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Disgusting News: Pulitzer Prize Winner Excused Abduction of Israelis by Hamas

Released British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari arrives at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, after being held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, in this image obtained by Reuters on Jan. 19, 2025. Photo: Maayan Toaf/GPO/Handout via REUTERS

The Pulitzer Prize was awarded last week to a Gazan poet who excused the abduction of Israelis by Hamas, HonestReporting revealed on exclusively, while calling for the prestigious award to be rescinded.

Mosab Abu Toha, who also spread antisemitic content and fake news on his social media platforms, won the top honor in journalism on Monday (May 5) for his essays published in the New Yorker describing the ongoing war in the enclave.

But it seems that both the magazine and the Pulitzer committee failed to check Abu Toha’s virulent social media posts against Israeli hostages whom Hamas brutally abducted on October 7, 2023.

HonestReporting exclusively shared these posts with Fox News Digital, which reached out to Abu Toha, The New Yorker, and the Pulitzer Prize organization for comment.

 

“How is this girl called a hostage?”

Abu Toha, who currently lives in the US, specifically disparaged female Israeli hostages, questioned their hostage status and implicitly justified their abduction.

Toha posted the following about Israeli hostage Emily Damari on January 24, 2025:

How on earth is this girl called a hostage? (And this is the case of most ‘hostages’). This is Emily Damari, a 28 UK-Israeli soldier that Hamas detailed on 10/7… So this girl is called a ‘hostage?’ This soldier who was close to the border with a city that she and her country have been occupying is called a ‘hostage?’

Damari, an Israeli civilian, was shot twice and abducted from her home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. Hamas held her for 471 days. But Abu Toha thinks that she cannot even be considered a hostage because she was a “soldier.”

A similar post by Abu Toha, posted on February 3, 2025, targeted former Israeli hostage Agam Berger:

The Israeli ‘hostage’ Agam Berger, who was released days ago participates in her sister’s graduation from an Israeli Air Force officers’ course. These are the ones the world wants to share sympathy for, killers who join the army and have family in the army! These are the ones whom CNN, BBC and the likes humanize in articles and TV programs and news bulletins.

Hamas held Agam Berger hostage with none of the rights due to a prisoner who has gone through a legal process. But that doesn’t matter to Abu Toha.

Toha also cast doubt on the forensic evidence that showed that the Bibas children — 9-month-old Kfir and Ariel, 4 — were killed by their captors.

Toha posted February 21, 2025:

Shame on BBC, propaganda machine. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said ‘forensic findings’, which have not been seen by the BBC, suggested the boys had been killed with ‘bare hands.’ If you haven’t seen any evidence, why did you publish this. Well, that’s what you are, filthy people.

An Israeli forensic analysis found that the two small boys were killed by the murderers’ “bare hands.” Heart-wrenching footage from October 7 showed Shiri Bibas and her two boys being kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Abu Toha’s rush to cleanse Hamas of their brutal murder could be considered to be justifying it.

Antisemitic Slurs

Other posts by Abu Toha constitute a clear violation of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.

When Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimeh was arrested by Swiss police in Zurich, Abu Toha blamed “the Zionists,” echoing antisemitic tropes about Jewish control over state bodies, government, and the media.

Another pattern in Abu Toha’s posts is the demonization of Israeli soldiers and symbols. According to Abu Toha, Israeli “terror soldiers” celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah is “what true antisemitism looks like.”  

He also thinks that Israeli soldiers’ blood is forfeit when they are off duty — implicitly supporting harming Israeli civilians, most of whom served or still serve as reservists in the IDF due to Israel’s mandatory conscription law.

In another breach of IHRA’s definition, Abu Toha minimized the Holocaust by comparing it to Gaza’s “genocide.”

Abu Toha also seemed to mouth Hamas propaganda and fake news, accusing Israel of having bombed Al-Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023. In the initial hours after the blast, mainstream media outlets parroted claims made by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry that Israel bombed the hospital, killing as many as 500 people.

But international authorities quickly concluded that it was the hospital’s parking lot that was hit by a misfired Palestinian Islamic Jihad missile, resulting in a death toll a fraction of what Hamas had first alleged.

A Blemish on the Pulitzer Prize

The exposure of Abu Toha’s posts prompted HonestReporting executive director Gil Hoffman to call for the prize to be rescinded:

The Pulitzer Prize is the top award in journalism and should not be blemished by bestowing it to a man who repeatedly twisted facts,” Hoffman said. “Abu Toha justifies abducting civilians from their homes, spreads fake news, and calls lighting a Menorah on Hanukkah antisemitism. That doesn’t sound prizeworthy to me.

Hoffman’s words are all the more poignant given that last year, HonestReporting campaigned against giving the Pulitzer Prize to photographers who crossed the border from Gaza with terrorists on October 7, 2023, and broke both physical and ethical boundaries.

When Reuters won the prize for international photography, there were no pictures from that day in the winning bid. Reuters later confirmed that images obtained from infiltrators were deliberately excluded so the win would not be marred.

Meanwhile, Israeli Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, told Fox News Digital that “these posts are an absolute disgrace, and this man should be condemned for his comments, not given a Pulitzer Prize. Reading these posts should make any decent person absolutely sick to their stomach.”

HonestReporting believes it’s necessary to unequivocally condemn Abu Toha and rescind the prize if the Pulitzer organization wishes to uphold its reputation as a beacon of excellence and ethics in journalism that must not be tarnished.

HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.

The post Disgusting News: Pulitzer Prize Winner Excused Abduction of Israelis by Hamas first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Support for Israel Holding Strong Among US Public, Growing Among Young Voters, Poll Finds

Pro-Israel rally in Times Square, New York City, US, Oct. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

American support for Israel in its war against Hamas has reached its highest level since the conflict began and includes a surprising surge of support among younger voters in Gen Z, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll.

The poll, conducted from July 6–8, found that 77 percent of registered voters say they support Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza, while just 23 percent back Hamas. That marks a continued trend of stability in pro-Israel sentiment across the U.S. public. In June, the poll revealed that 75 percent of the US public supported Israel over Hamas.

Among Americans aged 18 to 24, support for Israel now stands at 60 percent, compared to 40 percent for Hamas. That’s a notable jump from 52 percent support for Israel in March and could suggest a broader generational shift. The increase is particularly significant given Gen Z’s reputation for progressive activism and skepticism toward traditional US foreign policy allies.

Support for Israel rises with age, reaching 92 percent among voters 65 and older.

The poll also found a strong majority of voters, 80 percent overall, say that “Hamas must release all remaining hostages without any conditions or face serious consequences.” Even among Gen Z, 61 percent agree, suggesting a broad rejection of Hamas’s actions, despite more nuanced generational divides on broader policy questions.

While older voters remain more hawkish, favoring strong Israeli military action and opposing any deal that leaves Hamas in power, Gen Z respondents were more open to negotiated outcomes. Still, the overall direction appears to show a consolidation of support for Israel as the war continues.

The Harvard CAPS-Harris survey polled 2,044 registered voters online and has become one of the most closely watched monthly trackers of public opinion on foreign policy.

The post Support for Israel Holding Strong Among US Public, Growing Among Young Voters, Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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US Senators Led by Ted Cruz Reintroduce Legislation to Label the Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization

US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaking at a press conference about the United States restricting weapons for Israel, at the US Capitol, Washington, DC. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, legislation that would classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who spearheaded the effort, is calling on the Trump administration to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a move that would trigger sanctions and stricter restrictions on its assets, travel, and financial networks.

The Texas senator described the Brotherhood as “a terrorist organization” that provides material support to proxy entities, including Hamas, a Palestinian offshoot of the global Islamist movement. He cited the group’s extremist ideology and noted Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, describing the attack as “the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust” during which “at least 53 Americans” were killed or kidnapped.

“American allies in the Middle East and Europe have already labeled the Brotherhood a terrorist organization,” Cruz said in a statement, urging the US to “do the same, and do so expeditiously.” The bill is co-sponsored by several Senate Republicans, including Sens. Tom Cotton (AR), John Boozman (AR), Rick Scott (FL), Ashley Moody (FL), and Dave McCormick (PA).

Cotton echoed Cruz’s assessment, saying the Brotherhood “preaches death to Israel, the United States, and other Western governments,” and argued that such rhetoric warrants a formal terrorist designation.

In the US House of Representatives, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) introduced companion legislation, citing similar concerns about the group’s global network and ideological influence.

Labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as an FTO would mark a significant shift in US counterterrorism policy. Such a designation would enable the US government to freeze the group’s assets, impose visa bans, and criminalize support for its activities. It would also likely increase scrutiny of affiliated organizations and individuals both inside and outside the United States.

Governments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Austria have already banned the Brotherhood, arguing it poses a threat to domestic and regional stability. But critics of Cruz’s bill warn that such a sweeping measure could backfire, potentially targeting progressive political efforts and fueling perceptions of US hostility toward Islamic political participation.

The legislation will now be reviewed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While supporters push for swift passage, its fate remains uncertain amid concerns over diplomatic fallout and domestic civil liberties.

The post US Senators Led by Ted Cruz Reintroduce Legislation to Label the Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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US Federal Judge Allows Antisemitism Lawsuit to Proceed Against Powerful Lawyers Union

A view of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Photo: Chip East via Reuters Connect

A US federal judge ruled on Tuesday that an antisemitism lawsuit accusing the powerful Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA) union can continue over the objections of the organization’s formidable legal counsel, which attempted to have the case dismissed by arguing that it is “self-serving” and “anti-democratic.”

On Wednesday, officials from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which is representing the aggrieved parties, hailed the procedural victory in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York as a testament to the veracity of the allegations of which the ALAA is accused.

“We are enormously gratified with this ruling vindicating our clients’ federal labor law rights to oppose antisemitism in their union, including their right to sue over a virulently anti-Israel resolution proposed just weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack,” Brandeis Center chairman and founder Kenneth Marcus said in a statement. “The Brandeis Center will defend Jewish and non-Jewish union members who stand up for themselves and against antisemitism and with all the lawful tools available to them.”

Brandeis Center senior counsel Rory Lancman added, “In standing up for what it is right, these courageous legal aid lawyers faced expulsion and a campaign of demonization that has taken an enormous toll on then, both professionally and personally. We look forward to proceeding with this case and fully vindicating their rights under federal labor law.”

As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the union for New York public defenders allegedly degenerated into a “cornucopia of classic modern antisemitism” in the months following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel. Just weeks after the massacre, the ALAA passed a virulently anti-Israel resolution which made only a passing reference to Hamas’s atrocities and launched a smear campaign against Jewish members who opposed it. Following that, the union facilitated the filing of “formal charges” against Jewish and Zionist members, attempting to expel them from its ranks.

Antisemitic conduct in the ALAA took other forms, the complaint alleged. Members commended Hamas’s violence, chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and denied that the terrorist group had murdered women and children. In one incident, someone allegedly asserted that Zionist beliefs would prevent Jewish attorneys from “zealously” defending Muslims, Palestinians, and Arabs and lead them to conspire against them and sabotage their cases.

“If they support Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, why would they not have a reason to collude with prosecutors and other adversaries to deprive our clients of justice in the courts,” ALAA member Marlen Bodden wrote in an “officewide” email on Nov. 16, 2023.

“It is a legitimate question,” Monica Dula responded.

A ranking official attempted to stop the conversation from descending into a pitch and catch of antisemitic tropes, but the idea that Jews would work against their clients had allegedly been planted weeks earlier. On Oct. 13, 2023, Saara Ashid suggested that a Jewish attorney would not “stand up for Black and Brown folk in the same way,” according to the lawsuit. She added, “I’m starting to worry about all of your clients.”

By Nov. 17, ALAA was scheduled to vote on a resolution that the complaint describes as a “1,147-word diatribe against the existence of the Jewish state, replete with deceitful blood libels designed to arouse the most ancient antisemitic hatreds.” Resolved to stop it from taking place, several Jewish members, accusing the union of breach of contract and fostering a professional culture that would discourage Jews from seeking legal counsel from ALAA affiliated attorneys, sought and were granted a temporary restraining order which delayed the proceeding.

Angered by the ruling, their colleagues allegedly sought to expel them from the union entirely, with one member accusing them “of snitching behavior.” A volley of similar comments were launched in an email thread over the next several days, the lawsuit notes, with Emmanuel Garcia writing “if you are a snitch please do us a favor and kill yourself” and David Tobias commenting “careful, snitches are in this thread, they might snitch on you and air strike your home with your family in it.”

ALAA then moved to file charges against its Jewish members, accusing them of attempting to “interrupt a democratic process on an internal union matter” and violating the union’s “core” mission. The anti-Israel resolution has since been passed, and a trial of the members is forthcoming.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

The post US Federal Judge Allows Antisemitism Lawsuit to Proceed Against Powerful Lawyers Union first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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