The headlines are a familiar dirge: civilian casualties, political stalemate, a peace process dead on arrival. We read them, we wring our hands, and then we scroll on. There’s a name for this, and it’s not a military term. It’s “message fatigue.” It’s the psychological wall the world has built against the ceaseless, agonizing news from the Middle East. It’s the creeping apathy that sets in when every solution offered is a rehashed, decades-old recipe that has failed every single time.

This message fatigue is the new battlefield. The narrative has calcified. The two-state solution — once a beacon of hope — has become a mantra of futility, an empty phrase repeated by diplomats and talking heads with no real plan for its implementation. The current war, tragic and necessary as it is, has exposed the rot at the heart of this approach. It’s not a solution; it’s a fantasy.

And who benefits from this stagnation? The very actors who profit from chaos, and those who use the Palestinians as pawns in a cynical game of regional power.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) in Judea and Samaria is not a partner for peace. It’s a kleptocracy, a corrupt and dysfunctional entity that has failed its people for a generation. It has no democratic mandate, no popular legitimacy, and no control over the militant factions that operate with impunity. To pretend that a sovereign state could be built on this foundation is an act of willful delusion.

The PA’s primary function has become the preservation of its own power, not the well-being of the Palestinian people. Their failure to govern, to build civil society, and to combat corruption makes them a liability, not a viable partner.

Then there is Qatar. The tiny Gulf state has positioned itself as an indispensable mediator, but its role is far more insidious. Qatar hosts the leaders of Hamas and provides them with political, financial, and logistical support. It’s a grand hypocrisy: a nation that claims to seek peace while simultaneously funding the very terrorism that makes peace impossible.

To give Qatar a seat at the negotiating table is like asking an arsonist to help put out the fire. Their “mediation” is a strategic play, designed to increase their regional influence and burnish their image on the world stage, all while perpetuating the conflict from which they benefit.

But the blame extends far beyond these immediate actors. For decades, the wealthy Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, have paid lip service to the Palestinian cause, while doing little to advance a genuine solution.

They have provided financial aid — often funneled through the corrupt PA — and used the Palestinian issue as a tool to distract from their own internal issues and to curry favor with their populations. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has long maintained its official stance of non-recognition of Israel, demanding a two-state solution on the 1967 borders. Yet, this public position is a convenient shield. It allows them to appear as champions of the Arab world while quietly pursuing their own security and economic interests, which often align with Israel’s in confronting their shared adversary, Iran. 

The most dangerous new front, however, is not just in the Middle East. It is in Europe, where the tentacles of Hamas and other radical Islamist movements are spreading under the cover of seemingly benign foundations.

Hamas is not just a Gaza-based organization; it is a global movement with a sophisticated network of fundraising and propaganda. These groups are masquerading as legitimate charities and human rights organizations, infiltrating European civil society to spread their ideology and finance their operations. The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) is a prime example. While it presents itself as a humanitarian group, its connection to the infamous flotillas aimed at breaking the Gaza blockade has long been scrutinized, with reports linking it directly to Hamas’ terror infrastructure.

These flotillas, far from being purely humanitarian, were media spectacles designed to provoke and demonize Israel, with some participants prepared for violence. This is the new form of warfare: a psychological campaign to erode public support for Israel by leveraging the sympathies of Western populations through a network of front organizations.

This is why the old scripts must be thrown out. The two-state solution is not a goal; it’s a trap. It offers a framework for negotiations that are destined to fail because the preconditions for success — a legitimate, capable Palestinian partner and an end to foreign sponsorship of terror — simply do not exist.

We must stop pretending that the current crop of Palestinian leaders, both in the PA and abroad, can deliver a stable future, or that the major Arab powers are truly acting in the best interests of the Palestinian people. And we must recognize the global threat posed by groups like Hamas, which use Europe’s open societies to finance and spread their extremism.

What we need is a new paradigm. Not a two-state solution, but a solution.

Amine Ayoub, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco. Follow him on X: @amineayoubx

For Tim Dillon’s weekly podcast, the comedian wore a Hasidic beard, a black hat, had fake curls, and was flanked by two piles of bagels and a bottle of Manischewitz wine — all to mock Bari Weiss and supposed Jewish control over the news media.

According to Dillon, it’s the least antisemitic thing he’s ever done.

It’s not Halloween, but Dillon, who said he got his costume from Spirit Halloween, was set to inflame.

I personally don’t believe that Dillon is an antisemite. But he says things that certainly pander to those who are. Another problem is that it is difficult to tell whether or not something he says is a joke or serious. Case in point: he is among several comedians going to Saudi Arabia to perform in the Riyadh Comedy Festival.

It is illegal to be homosexual in Saudi Arabia. Dillon is openly gay. On his show, he said that because he is getting paid a lot of money (he claims not millions, like others), he is willing to look the other way on government policies not in line with human rights.

I would never perform or work in a country where being Jewish was illegal, though no such countries have asked me to sing or write an article for them. Dillon is free to do as he pleases, though I didn’t appreciate him joking about the date of his upcoming performance — that it is October 8, as October 7 might be too controversial.

Dillon talks about the importance of merit. Dillon’s podcast is popular because he is funny and can seemingly talk forever. But he should stop pretending to occasionally care about morals. Not when he platformed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who made money off of saying the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax. Dillon also had Candace Owens on as a guest, and had no pushback to what she has said about Jews and Israel.

Perhaps the worst joke of all, was when Dillon knocked over two piles of bagels and said “9/11.” While it’s clear he means it as a joke — and does not say he believes the Jews or Israel are responsible for 9/11 — he blurs the lines between what he believes to be true and what he is saying as a joke. That’s especially true when he has people on like Owens, who has made that claim about Jews and 9/11.

When he offers no pushback on people pushing hate and lies, he can always say he is only doing comedy and is not responsible for doing that. But is that true?

My number one rule in comedy is to be funny. Whether something is offensive or not can be examined as well, but at least be funny. Dillon usually is, but this time, he was not. Eating a bagel? Why is that funny? Maybe it was 20 years ago. And if the Jews already control the media, why would CBS need Bari Weiss? Why not credit her for her achievements? It takes both chutzpah and skill to leave a great job at The New York Times.   

He called The Free Press a “glorified blog.” A little jealous, perhaps? It’s much more than that.

Commenting on Paramount possibly buying The Free Press, he says the brand equity is “shooting Palestinians in the face.” No, The Free Press did not say anyone should be shot in the face. But again, Dillon can say he was joking and not serious.

I have no problem with politicians making jokes, nor do I have a problem with comedians talking politics. I don’t believe one should stay in one’s lane. Anyone can talk about anything. But when life and death is involved — and you make it unclear whether you are joking or saying something you believe — it’s a problem. And when you say things are based on merit, but give no credit to Weiss, who did what few can do, and suggest she is being paid too much for her religion and not for reasons related to her ability, you are nothing but a hypocrite.

The author is a writer based in New York.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney is facing fierce backlash after nearly 3,000 signatories accused his government’s anti-Israel stance of fueling antisemitism and endangering Jewish communities across Scotland.

Last week, Swinney announced that his government would halt new public contracts with arms companies supplying Israel, saying that “in the face of genocide, there can be no business as usual.”

In response to this latest anti-Israel move, the organization Scotland Against Antisemitism (SAA) sent Swinney a letter urging him to retract his “inflammatory language.”

“For the Scottish government to endorse this modern-day blood libel will not save a single innocent life in Gaza, but it will embolden those who now use the language of genocide to justify the harassment and intimidation of Jews here in Scotland,” the letter reads

The group also urged Swinney to engage with Scotland’s Jewish community and implement concrete measures to protect their safety amid a rising wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes and antisemitism.

“As you are no doubt aware, our small and increasingly vulnerable community is living in an extraordinarily hostile environment, one that has only worsened since Oct. 7,” SAA wrote in the letter, referring to the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel in 2023.

According to the group, Jews comprise less than one percent of Scotland’s population, yet they were the victims of roughly 17 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes last year.

“That figure alone should be a matter of national shame,” SAA wrote.

Read our full letter to @scotgov and @ScotGovFM and sign here; https://t.co/J7KsOmaidJ pic.twitter.com/1oMpToxN0U

— Scotland Against Antisemitism (@SAA_scotland) September 4, 2025

Swinney’s announcement came after the Scottish Parliament voted to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly this month, joining a growing number of Western countries supporting such an initiative.

“Scotland stands proudly in solidarity with the people of Gaza in the face of genocide,” Swinney wrote in a post on X after the motion was passed.

I am proud that @ScotParl has overwhelmingly voted to call for the recognition of the State of Palestine.

Scotland stands proudly in solidarity with the people of Gaza in the face of genocide. pic.twitter.com/UyLXpitPWk

— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) September 3, 2025

The government’s increasingly hostile stance toward Israel has drawn sharp criticism from members of Scotland’s Jewish community.

On Monday, a Scottish government spokesperson confirmed that Swinney met with members of the Jewish community following their request for assurances about their safety in Scotland.

“As the first minister made clear in setting out his statement to Parliament, the Scottish government deeply values our relationship with Scotland’s Jewish community and it is vital that they feel safe and supported,” the statement read. “There can be no place for antisemitism or hatred of any kind in Scotland.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), a UK-based charity, has released new research conducted by YouGov which showed that those characterized as embracing “entrenched” antisemitic attitudes in the UK had grown to 21 percent, the highest figure on record, showing a jump from 16 percent in 2024 and 11 percent in 2021.

The poll found that nearly half of Britons (45 percent) said Israel treats Palestinians like the Nazis treated Jews, up from 33 percent last year, and with 60 percent of young adults agreeing.

A striking 20 percent of young voters said that Israel does not have a right to exist as a Jewish state, while 31 percent disagreed. Similarly, 19 percent of British young adults justified Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities.

The data came after CAA earlier this year released a separate report revealing the extent of antisemitism experienced by the Jewish community across the UK.

In the past two years, half of Jews have considered leaving Britain due to rising antisemitism following the Oct. 7 atrocities, a figure that climbs to 67 percent among those aged 18 to 24.

According to the poll, 58 percent of British Jews choose to conceal their Judaism to avoid antisemitism, and 43 percent say they do not feel welcome in the UK.

In Scotland, almost 20 percent of Jews said they would not report an antisemitic hate crime to law enforcement, with almost two-thirds doubting that such acts would be prosecuted.

More than 80 percent of British Jews believe authorities are not doing enough to combat antisemitism. Three-quarters also voiced dissatisfaction with the way police have handled anti-Israel protests.

According to additional data provided by the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.

In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism and an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.

In one of the latest instances of antisemitism, two Jewish comedians were dropped from a major arts and culture festival in Edinburgh after staff cited “safety concerns” over their pro-Israel views.