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The Washington Post Uses Its New AI Tool to Cast Fault on Israel
Partygoers at the Supernova Psy-Trance Festival running to safety during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, as seen in the documentary “Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre.” Photo: Screenshot
One of the most important events in recent Middle East history took place 25 years ago this summer. In July 2000, President Bill Clinton brought Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to Camp David to negotiate an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite generous concessions offered by Barak, Arafat refused to accept them and the talks ended in failure.
Given that the Palestinians still don’t have a state, one would think that Arafat’s refusal to negotiate peace would be a constant element of reporting on the Middle East. But it isn’t.
I searched The Washington Post for clues.
The Post has a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that answers questions by aggregating information from the paper’s extensive archives.
So I entered “Arafat Barak Camp David” into the AI search bar and learned, “The summit’s failure was attributed to the inability of the parties to agree on key issues, and it highlighted the challenges of negotiating a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
In contrast, when I entered the same terms into Google’s AI, there was a lot more information including, “US President Clinton blamed Arafat for the failure, and this narrative gained traction in the US and Israel.”
AI is a tool. It applies an algorithm to inputs. If the inputs are faulty, then the results will be too. If the Post’s reporting omitted or downplayed Arafat’s responsibility for the failure of peace, then the AI tool also will.
In fact, a 2023 Post retrospective of the failed summit observed, “… the disputes between Israelis and Palestinians proved impervious to Clinton’s brand of charm, cajolery and crisis management.”
There was nothing about Israeli concessions and nothing about Arafat’s refusal to accept a deal. Why would a reporter deviate from the approach established a quarter century ago?
I asked the Post’s AI about “Israel occupation West Bank,” and its answer began, “The Israeli occupation of the West Bank has led to significant tensions and violence in the region.”
When Israel is involved, the Post assigns blame.
The answer concluded with, “The international community has called for an end to the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state, with many countries recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state. However, the Israeli government has resisted these efforts, with some arguing that a Palestinian state would pose a threat to Israel’s security.”
Prompted by the AI tool, I asked, “how much has terror increased since Israel made peace with the PLO in 1993?”
The AI tool responded, “Terror has increased significantly since the Israel-PLO peace agreement in 1993.”
That observation says that empirically a Palestinian state could very likely be a threat to Israel. But the AI tool doesn’t have the capability to incorporate it into its responses.
I only asked about increased terror, so this sentence is interesting, “The conflict has escalated, with Israel launching airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza, and Palestinian militant groups firing rockets into Israel.” It’s odd that the AI tool didn’t mention one of the deadliest terror attacks in history on October 7, 2023, and instead turned its attention to the overall conflict.
Finally, I asked the Post’s AI tool about “sexual violence October 7.” The response began, “On October 7, there were reports of sexual violence, including forced nudity and the posting of ‘sexualized images’ on social media.”
Seriously, “there were reports?”
Reading further down in the reply, the AI tool observed, “Witnesses and first responders described graphic scenes of violence, including gang rape and the torture of women.”
That should have been the first sentence, with the full response building on that. Instead, most of the article is casting doubts on the extent of the sexual violence, including, incredibly, a denial by Hamas.
The reply also noted that, “the full extent of sexual violence that day will likely never be fully known due to stigma, trauma, and the fact that many victims were probably killed.” Sexual assault victims cannot describe what happened to them, but their bodies unfortunately would show signs of the trauma they sustained.
It’s shocking that a major American newspaper played down the extent of one of the more brutal aspects of the October 7 terror attack, when there’s plenty of corroborating evidence supporting the charges.
The Post’s AI tool is important, not as a historical tool, but the way it exposes the Post’s myopia with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If an event can be blamed on Israel, the Post is not shy about ascribing blame. If the Palestinians are to blame, the Post will do all it can to minimize or erase it.
David Gerstman is a freelance journalist living in Baltimore. He was previously senior editor of The Tower magazine.
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Toronto Film Festival Denies Blocking Oct. 7 Doc Over Censorship, Says Legal Team, Filmmaker Working to Screen It
Skyline of Toronto, Canada. Photo Credit: Aaron Davis, Wikimedia Commons, June 2020.
The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) said late Wednesday that efforts are being made to ensure the screening of a documentary about the Hamas-led deadly massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, after receiving backlash for removing the film from the festival’s lineup.
TIFF CEO Bailey Cameron also denied claims about censoring “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue.”
“I want to be clear: Claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false,” Bailey said in a released statement. “I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.”
The festival will run from Sept. 4-14, and the film is currently not listed on the festival’s official website.
The documentary from Canadian director Barry Avrich follows grandfather and retired IDF Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon as he rescues his family, including two granddaughters, from Hamas terrorists who invaded their home in Nahal Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack across southern Israel. Tibon also rescued survivors of the Nova Music Festival and helped wounded Israeli soldiers. His heroic efforts were highlighted by “60 Minutes” in October 2023. During the attack, Hamas murdered 1,200 civilians and took 251 others as hostages back to the Gaza Strip. Fifty hostages are still held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, the co-creators and writers of the Israeli television series “Fauda,” revealed last year that they are scripting a film about Tibon’s heroism. Tibon has also written opinion pieces for The Algemeiner in previous years and his son published a book about Tibon’s rescue mission on Oct. 7.
Deadline revealed on Tuesday that “The Road Between Us” was removed from the lineup of films being screened at TIFF, because filmmakers did not have “legal clearance” to use footage terrorists themselves filmed while murdering thousands during their deadly rampage. Festival organizers told Deadline in a statement that the film was “withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage. The purpose of the requested conditions was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.”
Tibon called the decision “absurd and bizarre,” and accused TIFF of “succumbing to pressure and threats” to conceal the truth about what happened during the Oct. 7 attack. “The atrocities committed by Hamas cannot be erased or denied,” he added. The team behind “The Road Between Us” also slammed the reasoning, telling Variety in part: “We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film.”
The move was also condemned by several Jewish groups – including StandWithUs Canada, the Canadian Centre for Jewish and Israeli Affairs, Combat Antisemitism Movement, and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal — and the pro-Israel entertainment industry organization Creative Community for Peace. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also criticized the move in a post on X, saying there “was no ‘legal clearance’ from Hamas for their GoPro massacre videos.”
“This festival would have asked Hitler or Goebbels for copyright on Auschwitz footage,” said Sa’ar. “This vicious and sickening decision must be cancelled immediately!”
In a statement late Wednesday, Bailey rejected the censorship claims, saying that the misunderstanding “calls for compassion and sensitivity, and I recognize the concerns it has raised among members of the Jewish community and beyond.” He then apologized for “any pain this situation may have caused.”
“It was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone,” he said. “At TIFF, we believe in the transformative power of film to foster understanding and dialogue, especially during challenging times.”
“My intention was to screen ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,’ which is why I extended the invitation for the film to participate in this year’s festival,” he added. “Given the sensitive and significant nature of the film’s subject, I believe that it tells an important story and contributes to the rich tapestry of perspectives in our lineup – stories that resonate both here at home and around the world … While we are not a political organization, TIFF will always strive to present our programming in a safe, inclusive environment.”
Bailey concluded by asking for “patience and understanding as we navigate this complex landscape.”
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UEFA Accused of Promoting Antisemitic Blood Libel With ‘Stop Killing Children’ Banner at Super Cup Match
A banner displayed by the UEFA at a match on Aug. 13, 2025 at the UEFA Super Cup in Udine, Italy. Photo: X/UEFA
The British charity Campaign Against Antisemitism accused the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) of double standards and promoting a centuries-old, antisemitic blood libel following the union’s decision to display a banner that said “Stop Killing Children – Stop Killing Civilians” before a match on Wednesday night.
UEFA unfurled the banner before the start of the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine, Italy, between Paris Saint-Germain and London’s Tottenham Hotspur, the latter of which has a large Jewish fanbase. The banner was featured on the field before kick-off as the players lined up inside the Stadio Friuli.
UEFA said on Wednesday that its Foundation for Children invited two refugee children from the Gaza Strip, who have been impacted by the Israel-Hamas war, to take part in the medals ceremony at the match, and nine children who are refugees in Italy participated in the opening ceremony by holding the banner. The nine children are from different conflict zones around the world including Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, “Palestine,” and Ukraine, according to the UEFA.
Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) criticized the offensive banner in a post on X, claiming that the union’s “selective outrage” about the Israel-Hamas war “tells us everything about the double standard that still poisons European discourse on Jews.”
The UEFA “has said nothing about the Jewish hostages kept in barbaric captivity for almost two years, nor about the incessant attacks on Israeli civilians throughout this war from terrorists in Gaza and throughout the Middle East,” CAA noted. “But all of sudden, they have chosen a Spurs match — a club commonly associated with the Jewish community — to unfurl this banner.”
“For centuries, Europe has traded in the blood libel that Jews kill children, and clearly the trope remains as popular as ever. UEFA says that ‘the message is clear.’ After two years with no acknowledgement of the Jewish children murdered, maimed and traumatized by this war, the message is clear indeed,” CAA added.
Last night, before the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur in Udine, Italy, UEFA unfurled a banner which read: “Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians.”https://t.co/T70ZHaZoeB@UEFA has said nothing about the Jewish hostages kept in…
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) August 14, 2025
Speaking to The Times, a UEFA insider claimed the banner was “not political but about humanity — in fact you could say it is just common sense.”
In the past, soccer clubs have been penalized by the UEFA for displaying political banners. In 2016, Scotland’s Celtic soccer team was fined after its fans waved Palestinian flags during a match against Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva. UEFA viewed the flags as “illicit” banners. Celtic was also fined in 2013 after an “illicit” banner was displayed by fans during a Champions League match against AC Milan. However, Celtic was ultimately not fined when fans displayed an oversized anti-Israel banner at a match earlier this year.
Most recently, UEFA fined the Serbian team Partizan Belgrade after fans displayed a “Kosovo is Serbia” banner at a match, the Associated Press reported.
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Israeli Spy Chief Visits Qatar to Revive Gaza Talks
David Barnea, the head of the Israeli Mossad, attends an honor guard ceremony for Israel’s incoming military chief Herzi Halevi at Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 16, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency visited Qatar on Thursday to revive Gaza ceasefire talks, according to multiple reports.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters about the meeting, which was the most high-level talks between Israel and mediators since negotiations broke down last month.
David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani to discuss the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to Axios, which reported that the head of Israel’s national intelligence agency stressed in his meetings that the Israeli cabinet’s decision to take military control of Gaza City is not a bluff. Israel is prepared to proceed with the plan if there is no progress in negotiations to reach a ceasefire and hostage-release deal, a source familiar with the meeting told the outlet.
The Israeli publication Ynet also said in a report that a private jet linked to the Mossad landed in Doha on Thursday, fueling speculation that Barnea arrived in the Qatari capital for the first time since negotiations faltered three weeks ago.
Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan last week to take control of Gaza City, which followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying hours earlier that Israel intended to take military control of the entire enclave temporarily until it can hand governance over to Arab authorities.
“We intend to control all of Gaza. We don’t want to keep it. We want a security perimeter. We ‘want to govern [Gaza]. We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand Gaza over to Arab forces that will govern [the territory] properly,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
“We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas,” the Israeli premier added. “In order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance … The only way that you’re [going to] have a different future is to get rid of this neo-Nazi army. Hamas are monsters.”
Israel’s new military plan lists five objectives: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group, demilitarizing Gaza, taking security control of the territory, and establishing “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”
“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Israel’s military said in a statement last week.
Many observers have argued that, while Israel appears intent on proceeding with its military plan, the announcement can also serve as a way to pressure the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, to agree to a satisfactory truce.
Israel and the United States both recalled their negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar in late July, with US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff saying that Hamas has not been acting in good faith and “clearly shows a lack of desire” to reach a deal despite weeks of mediated discussions with the terrorist group.
Since then, there has been a renewed push for a comprehensive deal to end the war, release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and avert an Israeli offensive. The US, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are all reportedly involved in efforts to revive and ultimately draft a comprehensive deal.
Barnea’s visit on Thursday coincides with ongoing talks in Cairo between Hamas leaders and Egyptian officials. A Hamas delegation had visited Istanbul over the weekend and met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for talks on Gaza.