Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion was a not a practising or theistic Jew and admitted to eating ham sandwiches. Zionism was built by very secular and often atheist Jews: ‘I am completely irreligious,’ wrote Herzl in his diary.

Are you kidding me? Meet the Press is still doing this? Does it play clips of Laura Loomer, an actual evil proud bigot, who has actual power and influence over the GOP and White House, to every Republican guest? Of course not! But: why not?

“Conflating Jews with Israel Is Dangerous – Whether by Antisemites, U.S. Politicians, or the Israeli State” Amid the outrage over Hasan Piker’s remarks, a Jewish professor of Israel studies argues it’s important to acknowledge what Israel’s actions fuel.

Some on the left have criticized Sen. Bernie Sanders for focusing his criticism of Israel only on Benjamin Netanyahu. I asked him about that criticism and whether he agrees that Israeli opposition leaders are as genocidal as Bibi. Listen to his response:

I have never met anyone on earth - and I travel a lot - who lies as shamelessly as an elected Republican. No one refers to Tim Scott as Timothy Eugene Scott. Just absurd he has to say this with a straight face, in order to be the Black Republican defending GOP racism.

To those few loud people on this hellsite, claiming to be pro-Palestine but now performatively attacking Abdul El-Sayed for welcoming a much-needed endorsement from Kamala Harris (it’s a swing state, he only won half of the Dem primary vote and needs the other half to win the general, and he especially needs Black voters), and thereby increasing the chance of pro-Israel, pro-war Mike Rogers winning in November, I can only say this:

Actually at the time I called it a ‘terrorist atrocity’ and ‘horrific attack.’ But these people are so gripped by hatred of Muslims, so deranged, so bigoted, so unhinged, that they’ll lie and fear-monger about anything to do with Islam or Muslims. Gad Saad blamed Islam for his family’s plight; the same people mad at me for my snarky response to his bigotry would never be okay with a Palestinian refugee blaming Judaism for his plight. The hypocrisy, alongside the bigotry, is brazen.

Caring about the state of Israel ‘is part of Jewish practice,’ according to Ben Shapiro. If a non-Jew said this, they’d (rightly) be accused of antisemitism, of conflating Jews with Israel, of saying Jews have dual loyalties. But Shapiro just says it. Proudly.

A big moment for Zeteo: we just crossed 700,000 total subscribers (free and paid) on Substack. We launched only two years ago. Have you subscribed? Support independent journalism:

Hi Dan, thanks for the serious question. Here is the serious answer: Gadi Eisenkot is opposed to a two-state solution and equal rights for the Palestinians; he also helped conceive of the brutal 'Dahiya Doctrine' which has killed countless civilians, and was a member of the Netanyahu war cabinet when the genocide was at its worst in the first few months after Oct 7th 2023. Naftali Bennett has made racist anti-Arab remarks over the years, backs Israel's illegal wars in Iran and Lebanon, and was actually the prime minister of Israel when Amnesty published its lengthy report accusing Israel of apartheid in February 2022. Yes, they may sound less hawkish and racist than Netanyahu and his coalition allies; they might make more conciliatory noises and gestures, especially to western governments; but at a policy level they just don't differ from Netanyahu that much on the key issues (Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, equal rights, etc). Or do you disagree? Do you have evidence that they do? Happy to hear it. But so, look, there is a simple way for Israel to change my "perspective" - not by swapping one hawkish, anti-Arab leader for another, but by NOT engaging in genocide and apartheid. Actions speak louder than words - or personalities.

"Meet All the New Progressives and Democratic Socialists Heading to Congress" The gravity inside Congress is already poised to radically shift – and the primary season is far from over. From @prem_thakker for Zeteo: