.C. DSA chapter in November 2025, Lewis George said she no longer supported the resolution because, she argued, it conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. In April 2022, as a member of the D.C. city council, Lewis George had sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution, which adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, passed with a unanimous 13-0 vote, and was widely praised as a step to bolster the safety of D.C.'s Jewish community.



The interview, revealed for the first time by the Washington Free Beacon, was part of a series of internal interviews the DSA chapter conducted with candidates running for city government as it mulled whom to endorse ahead of the 2026 election. The DSA eventually endorsed Lewis George two months after the interview and canvassed aggressively for her during the primary. After she won the Democratic nomination on June 18, making her the deep-blue city's presumptive next mayor, the DSA declared that "socialism wins in D.C."

It represents the latest example of Lewis George appearing to adopt a hardline stance against Israel in an effort to court the DSA's support. The socialist group's chapters across the country have been linked to a number of antisemitic incidents nationwide and are openly hostile to Israel, advancing anti-Zionist and divestment campaigns. In March, Lewis George was forced to issue a statement saying she opposed antisemitism after Jewish Insider reported that she pledged in a DSA questionnaire never to attend events promoting Zionism or travel on political junkets to Israel.

Lewis George, though, has not addressed her comments walking back support for the 2022 antisemitism resolution.

"If this vote came up today, I would not vote for it," Lewis George said during the November interview after Kurtis Hagans, the chairman of the Metro D.C. DSA, pressed her on her past support for the resolution. "I firmly believe that anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel is not antisemitism. I think that it's so important for us in this moment to be clear on that and to stand firm in that. And that's where my values are and that's what I believe strongly."
Why ‘The View’ turned down Mamdani request to bring on Israel-hating candidates: report
ABC’s “The View” declined a request from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to bring two democratic socialist congressional candidates onto the daytime talk show as the Disney-owned network grows increasingly wary of a high-stakes FCC investigation into its political guest bookings, according to a report.

Representatives for Mamdani pitched “The View” on hosting the mayor alongside Democratic congressional candidates Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, but the show indicated it couldn’t accommodate the two House hopefuls while proceeding cautiously amid the FCC’s ongoing equal-time inquiry, according to Semafor.

The reported booking dispute comes as relations between “The View” and Mamdani’s political orbit have grown increasingly strained.

According to Semafor, some of the mayor’s allies were angered by the show’s recent political coverage, particularly comments by co-host Sara Haines about Avila Chevalier.

During a recent broadcast, Haines said of Avila Chevalier: “I’m gonna full-blown call her an antisemite. She would proudly call herself that, trust me.”

According to Semafor, one of Mamdani’s aides later expressed frustration to ABC executives, warning that Haines’ remarks could affect whether the mayor and other democratic socialist candidates agree to appear on the program in the future.
Mamdani July 4 speech evokes biblical spies, whose lies got Jews condemned to 40 years in desert, rabbis say
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s remarks for America’s 250th birthday, in which he decried the country spending “our tax dollars on bombs and bailouts,” Elon Musk as the “world’s first trillionaire” who “hungers for more” and a “health insurance industry that exploits the sick,” were dangerous and in appropriate, rabbis told JNS.

“We see a city of contradictions within a nation of contradictions. We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world—one where children go to sleep hungry while the world’s first trillionaire hungers for more,” the mayor said on Friday ahead of July 4.

“We see monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections. We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans,” he added. “We see a nation whose immense wealth has been built by those with calloused, dirt-streaked hands— those who toil on factory floors and chisel into stone—and we see a nation that has allowed so much of that wealth to be held instead in the soft hands of a precious few.”

Rabbi Menachem Levine, CEO of Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov–Yeshivas Tiferes Tzvi, a 70-year-old Orthodox school in Chicago, told JNS that Mamdani’s approach, in which he began by referring to the United States as a place of opportunity and “a grand experiment in self-governance,” evokes the tactics of the biblical spies, whom Moses sent to scout out the Holy Land.

The spies returned bearing enormous fruits and told the Israelites that the land was good and then pivoted to information that it was inhabited by giants, who saw the men as grasshoppers. Because the spies led the people to fear entering the Holy Land, God forced almost the entire generation to wander for 40 years in the desert—one year for each day of the mission of the spies—until each person had died before their descendants could enter the Holy Land.

Per rabbinic tradition, the spies “began by acknowledging the land’s physical beauty, thereby lending credibility to their subsequent falsehoods regarding its inhabitants,” Levine told JNS.

“Ultimately, his objective is to dismantle the existing social order,” he said of the New York City mayor. “However, he has unfortunately considerable political acumen and is a significant threat.”


Palestine Action founder encourages people to join other ‘direct action’ groups
One of the founders of Palestine Action has urged people to join new groups committed to the same aims, after her pro-Palestinian group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation.

Huda Ammori, who co-founded the network in 2020, reportedly told audience members at a talk on “Why Palestine Action was Banned” that they should consider joining other groups with the same aims and techniques, according to The Telegraph.

The 32 year old is understood to have told listeners that “none of us are willing to give up until Elbit Systems [an Israel defence firm with offices in the UK] is shut down. Direct action is still a viable tactic available to all of us, with a range of different actions for different types of people.

“And so, I do ask you to check out Direct Action Training. You can contact them directly to see how to learn more about direct action and… take it from there.

“I do believe that one way or another, the Palestine Action ban will be overturned. But in the meantime, Elbit Systems is still operating in this country and other groups are taking up the mantle, and you can join them.”

The government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation last June, in the wake of members of the group breaking into an RAF base and damaging military aircraft, something which the organisation praised and condoned. A High Court ruling initially ruled that the government’s action was unlawful, but that ruling was overturned by a Court of Appeal judgement a few weeks ago.

Ammori told those at the meeting that she believed that the judgement against Palestine Action would ultimately be overturned. It is unclear whether the Supreme Court would consider hearing the case.


Police investigating antisemitic abuse of Jewish marchers in London pride parade
London’s Metropolitan Police launched an investigation Monday into antisemitic abuse at a Pride parade in the capital after videos and pictures circulated on social media showing Jewish participants enduring taunts at Saturday’s event.

The Met said in a statement that officers were “aware of videos circulating online that show antisemitic verbal abuse directed towards attendees” at the parade in central London, and that footage was being reviewed to assess whether criminal offenses had been committed. They added that the force “continues to work hard to tackle hate crimes of all types.”

Videos shared online show people carrying rainbow flags incorporating the Star of David being confronted by individuals shouting “Free Palestine.” The harassment escalated with attendees shouting, “Go back to your Zionist homeland,” “You kill Arab children, you kill gay children,” “F*** you, Jew,” and “How many babies did you kill?”

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reached out to Pride in London for comment. They had not replied by press time.

The incident comes amid heightened concern over antisemitism in Britain since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. There have been a record number of antisemitic incidents in the UK over the past two years.

Pride in London drew tens of thousands of participants and visitors to Soho in the capital. This year, around 150 people marched as part of a Jewish bloc at the event. Some Jewish LGBTQ+ organizations have in recent years chosen not to participate in Pride, citing hostility towards Zionist Jews.


French Jews chased by mob in Barcelona
French Jews visiting Barcelona said a mob targeted them with harassment near a synagogue, in what Spain’s main Jewish umbrella group warned could be one of the city’s most serious recent antisemitic incidents.

The incident began on Friday night after several Jews left a central synagogue in Barcelona while wearing kippahs following prayers and the Shabbat meal. Two members of the group were allegedly singled out as they walked toward their hotel.

A woman wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh approached the group of Jews, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE) said in a statement Monday, shouting antisemitic abuse and repeatedly spitting at them. The victims alleged that dozens of others gradually joined the harassment, some arriving on bicycles, scooters and motorcycles, surrounding them as they made their way through the city’s waterfront.

According to the victims’ account, members of the crowd shouted, “Jews are not welcome in Barcelona,” “Baby killers” and “Israeli genocide,” while preventing them from walking freely. The group said they feared they were about to be physically attacked until they reached the Hotel Arts, where security staff prevented the alleged pursuers from entering. The harassment went on for 90 minutes, FCJE said, citing testimonies.

“If confirmed, this would be one of the most serious episodes of antisemitic harassment recorded in Barcelona in recent years,” the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain said.

The FCJE and the Jewish Community of Barcelona said they are collecting evidence and considering filing criminal complaints. They appealed for witnesses or anyone with photos or videos from the Port Olímpic waterfront and the area around the Hotel Arts and Sofitel on the night of July 3 to come forward.

The Federation said the alleged assault came amid a broader increase in antisemitic incidents in Barcelona, pointing to the desecration of the Montjuïc Jewish cemetery, antisemitic vandalism, intimidation of community members and threats against Jews in recent months.

Spain is one of four European Union member countries that have intervened in South Africa’s 2023 lawsuit for alleged genocide against Israel, widely understood as an endorsement of the suit. The country’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, last year called Israel a “genocidal state.” Israel has accused the Spanish government of fomenting antisemitic hatred with its anti-Israel policies.





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