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Prominent Palestinian Writer Dismisses Victims of Fatal DC Shooting as ‘Genocide Cheerleaders’

Susan Abdulhawa, a Palestinian writer and pundit Source: Democracy Now!

Palestinian American writer and activist Susan Abulhawa. Photo: Screenshot

Prominent Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa has seemingly justified the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night, dismissing the victims as “genocidal cheerleaders,” warning that “no Zionist should be safe,” and suggesting without evidence that the shooting may have been a “false flag” operation.

“Natural logic: when governments fail to hold Israel accountable for an actual holocaust being committed before our very eyes, no genocidal Zionist should be safe anywhere in the world,” Abulhawa posted on X/Twitter on Thursday, the day after the shooting. “What Mr. Rodriguez did should come as no surprise. In fact, I’m surprised it has not happened sooner. Human beings with a conscience literally cannot bear to witness such evil day and day out being inflicted upon the bodies, minds, and futures of an utterly defenseless people, by such a hateful, racist, colonial state.”

Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old left-wing and anti-Israel activist from Chicago, was charged on Thursday in US federal court with two counts of first-degree murder. He is accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, a young couple about to become engaged to be married, as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum for young professionals and diplomatic staff hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in the US capital.

An affidavit filed by US federal authorities in support of the criminal complaint charging Rodriguez revealed that he said at the scene of the shooting, “I did it for Palestine; I did it for Gaza.” He also chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine” after being taken into custody, according to video of the incident.

In the aftermath of the shooting, many anti-Israel activists rushed to defend the antisemitic attack as justifiable “resistance,” arguing that Lischinsky and Milgrim deserved to be murdered because they support Israel, which they falsely claim has been perpetrating a genocide in Gaza while waging a military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

“Now we’re supposed to feel bad for two genocide cheerleaders after watching these colonizer baby killers slaughter people by the hundreds every day for two years,” Abulhawa posted to X/Twitter on Thursday. “I’ve seen the inside of too many children’s skulls to give a crap about the human garbage who get off on mass murder.”

Abulhawa then seemingly suggested, without any evidence, that either Israel or the Jewish community was actually behind the shooting to make the public focus on the surge of antisemitism — a surge that she claimed was a lie despite copious documentation providing a historic spike in antisemitic incidents.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it was a false flag to focus on manufactured antisemitism instead of the actual holocaust being committed by Jewish supremacists,” she wrote.

The author later added, “Once you understand that Zionism and Nazism are two sides of the same coin, the world we live in will make a lot more sense.” She then peddled antisemitic tropes, accusing Israel, the only Jewish state in the world, of possessingworldwide tentacles” and controlling international governments. 

Abulhawa proceeded to compare Wednesday night’s shooting to a Jewish person killing a member of the Nazi party as retaliation for the Holocaust. She declared the terrorist act as legitimate “resistance” to fight the so-called “genocide” occurring in Gaza. 

“A person (Jewish) killed a Nazi as an act of resistance because governments refused to stop a genocide perpetrated by Nazis. Today, a person killed a Zionist as an act of resistance because governments refuse to stop a genocide perpetrated by Zionists,” the writer said.

Abulhawa has an extensive history of publicly condemning those who support Israel’s right to self-defense. In an X/Twitter post, she accused Dana Stroul, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, of having a “single loyalty to a foreign country, for which they endlessly extort US tax dollars and spill American blood to maintain.” She also castigated Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who is Jewish, for being “a major player in the Zionist death cult infecting the world.” She added that that Zionists “aren’t human like us” and that “we’re ruled by spawns of Satan.”

Last year, the writer accused then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of having a “single loyalty to Israel,” perpetuating the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jewish people are inherently untrustworthy citizens more loyal to Israel than their own countries.

Abulhawa has also celebrated Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, saying that the massacre “wasn’t the beginning of violence; it is the beginning of the end of a genocidal colonial entity.” In an article published in the anti-Israel outlet Electronic Intifada just days after the atrocities, Abulhawa wrote that “Palestinian fighters finally broke free on 7 October 2023 in a spectacular moment that shocked the world.” Lauding the Hamas terrorists, she stated that “these brave Palestinian fighters overtook Israeli colonies built on their ancestral villages, seeing their stolen lands for the first time in their lives.”

Despite her comments against Jews, Zionists, and Israelis, Abulhawa’s work has been widely read. Mornings in Jenin, a novel penned by Abdulhawa, sold over one million copies worldwide. The activist also served as the lead organizer for the “Palestine Writes” festival at the University of Pennsylvania in 2023. The event, which featured a litany of anti-Israel speakers, incensed Jewish alumni and donors.

The post Prominent Palestinian Writer Dismisses Victims of Fatal DC Shooting as ‘Genocide Cheerleaders’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Viral Video of Jewish Tourists Assaulted in Florence Sparks Outrage Amid Surge in Antisemitic Attacks in Italy

Demonstrators participate in a pro-Palestinian protest in Piazza Duomo in Milan, Italy, on Nov. 23, 2024. Photo: Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect

A viral video of two Jewish American tourists being assaulted in Florence has sparked outrage and condemnation from Italy’s Jewish community — among the latest in a surge of antisemitic attacks targeting Jews in the country and reflecting rising anti-Israel sentiment.

In the video widely circulated on social media, two visibly Jewish men are seen walking down a street in Florence, a city in central Italy, when an unknown individual approaches them and asks where they are from.

After one of the men replies that they are from New York, the assailant begins shouting antisemitic insults — including “Free Palestine, f**ker” — before lashing his belt against the pavement.

The American tourist then tries to respond, but the man begins shouting “shut up!” and “no speaking, you f**ker!” before striking the pavement with his belt once more.

The video then captures the two men fleeing the scene as they try to escape the assailant.

After the video went viral on Sunday on an Instagram page with nearly 300,000 followers, Italian authorities began efforts to track down the person who posted it.

Local police have launched an investigation and are reviewing CCTV footage in an effort to identify the assailant, Italian media reported.

The Italy-Israel Association of Florence (AIIF) strongly condemned the recent attack, urging authorities to act swiftly to protect the local Jewish community.

“These events cannot be downplayed or dismissed as isolated cases. Antisemitism has once again openly surfaced in our streets, and this should be a concern for all of civil society,” AIIF President Emanuele Cocollini said in a statement.

“City, regional, and police authorities have a duty to act firmly: ensure protection, issue an unequivocal political and cultural response, and isolate and stop those who spread hatred,” Cocollini continued.

Enrico Fink, president of the Jewish Community of Florence, also condemned the incident, describing the footage as “horrifying.”

“It is not only for us to express our outrage, but for those whose slogans and causes are being exploited to spread hatred, violence, and racism. I hope that even today, our voice of indignation will not be the only one heard,” Fink said in a statement.

The incident comes amid a surge in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across Europe and around the world since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In Italy, Jewish individuals have been facing a surge in hostility and targeted attacks, including vandalism of murals and businesses, as well as physical assaults. Community leaders have warned that such incidents are becoming more frequent amid growing tensions related to the war in Gaza.

According to a new survey by SWG, an Italian polling and research firm, about 15 percent of Italians believe that physical assaults on Jewish people are “entirely or fairly justifiable.”

Released on Tuesday, the poll also found that 18 percent of Italians consider antisemitic graffiti acceptable, while nearly 20 percent believe it is reasonable to attack pro-Israel professors or refuse service to Israeli customers.

Two weeks ago, an American Orthodox Jewish couple was physically assaulted in Venice by a group of anti-Israel agitators, who shouted “Free Palestine” among other intended insults.

Earlier this summer, a Jewish man from France and his child were verbally assaulted at a gas station near Milan by a group of pro-Palestinian activists who shouted antisemitic slurs after seeing the child wearing a kippah, yelling phrases such as “Free Palestine” and “murderers” as they passed by.

In a separate incident, a masked individual targeted a synagogue in Rome, spray-painting a swastika and antisemitic slogans — “Sieg Heil” (“Hail Victory”) and “Juden Raus” (“Jews Out”) — on a sign near the entrance.

In May, a restaurant in Naples forced an Israeli family to leave, telling them, “Zionists are not welcome here.”

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Trump Administration Sues Anti-Israel Activists, Organizations Over Protest Outside New Jersey Synagogue

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest near the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, in New York City, US, May 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ryan Murphy

The Trump administration has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against several New Jersey activists and organizations, alleging they disrupted a synagogue service in West Orange during a heated protest last year.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, names members of American Muslims for Palestine–New Jersey, the Party for Socialism and Liberation–New Jersey, and individual activists as defendants. Prosecutors say the group violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a law usually applied to abortion clinics but that also protects houses of worship.

According to the complaint filed on Monday, the incident occurred on Nov. 13, 2024, at Congregation Ohr Torah. The synagogue was reportedly hosting a memorial and real estate presentation promoting the sale of property in Israeli communities in the West Bank originally scheduled take place at the home of organizer Moshe Glick. When protesters threatened to demonstrate outside his residence, the event was moved to the synagogue.

Federal prosecutors allege that demonstrators ignored police instructions, stormed synagogue property, and used vuvuzelas — long plastic horns — to drown out speakers. The complaint describes several confrontations, including one protester allegedly blowing a vuvuzela directly in Glick’s ear, sparking a physical clash. Another congregant, 65-year-old David Silberberg, was allegedly put in a chokehold and forced to the ground after intervening. A stink bomb was also reportedly thrown into the crowd.

The US Justice Department is seeking both monetary damages and a permanent injunction. Proposed restrictions would bar defendants from coming within 50 feet of the synagogue or Glick’s home and prohibit them from protesting within 500 feet of any place of worship during services. Civil penalties of more than $84,000 per defendant are also being pursued. Essex County prosecutors had previously suggested that pro-Israel counter-protesters instigated the violence, highlighting conflicting accounts of the chaotic scene.

“Those who target houses of worship and violate our federal laws protecting people of faith are on notice that they will face the consequences,” Justice Department Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement.

Attorneys for Glick and other attendees have defended their actions as self-defense and criticized local prosecutors’ handling of the case. Representatives for the defendants and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case marks one of the Trump administration’s most aggressive uses of the FACE Act against activists in a religious context, setting the stage for a legal fight over the limits of protest and the protection of worshippers.

In recent years, New Jersey has witnessed a striking uptick in antisemitic incidents, sparking alarm in Jewish and civil-rights communities statewide. According to data from the Anti-Defamation League, 2024 saw 719 reported acts in the state, the third highest total in the nation, including harassment, vandalism, and assaults. Even though the number represents a modest drop from 2023’s peak of 830, the figures remain historically elevated and far above pre-2022 levels. In 2023 alone, New Jersey recorded a 22 percent increase in bias incidents, with anti-Jewish bias making up more than one-fifth of all reports to law enforcement. State legislators have responded by pushing for a formal, statewide definition of antisemitism to better guide law enforcement and educational institutions in identifying and prosecuting such acts.

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Charlie Kirk’s Words Crush the Conspiracy: Private Letter to Netanyahu Reveals a Steadfast Supporter of Israel

Charlie Kirk speaking at the inauguration of Donald Trump in January 2025. Photo: Brian Snyder via Reuters Connect

A newly published letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist assassinated earlier this month, offers a potent rebuttal to conspiracy theories alleging that the prominent podcaster had turned against the Jewish state in the months before his death.

Far from drifting away from his long record of support for the Jewish state, Kirk’s own words show him urging Netanyahu to develop a stronger social media defense of Israel in what he described as a deteriorating “information war” online and in universities. However, Kirk did also offer distinct notes of criticism in his correspondence.

“One of my greatest joys as a Christian is advocating for Israel and forming alliances with Jews in the fight to protect Judeo-Christian civilization,” Kirk wrote at the top of his letter, which the New York Post reported on Monday. Addressing Netanyahu directly, Kirk said he sought “to lay out our concerns and outline potential remedies. Everything written here is from a place of deep love for Israel and the Jewish people.” He warned that “as Muhammadism spreads into Western societies, it’s critical that Jews and Christians stay united in the effort to contain and roll back radical Islam and Sharia law.”

Kirk lamented that “Israel is losing the information war and needs a ‘communications intervention.” He described how anti-Israel invective infects the questions he receives on his campus tours and has infiltrated “young MAGA circles.” He called the situation “a five-alarm fire,” warning that anti-Israel narratives — ranging from “apartheid state” claims to conspiracy theories about Jews orchestrating US foreign policy — had shattered support among the young political right.

Describing his engagement with Jewish ideas, Kirk wrote that “​​I spent endless hours with Dennis Prager over the years studying the Torah.”

The letter, written earlier this year and running seven pages, mixes personal testimony with detailed social media messaging recommendations. Kirk recounted how, on Easter, he felt “bombarded with messages about the Israeli army making it difficult for Christians to access church in Jerusalem” and frustrated that no official response came quickly from Jerusalem. “Pro-Israel surrogates like me should not be in charge of fact checking every piece of anti-Israel misinformation that pours into social media,” he wrote, adding that “sometimes, it feels like I’m defending Israel in public more than your own government.”

Kirk decried a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t dynamic in online pro-Israel advocacy.

“I’m accused of being a paid apologist for Israel when I defend her; however, if I don’t defend Israel strongly enough, I’m accused of being antisemitic,” he wrote. “I know you’ve got a seven-front war and my kvetching pales in comparison. But I’m trying to convey to you that Israel is losing support even in conservative circles.”

Kirk described how even at events put on by his organization Turning Point USA that draw thousands of students, he faced constant hostile questioning about Israel. “On my recent campus tours, half the questions I get are about Israel and they’re all negative,” Kirk said. He stressed that his commitment was unwavering: “I often spend half my time on these campus tours defending Jews and Israel which I’m proud to do because I love Israel and love the Jewish faith.”

Among the proposals Kirk advanced was the creation of an “Israel Truth Network,” a one-stop information hub and social media presence that could debunk common accusations and showcase the decency of Israeli society. He urged Netanyahu to establish a rapid response media team, to send former hostages on US speaking tours, and to highlight stories of ordinary Israelis through campaigns like “Dude, you got us wrong!” He pressed Israel to generate original, English-language content for TikTok, podcasts, and other platforms rather than depending on American allies, stressing that “Israel needs to learn to fish (i.e. create your own content) and be more self-reliant when it comes to your communications strategy.”

Kirk urged Netanyahu to model his own communications team on that of US President Donald Trump. He wrote that “the [resident has strong fighters like Stephen Miller and Karoline Leavitt who battle the press every day. Honestly, I don’t even know if you have a press secretary. You are an eloquent defender of Israel, but you need a team of information warriors out there pushing back every day in real time.” At the time Kirk wrote his letter on May 2, Omer Dostri served as Netanyahu’s press secretary.

Kirk also warned that young people on the right remain deeply skeptical of intelligence assessments after the Iraq war and COVID-19, making it essential that Israelis themselves — not just Americans — make the case against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He emphasized that Netanyahu should think of Israel’s public diplomacy like a political campaign: “Right now, there’s essentially a massive negative ad campaign spreading on social media. These negative ads are defining this candidate. Like any campaign, the first task is to define the candidate.”

While most of the letter offered praise of Israel, on the subject of COVID-19 vaccines and other topics, Kirk did present criticisms and skepticism.

“Our generation was also lied to by the governments of Israel and the US that COVID vaccines were safe and effective,” he wrote. “Israel intelligence missed the boat on Oct. 7, but we’re asked to trust Israeli intelligence 100 percent that Iran is on the cusp of obtaining nuclear weapons. Young conservatives are very skeptical of government proclamations.”

Kirk stated that he understood social media “as well as anyone in the world” and that “from my vantage point, Israel has retreated from social media without a fight. How are you going to win over younger generations if you’re starting out in retreat on social media?”

He advised filling communications staffs with people in their twenties and thirties who “grew up with cell phones and social media — not pay phones and TV news,” and implored Netanyahu to stop treating TikTok as a sideshow. “My campus tour last fall and this spring have received approximately five billion impressions,” Kirk noted, adding that Israel should take advantage of platforms like X, where Elon Musk is “a good friend to Israel.”

The Turning Point USA leader suggested a campaign model for the Jewish state. “You should perhaps consider reshaping your Hasbara Department into more of a political campaign headquarters with campaign narrative experts,” he wrote. “Hasbara could be the mothership hosting ITN where the messaging campaign can be created and then distributed to all the pro-Israel groups and thought leaders.”

In his conclusion, Kirk told the prime minister that “the status quo is not working. Israel is getting crushed on social media and you are losing younger generations of Americans, even among MAGA conservatives.” He stressed that his concerns stemmed from his faith: “The Holy Land is so important to my life, and it pains me to see support for Israel slip away.”

The letter countered claims from some of Kirk’s erstwhile allies that he started drifting away from the Jewish state. As The Algemeiner reported on Sept. 17, Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal, a pro-Iran journalist and fierce critic of Israel, published a story alleging that pro-Israel figures — including billionaire investor Bill Ackman — had staged an “intervention” to pressure Kirk over his views. That report, denied by Ackman and Kirk’s own producer Andrew Kolvet, was nevertheless taken up by far-right podcaster Candace Owens and US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who have previously promoted antisemitic tropes and accused Israel of genocide.

Days later, as The Algemeiner reported on Sept. 22, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson used his eulogy for Kirk to weave antisemitic innuendo, appearing to blame Jews for both the crucifixion of Jesus and Kirk’s murder.

Carlson’s comments drew condemnation from prominent conservative and pro-Israel voices, who warned that such rhetoric threatened to poison the Republican Party.

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