RSS
Zionist Jewish Authors Are Being Blackballed; Freedom of Expression Is Under Attack
My life and career would be a lot easier if I just announced that #AsAJew, I denounce Zionism, and that I have a manuscript telling the story of how I cannot support the apartheid, settler-colonial, white European project in “Palestine.” Phone calls would be returned, emails would be read, and literary agents would compete in bidding wars to see who could give me the biggest advance.
Unfortunately, for my writing career and reputation, I don’t believe any of these things. And, frankly, I’d have to be a major Jewish household name like Naomi Klein for that fantasy to come true. Speaking of Naomi Klein, I recently read her book Doppelganger, in which she complains about being constantly confused with conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf. Great book, until I reached the end, which was unreadable because of her belief that Israel mirrors European “settler colonialism.” Recently, Naomi Klein was prominently featured in a letter where renowned authors declared their withdrawal from the PEN World Voices Festival, citing the organization’s failure to adequately address what they termed as the ongoing “genocide” in Gaza.
That word. Genocide. It’s a word that is carefully chosen to troll Jews. Its purpose is to rob us of our claim to a specific kind of grief and to say, “See? You Jews are no better.” It is how the world absolves itself of guilt and complicity. It’s called Holocaust inversion, and is a form of antisemitism.
Writers, of all people, should know that words have meanings, but when it comes to Israel, they usually turn off their brains and begin sloganeering. The harder thing for them to do would be to look at the real history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Writers have a critical role to play in public discourse, but when they refuse to look at all claims with a critical eye, they’ve abdicated their responsibilities.
All this would be a somewhat dull academic game over definitions if it weren’t for the fact that anti-Zionist Jewish authors are the only ones being platformed by the general media. Not only that, but Zionist Jews are being de-platformed in literary spaces.
I’m currently working on a book called From Outrage to Action: A Practical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. What began as a small section of my book is turning into a lengthy chapter. In fact, I could probably write an entire book about this subject alone. Many of the authors I interviewed for my book spoke to me on the condition of anonymity because they’re worried about their careers. It’s too late for me. Just Google me, and you can tell just how Zionist I am.
Even Jews who are not Israeli and don’t write about the Middle East are having doors slammed in their faces. Word in the industry is that editors, agents, and publishers just don’t want to hear from Jews now. There’s a great deal of fear among Jewish authors. They are losing contracts, calls are not being returned, and books are canceled because of a perception in the industry that there’s not really a market for Jewish voices, except those of the #AsAJew anti-Zionist variety. In addition, they are being harassed and bullied at literary events.
Stranger Things star Brett Gelman had numerous book signings cancelled because of his “Jewish identity,” and his support for Israel. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian authors are frequently platformed, and championed as “diverse” voices.
One author told me how her agent expressed hesitation about one of her book ideas, which focused on a Jewish woman. Several publishers rejected or delayed considering her work after she submitted proposals, with some editors citing issues like “too much anti-Zionism” or a “saturated market” for books about certain Jewish topics.
Another author told of a friend who enthusiastically recommended her Jewish-themed book to an acquaintance working at a major Canadian cultural institution. The suggestion was to feature her book prominently within their programming. However, the response was shockingly dismissive: “We don’t want any Jews right now,” not referring to Israelis, but Jews in general.
Despite these challenges, Jewish authors are finding ways to respond. Many are more determined to write about Jewish issues, and efforts are underway to counter the anti-Zionist narrative through online petitions and public letters. An Open Letter on Antisemitism in the Literary Community is still open for signatures and seeks to address these issues head-on. I signed it proudly. Again, likely to the detriment of my career.
The Jewish Book Council (JBC) has been trying to get a handle on the extent of the problem. They’ve set up a hotline to understand the scope of issues that Jewish authors face, and are actively working to create practical resources. Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of the JBC, stated, “We want to know, is it happening on a larger scale? Are these isolated incidents or a wider problem?” She is not sure what will be done with the data and stories being collected, though. My sense is that Jewish authors have been caught off-guard.
None of this is to say that Jewish authors, stories, and voices should receive preferential treatment in the marketplace of ideas. Publishing is a tough business, regardless of current events. The issue, however, is the hostility toward Zionist perspectives and general Jewish narratives. If you don’t endorse the narrative of “genocide,” you are quickly labeled a racist oppressor.
Most of the Jews I’ve interviewed, like myself, are left-wing but feel betrayed by the left for supporting what they see as murderers and fascists. They are frustrated not only because this view is wrong, but because it silences those whose lived experiences lead them to different conclusions. Antisemitism is so entrenched in the culture now that there is a tendency to lecture us about what antisemitism is — and isn’t. They assert repeatedly that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism, shouting over our lived experiences that suggest otherwise. And at the forefront of these “lectures” is the literary community, which is failing horribly to meet this moment in history and write about it with a critical eye. In fact, they are the bullies leading the charge.
What is the answer? Well, all I know how to do is write. I have a novel coming out next year called Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story. It’s about music, fame, aging, and second chances. Although one of the protagonists is Jewish, it’s not really about Judaism. This character is, to steal from Naomi Klein, sort of my doppelganger. He experiences his music as filtered through his perspective #AsAJew. I was fortunate to have found a publisher, Vine Leaves Press, that amplifies the voices of marginalized communities and counts Jews among them. See, publishers and agents? It isn’t hard to do. We all deserve to have our voices heard.
Howard Lovy is an author and editor based in Michigan, who is currently working on a book, From Outrage to Action: A Practical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. His novel, Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story, will be released in 2025.
The post Zionist Jewish Authors Are Being Blackballed; Freedom of Expression Is Under Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Iran’s Top Diplomat Meets With Russian Officials, Supreme Leader Sends Letter to Putin Ahead of Talks With US
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, March 21, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iran’s so-called “supreme leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, briefing Moscow on the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the United States.
Khamenei also sent his top diplomat, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to Moscow, where on Thursday he met with Putin and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to deliver Khamenei’s letter. During their meetings, they discussed Iran’s nuclear program, last week’s US-Iran negotiations in Oman, and efforts to expand bilateral cooperation and address regional developments.
Thursday’s high-level meeting came just days before a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington, scheduled to take place in Rome this weekend.
Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran aimed at cutting the country’s crude exports to zero and preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
However, Tehran has refused to halt its uranium enrichment program, insisting that the country’s right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable.
Last month, Trump threatened to bomb Iran and impose secondary tariffs if the country does not reach an agreement with Washington to curb its nuclear program.
Russia has said that any military strike against Iran would be “illegal and unacceptable.” As an increasingly close ally of Tehran, Moscow plays a crucial role in Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the West, leveraging its position as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and a signatory to a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal that imposed limits on the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will continue to assist in resolving the conflict between the two adversaries.
“The Russian Federation remains ready to do everything within our capabilities to contribute to the settlement of the situation by political and diplomatic means,” Peskov said in a statement.
During his first term, Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal — known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — between Iran and several world powers, which had imposed temporary limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting harsh, long-standing economic penalties on the Islamist regime in Tehran.
“Regarding the nuclear issue, we always had close consultations with our friends China and Russia. Now it is a good opportunity to do so with Russian officials,” Araghchi told Iranian state media before his meeting in Moscow.
On Tuesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that any deal with Iran must require the complete dismantling of its “nuclear enrichment and weaponization program — reversing his earlier comments, in which he indicated that the White House would allow Iran to enrich uranium to a 3.67 percent threshold for a “civil nuclear program.”
Although Iran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has raised concerns over Tehran’s rapid acceleration of uranium enrichment.
The IAEA warned that Iran is enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent weapons-grade level and enough to build six nuclear bombs.
Despite Tehran’s claims that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes rather than weapon development, Western states have said there is no “credible civilian justification” for the country’s recent nuclear activity, arguing it “gives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.”
Russia’s diplomatic role in the US-Iran nuclear talks could be crucial, as Moscow has recently solidified its growing partnership with the Iranian regime.
On Wednesday, Russia’s upper house of parliament ratified a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran, strengthening military ties between the two countries.
Signed by Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in January, the Strategic Cooperation Treaty will boost collaboration between the two countries in areas such as security services, military drills, warship port visits, and joint officer training.
Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said this agreement “stands as one of the most significant achievements in Tehran-Moscow relations.”
“One of the most important commonalities between the two countries is the deep wounds inflicted by the West’s unrestrained unilateralism, which underscores the necessity for broader cooperation in the future,” Jalali told Iranian state media this week.
Under the agreement, neither country will permit its territory to be used for actions that pose a threat to the other, nor will they provide assistance to any aggressor targeting either nation. However, this pact does not include a mutual defense clause of the kind included in a treaty between Russia and North Korea.
The agreement also includes cooperation in arms control, counterterrorism, peaceful nuclear energy, and security coordination at both regional and global levels.
Iran’s growing ties with Moscow come at a time when Tehran is facing increasing sanctions by the US, particularly on its oil industry.
Last year, Iran obtained observer membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. The free trade agreement between Tehran and the union’s member states, set to take effect next month, will eliminate customs tariffs on over 80 percent of traded goods between Iran and Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The post Iran’s Top Diplomat Meets With Russian Officials, Supreme Leader Sends Letter to Putin Ahead of Talks With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Hamas Rejects Israeli Interim Truce Offer, Says Will Only Release Remaining Hostages for End to Gaza War
Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, stand near a screen displaying senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya during a rally to show support to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Hamas wants a comprehensive deal to end the war in Gaza and swap all Israeli hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel, a senior official from the Palestinian terrorist group said, rejecting Israel‘s offer of an interim truce.
In a televised speech, Khalil Al-Hayya, the group’s Gaza chief who leads its negotiating team, said the Iran-backed Islamist group would no longer agree to interim deals, adopting a position that Israel is unlikely to accept and potentially further delaying an end to the conflict.
Instead, Hayya said Hamas was ready to immediately engage in “comprehensive package negotiations” to release all remaining hostages in its custody in return for an end to the Gaza war, the release of Palestinians jailed by Israel, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
“Netanyahu and his government use partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation, even if the price is sacrificing all his prisoners [hostages],” said Hayya, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We will not be part of passing this policy.”
Egyptian mediators have been working to revive the January ceasefire agreement that halted fighting in Gaza before it broke down last month, but there has been little sign of progress with both Israel and Hamas blaming each other.
“Hamas’s comments demonstrate they are not interested in peace but perpetual violence. The terms made by the Trump administration have not changed: release the hostages or face hell,” said US National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt.
The latest round of talks on Monday in Cairo to restore the ceasefire and free Israeli hostages ended with no apparent breakthrough, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said.
Israel had proposed a 45-day truce in Gaza to allow hostage releases and potentially begin indirect talks to end the war. Hamas has already rejected one of its conditions – that it lay down its arms. In his speech, Hayya accused Israel of offering a counterproposal with “impossible conditions.”
Hamas released 38 hostages under a ceasefire that began on Jan. 19. In March, Israel‘s military resumed its ground and aerial offensive in Gaza, after Hamas rejected proposals to extend the truce without ending the war.
Israeli officials say that the offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarized. Hamas insists it will free hostages only as part of a deal to end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms.
The war was triggered by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza.
The post Hamas Rejects Israeli Interim Truce Offer, Says Will Only Release Remaining Hostages for End to Gaza War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
US Says Chinese Satellite Firm Supporting Houthi Attacks on American Interests
A Houthi fighter mans a machine gun mounted on a truck during a parade for people who attended Houthi military training as part of a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, Dec. 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The US State Department on Thursday accused a Chinese firm, Chang Guang Satellite Technology, of directly supporting attacks on US interests by Iran-backed Houthi fighters and called this “unacceptable.”
Earlier, the Financial Times cited US officials as saying that the satellite company, linked to China’s military, was supplying Houthi rebels with imagery to target US warships and international vessels in the Red Sea.
“We can confirm the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on US interests,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a regular news briefing.
“China consistently attempts … to frame itself as a global peacemaker … however, it is clear that Beijing and China-based companies provide key economic and technical support to regimes like Russia, North Korea and Iran and its proxies,” she said.
Bruce said the assistance by the firm to the Houthis, a US-designated terrorist group, had continued even though the United States had engaged with Beijing on the issue.
“The fact that they continue to do this is unacceptable,” she said.
The spokesperson for China’s Washington embassy, Liu Pengyu, said he was not familiar with the situation, so had no comment. The firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China is Washington’s main strategic rival, and the latest charge comes as the two economic and military superpowers are in a major standoff over trade in which US President Donald Trump has dramatically ramped up tariffs on Chinese goods.
The post US Says Chinese Satellite Firm Supporting Houthi Attacks on American Interests first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login