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Bowman and Bush’s Demonization of Israel Moves from Congress to the Screen
Then-US Reps. Cori Bush (left), Jamaal Bowman (right), and Rashida Tlaib (center). Photo: Reuters
The political landscape was dealt a positive development last year when two anti-Israel House Democrats — Jamaal Bowman (NY) and Cori Bush (MO) — were defeated in their respective Congressional primaries.
While America and the 119th Congress are better off without these two agitators using their political perch to smear and slander the Jewish State, pro-Israel Americans should temper reveling in Bowman and Bush’s ouster.
The two former lawmakers have now taken their demonization of Israel and splashed it over their new show — Bowman and Bush — which will be featured once a month on the Zeteo network’s YouTube channel.
Zeteo was launched in April 2024 by Mehdi Hasan, the former MSNBC host and UK-born journalist whose slew of public diatribes targeting Israel, which included falsely accusing Israel of bombing a Gaza hospital, was a step too far, even for MSNBC.
While claiming on its website to be a space for “independent and unfiltered journalism,” the interviews, podcasts, and columns featured on the network confirm that the only thing unfiltered about Zeteo is its raw, unapologetic hostility towards Israel.
That Bowman and Bush would find a home at Hasan’s outlet reflects a new and damaging avenue through which these two individuals, who harbor dangerous beliefs, are able to shape the public discourse surrounding American support for the Jewish State.
During their tenure in Congress, Bush and Bowman’s verbal assaults and unhinged rants targeting Israel intensified, culminating in Bowman’s remarks in November 2023, when, speaking at an anti-Israel protest, he said that the October 7 rape of Israeli women and beheading of babies by Hamas was based on “lies” and “propaganda.”
For her part, the former Missouri Congresswoman has backed ending US support for Israel while accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” during its war against genocidal Hamas terrorists. Bush’s revenge-fueled concession speech last August served as a portent for future plan, when she promised the pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), that she “was coming to tear your kingdom down.”
The depth of understandable disgust for Bowman and Bush galvanized communities nationwide to engage in the political process. Bowman’s primary race against former Westchester County Executive George Latimer was the most expensive primary House contest in US history. Bush’s race, against past St. Louis Prosecutor Wesley Bell, came in second.
Settling in plush chairs and bantering comfortably about their trendy monochromatic outfits, Bowman and Bush, who titled this month’s inaugural show “Let’s Talk AIPAC,” wasted no time steering into their established zone of promoting antisemitic tropes and masquerading their delegitimization of Israel as fighting for “Palestinian Liberation” and standing for “equality.”
The co-hosts devoted the nearly hourlong talk to positioning themselves as victims of the pro-Israel political community and greedy special interest groups, with Bowman saying he believes that Republican oligarchs fund AIPAC.
The duo likely felt that their tirade aimed at Jewish Americans, who overwhelmingly support Israel, could be buoyed by platforming a Jewish guest. With the program entering its final few minutes, Simone Zimmerman, founder of the radical anti-Zionist group IfNotNow, appeared on the screen.
Playing the role of concerned armchair psychologists and fellow haters of Israel, Bowman and Bush projected an easy familiarity with Zimmerman as they shared in their collective horror over watching “a genocide unfold,“ while casting Zimmerman as a sympathetic figure whose anti-Israel activism led to fissures between her and the traditional Zionist community in which she was raised.
The network aims to appeal to a younger and rising progressive cohort of Americans by straddling trendy and welcoming production space with a provocative and diverse lineup of shows. Hasan, who said he received four million dollars from family and friends to help start Zeteo, is pursuing an untapped medium for American progressives.
Zeteo’s mix of programs, columns, and media figures captures today’s red-green alliance, providing leftist connoisseurs with an amalgam of personalities and reading material from which to sift.
Since its launch, Zeteo’s guests have ranged from the serious, such as Democrat Congressman Dean Phillips (MN), who last year appeared on “Mehdi Unfiltered,” to provocative names like Egyptian-born comedian Bassem Youssef, who sat down with Hasan last month on the network’s “We’re Not Kidding” broadcast.
Unfortunately, the end of Sex and the City hasn’t prevented Cynthia Nixon from still appearing on screen, as the actress-turned-anti-Israel activist has a slot on the network called “Stage Left,” where she helps advance Zeteo’s anti-Jewish drift, and its anti-Israel hatefest.
Zeteo’s running list of writers also reflects a disturbing coalition of ideologues promoting an anti-Western ethos that embodies contemporary progressivism.
Americans should not discount Zeteo’s motives or dismiss the network as a marginal media presence. According to its website, Zeteo has amassed over 600,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel, and is sixth in US political publications on Substack.
Throughout the years, organizations and influencers peddling outlandish and unsavory ideas have been granted footholds in America’s mainstream cultural movement.
Celebrations surrounding Bowman and Bush’s exit from Congress should be met with a dose of humility. No longer confined to following political norms, the end of their Congressional careers does not signal the finale to their years-long anti-Israel and anti-Jewish reel. On the contrary, Bowman and Bush certifies that these two colleagues are still working on their opening scene.
Irit Tratt is an American and pro-Israel advocate residing in New York. Follow her on X @Irit_Tratt.
The post Bowman and Bush’s Demonization of Israel Moves from Congress to the Screen first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Says It Has Replaced Air Defenses Damaged in Israel War
The S-300 missile system is seen during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran has replaced air defenses damaged during last month’s conflict with Israel, Iran’s Defah Press news agency reported on Sunday quoting Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army’s deputy for operations.
During the conflict in June, Israel’s air force dominated Iran’s airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country’s air defenses while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory.
“Some of our air defenses were damaged, this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure,” Mousavi said.
Prior to the war, Iran had its own domestically-made long-range air defense system Bavar-373 in addition to the Russian-made S-300 system. The report by Defah Press did not mention any import of foreign-made air defense systems to Iran in past weeks.
Following limited Israeli strikes against Iranian missile factories last October, Iran later displayed Russian-made air defenses in a military exercise to show it recovered from the attack.
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Calm Reported in Syria’s Sweida, Damascus Says Truce Holding
Members of Internal Security Forces stand guard at an Internal Security Forces’ checkpoint working to prevent Bedouin fighters from advancing towards Sweida, following renewed fighting between Bedouin fighters and Druze gunmen, despite an announced truce, in Walgha, Sweida province, Syria, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Residents reported calm in Syria’s Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a US envoy signaled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented.
With hundreds reported killed, the Sweida bloodshed is a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes against government forces last week as it declared support for the Druze. Fighting continued on Saturday despite a ceasefire call.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday that internal security forces had managed to calm the situation and enforce the ceasefire, “paving the way for a prisoner exchange and the gradual return of stability throughout the governorate.”
Reuters images showed interior ministry forces near the city, blocking the road in front of members of tribes congregated there. The Interior Ministry said late on Saturday that Bedouin fighters had left the city.
US envoy Tom Barrack said the sides had “navigated to a pause and cessation of hostilities”. “The next foundation stone on a path to inclusion, and lasting de-escalation, is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are in process,” he wrote on X.
Kenan Azzam, a dentist, said there was an uneasy calm but the city’s residents were struggling with a lack of water and electricity. “The hospitals are a disaster and out of service, and there are still so many dead and wounded,” he said by phone.
Another resident, Raed Khazaal, said aid was urgently needed. “Houses are destroyed … The smell of corpses is spread throughout the national hospital,” he said in a voice message to Reuters from Sweida.
The Syrian state news agency said an aid convoy sent to the city by the government was refused entry while aid organized by the Syrian Red Crescent was let in. A source familiar with the situation said local factions in Sweida had turned back the government convoy.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that Israel sent urgent medical aid to the Druze in Sweida and the step was coordinated with Washington and Syria. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Ministry and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel and Lebanon who follow a religion that is an offshoot of a branch of Shi’ite Islam. Some hardline Sunnis deem their beliefs heretical.
The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against the Druze.
Residents of the predominantly Druze city said friends and neighbours were shot at close range in their homes or in the streets by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and insignia.
Sharaa on Thursday promised to protect the rights of Druze and to hold to account those who committed violations against “our Druze people.”
He has blamed the violence on “outlaw groups.”
While Sharaa has won US backing since meeting President Donald Trump in May, the violence has underscored the challenge he faces stitching back together a country shattered by 14 years of conflict, and added to pressures on its mosaic of sectarian and ethnic groups.
COASTAL VIOLENCE
After Israel bombed Syrian government forces in Sweida and hit the defense ministry in Damascus last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a policy demanding the demilitarization of territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida.
He also said Israel would protect the Druze.
The United States however said it did not support the Israeli strikes. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area for two days.
A Syrian security source told Reuters that internal security forces had taken up positions near Sweida, establishing checkpoints in western and eastern parts of the province where retreating tribal fighters had gathered.
On Sunday, Sharaa received the report of an inquiry into violence in Syria’s coastal region in March, where Reuters reported in June that Syrian forces killed 1,500 members of the Alawite minority following attacks on security forces.
The presidency said it would review the inquiry’s conclusions and ensure steps to “bring about justice” and prevent the recurrence of “such violations.” It called on the inquiry to hold a news conference on its findings – if appropriate – as soon as possible.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said on July 18 it had documented the deaths of at least 321 people in Sweida province since July 13. The preliminary toll included civilians, women, children, Bedouin fighters, members of local groups and members of the security forces, it said, and the dead included people killed in field executions by both sides.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another monitoring group, has reported a death toll of at least 940 people.
Reuters could not independently verify the tolls.
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Pope Leo Calls for End to ‘Barbarity of War’ After Strike on Gaza Church
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Pope Leo called for an end to the “barbarity of war” on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza.
Three people died and several were injured, including the parish priest, in the strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City on Thursday. Photos show its roof has been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and shattering windows.
Speaking after his Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed in the incident.
“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population,” he said.
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