A Muslim, a Jew, and a Catholic Walk Into a Bar
Mamdani & Lander vs. Gillibrand & the Caller, killing fields in Gaza, plus Jewish terror overtaking the West Bank
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This week offered two stark models of solidarity. One is embodied by Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander—a Muslim and a Jew—whose friendship and political alliance are grounded in justice, shared humanity, and the belief in a future that works for all of us. Their solidarity is principled and expansive, inviting others into the tent.
The other comes from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and an overwrought caller into The Brian Lehrer Show—a Catholic and a Jew—united by fear, lies, and a shared Other. When the caller portrayed Mamdani as a terror supporter, Holocaust revisionist, and threat to Jews who was plotting to shut down synagogues, Gillibrand responded not by pointing to Mamdani’s long record of condemning antisemitism and affirming Jewish safety, but by stoking the caller’s fears. She breathlessly validated his wild claims, accused Mamdani of supporting “global jihad” and glorifying the slaughter of Jews, and steamrolled Lehrer—who is Jewish, by the way—when he tried to correct the record. She then rattled off her own record of standing with Jews and assured listeners that she, unlike Mamdani, would protect them. (The bill in question, incidentally, wouldn’t “shut down synagogues,” but prohibit nonprofit institutions from raising money for illegal West Bank settlements.)
Fortunately, this type of smear campaign doesn’t land like it used to. First, because cries of antisemitism have lost their moral force. Israel’s most fervent defenders have cheapened the grave accusation, bludgeoning it into meaninglessness by wielding it not to confront real hatred—on the rise, without a doubt—but to justify the butchery in Gaza and silence those who dare to speak against it.
And second, because Zohran Mamdani is plainly not an antisemite. There’s no record of him ever making an antisemitic remark; he’s spoken movingly about conversations with Jewish New Yorkers who fear for their safety, has promised to fight the rise in antisemitism as fiercely as any other form of hate, and is surrounded by Jewish staffers, organizers, and friends. The race’s fixation on Israel and Jews didn’t come from Mamdani—it was imposed by a political and media class that forced the issue at every turn. His position on Israel was just one small part of a broader campaign about dignity for all. Those who’ve watched him in action can sense his warmth and openness; as John Ganz put it, he comes off like a mensch: “a nice college boy, his parents are a professor and a filmmaker, he went to Bronx Science, and then to a liberal arts school … The guy is practically Jewish!” In short, the gap between these accusations and observable reality has become too wide to ignore.
The Mamdani-Lander relationship is not a fluke. Anyone who has spent time in pro-Palestine spaces—at protests, organizing meetings, parties, etc.—knows this is the norm. Jews and Muslims side by side, joking and grieving together, building not just movements but genuine friendships (and joyful potlucks, Iftars, and Shabbat dinners). The idea that these spaces are hotbeds of antisemitism isn’t just wrong, it’s completely backwards; you’d be hard-pressed to find more sincere and durable Jewish-Muslim solidarity anywhere else in American public life.
The establishment’s panic over Mamdani reflects its recognition of a broader political realignment. Ryu Spaeth wrote in NY Mag that while many Democrats are pretending Mamdani won the mayoral primary in spite of his stance on Israel, it’s clear he won because of it, with voters across boroughs and backgrounds rejecting the party’s slavish support for Israel. “When given an actual choice on the issue of Israel and Palestine, Democratic voters broke hard for the alternative to the status quo, raising the possibility of primary debates over this issue throughout the country, in places with far fewer emotional and political ties to Israel.”
Now, with Mamdani marching toward City Hall, the machine mobilizing against him, and Israel charging headlong into pariah status, each of us faces a clear choice on which way to go. The forward-looking path is grounded in reality: reckon with the US-Israel atrocities and join the growing ranks of Jews, Muslims, and others building principled alliances rooted in justice, freedom, and humanity. The reactionary one is rooted in delusion: deny what’s unfolding before your eyes, weaponize fear to stoke division, and forfeit the chance to enjoy having a true mensch as mayor.
Gaza
Killing Fields
One day after the US State Department approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, calling it the “latest iteration of President Trump’s and Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of peace in the region,” Haaretz released an explosive report about the aid sites, ‘It’s a Killing Field’: IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid, confirming that Israeli soldiers have been ordered to systematically open fire on civilians at GHF sites. (Reuters)
“It's a killing field. Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars. Then, once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire … We open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away, and sometimes we just charge at them from close range. But there's no danger to the forces … I'm not aware of a single instance of return fire. There's no enemy, no weapons."
The article goes on:
“The army is satisfied that the GHF's operations have prevented a total collapse of international legitimacy for continuing the war. They believe the IDF has managed to turn Gaza into a ‘backyard,’ especially since the war with Iran began … ‘Gaza doesn't interest anyone anymore … It's become a place with its own set of rules. The loss of human life means nothing. It's not even an 'unfortunate incident,' like they used to say.’”
Since late May, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed near GHF aid sites, including 56 this past Tuesday, and over 4,000 injured.
Responding to the report, Netanyahu accused Haaretz of “blood libel,” insisting no orders were given to shoot civilians, even as the IDF acknowledged an internal investigation is underway. (For context: of the military’s 573 “Fact Finding Assessments” with known outcomes over the past decade, just one—about 0.17%—led to a criminal indictment.) (Times of Israel, Yesh Din)
GHF president and Trump ally Johnnie Moore dismissed the revelations as “disinformation,” claiming “we have no evidence” that civilians have been killed near the group’s aid sites. (BBC)
On Saturday, the Israeli military said “lessons learned” from investigations into incidents have been passed down to troops. Previously, military officials had said, “IDF forces are conducting systematic learning processes to improve their operational response in the area.” (Haaretz)
Another Way
Last week, a video showed armed men escorting food trucks in northern Gaza, prompting Netanyahu to claim Hamas was “once again stealing” humanitarian aid and to freeze all aid to the north. But the convoy was organized by tribal leaders and overseen by the U.S.-based nonprofit Anera, which confirmed the trucks passed through the Zikim crossing, arrived at UN warehouses intact, and were cheered by residents. Dozens of tribal and community leaders had launched an organized campaign to secure convoys and prevent looting—clearing roads, using armed guards, enforcing curfews, and forming human barricades. “We are the protective shield,” one leader said. Another added, “There is absolutely no need for Israel to be involved in any kind of aid distribution.” (Drop Site, Haaretz)
The next day, Israel punished Palestinians for bypassing its killing field aid sites by launching an airstrike on a flour distribution site in Deir al-Balah, killing 18 people, including a child and at least seven members of Sahm, a local security force that confiscates and redistributes stolen aid. (Guardian, MEM)
Days later, the Israeli-backed Abu Shabab militia claimed responsibility for a gunfire assault on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, saying they were targeting Sahm, before scrubbing the statement and denying involvement. (Quds)
Miscellaneous Killings
Israeli airstrikes on homes, school shelters, refugee camps, and markets have killed hundreds of Palestinians in the past week, burning many of them alive.
Haaretz reported the stories of 28 Palestinian babies and children killed in Gaza, out of over 17,000. Here are a few of them:
And two more to add to the list, killed after Haaretz’s report:
Death Toll
The Gaza Health Ministry officially lists the death toll at 58,400, but new studies suggest the actual number has surpassed 100,000, with 56% of victims being women or minors—more than double the proportion in almost every other recent conflict. (Haaretz)
Other studies have reported the toll could be as high as 400,000, a number that Smotrich seems to agree with:
Four babies in Gaza starved to death in 48 hours. At least 66 babies and children have now died of hunger in Gaza as Israel blocks food and baby formula from the Strip. (Quds)
At least 400 of Gaza’s 1,000 to 1,500 dialysis patients have died since the war began, and others have gone more than 100 days without treatment. (NYRB)
The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that 50 staff and volunteers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. (ME Eye)
Gaza’s Government Media Office says at least four civilians discovered Oxycodone pills inside flour bags distributed by the GHF. (Al Jazeera)
Some Joy
+972 reports on young volunteers in Gaza who are reviving joy for children through skateboarding, circus acts, and art therapy.
Final Solution
Reports say Trump is pressuring Netanyahu to end the war as part of a regional deal that would expand the Abraham Accords. On Friday, Trump predicted a Gaza ceasefire “within the next week.” (Times of Israel)
Israel, for its own part, is weighing a new, large-scale ground invasion that would trigger the biggest civilian displacement since the war began. (J Post)
Israeli Casualties
Seven Israeli soldiers were killed when a Hamas-planted explosive ignited their armored vehicle in Khan Younis, marking one of the deadliest incidents for Israel’s military in months, raising the Gaza ground offensive death toll to 440, and sparking public outrage over what families and officials are calling military negligence and a failing war strategy. (Times of Israel)
West Bank
State Killings
In the West Bank village of Kafr Malik, Israeli forces shot and killed 13-year-old Moataz Aamar Hamayel on Monday.
Two days later, roughly 100 settlers stormed the same village, setting homes and cars on fire and trapping families inside; residents rushed to defend their neighbors, but the army arrived, positioned itself behind the settlers, and opened fire, killing three Palestinians, including a man shot in the head while evacuating children from a burning home. The IDF later claimed, without evidence, that they had come under gunfire. Five settlers were briefly detained and released without charge. (Haaretz)
Days after that, around 40 settlers from a nearby outpost attacked IDF reservists—likely in response to the brief detentions—beating and choking them, slashing tires, and prompting six arrests; in retaliation, settlers torched the Beit El police station and spray-painted “revenge” on its walls. (Haaretz)
Settlers attacked a nearby village after the funeral for the three Palestinians killed by the IDF:
Elsewhere, Israeli forces fatally shot 66-year-old Zahia al-Obaidi in the head as she sat inside her home in Shuafat camp, wounded at least three others in Tulkarm, and demolished homes and shops across Al-Zawiya, Ras Khamis, and Nur Shams—part of a campaign that also saw 20 Palestinians arrested and over 200 buildings raided in Tammun, Yabad, Hebron-area towns, and beyond. (The New Arab, Quds, Quds, J Post)
Between June 13 and 23, Israeli forces took over at least 32 Palestinian homes, evicting or detaining residents and turning the buildings into military outposts and interrogation centers, according to the UN. (UN OCHA)
A settler outpost went up outside Ras Ain al-Ouja, a Bedouin village in the Jordan Valley, where government-backed settlers are now raiding the town daily, blocking water access, and penning in livestock. Residents fear expulsion is imminent. (Mondoweiss)
On Saturday, settlers torched olive groves near Ramallah and drove six Palestinian families from their homes in Khirbet Samra. (MEM)
Annexation
Israel is building a tunnel system that will reroute 1.5 million Palestinians underground while reserving swaths of the West Bank—east of Jerusalem and stretching toward the Jordan Valley—for exclusive Israeli use; the $90 billion “Fabric of Life” project, funded by stolen Palestinian tax revenue, aims to sever Palestinian territorial continuity and thin out the population around Jerusalem through infrastructural strangulation. (Mondoweiss)
The World Health Organization is warning of a rapidly worsening health crisis in the West Bank, citing deadly barriers to care, critical shortages, and systematic attacks on healthcare infrastructure. (ME Monitor)
War on “Terror”
On Sunday, the Shin Bet said it arrested over 60 Hamas operatives accused of training, arming, and planning imminent attacks. (Times of Israel)
Iran
US Strikes
Trump bragged that the US’s strikes left Iran’s nuclear sites “totally obliterated,” but a preliminary classified US intelligence report found the bombings only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months, as underground facilities remained intact, entrances were merely sealed, and Iran had moved much of its enriched uranium in advance. Trump dismissed the findings as “very inconclusive,” insisted the facilities had “collapsed,” and likened the bombing to Hiroshima in how it ended the war. (NYT)
On Sunday, Trump flirted with some other potential war goals:
Iran Retaliation
On Monday, Iran launched a carefully telegraphed missile strike on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliation for the US’s bombing. The strike caused no casualties due to advance warning, and Trump publicly thanked Iran, declaring the US would not respond militarily and was ready to negotiate.
Ceasefire?
That evening, Trump abruptly announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, mediated via Qatar. But Israel and Iran continued launching missiles, including Iranian strikes that killed four Israelis in Beersheba and Israeli strikes on Tehran.
Trump fumed to reporters: “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.” He posted on Truth Social: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
He told reporters, “They [Iran] violated it, but Israel violated it too… As soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before… I’m not happy with Israel… I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel’s going out this morning.”
Shortly afterward, Trump claimed to have reined in Israel. Israeli media confirmed Netanyahu had scaled back further strikes after a tense call with Trump, hitting only a radar site near Tehran. Iran denied violating the ceasefire and accused Israel of continuing strikes for 90 minutes past the deadline.
Trump declared the war over, dubbing it “the 12-day war” and later telling NBC he believed the ceasefire would last “forever.”
Finally, We’re Safe
All three countries seem to be declaring victory: Israeli and US officials claim Iran’s nuclear program is in ruins and that the regime is too weakened to retaliate further. Netanyahu said Israel had achieved all of its war goals, and that Israel had “placed itself in line with the great powers of the world.” Iranian officials insist they preserved their dignity and foiled their enemies’ goals. Ayatollah Khamenei called the war a failure for America and Israel, downplayed the damage, and warned that Iran “could take action again” if provoked.
Trump changed his tune on regime change, saying, “I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible … Regime change takes chaos, and ideally we don’t want to see so much chaos.” (NYT, NYT, Axios, JPost)
Origin of Iran’s Nuclear Program
The Times reported on how the US kick-started Iran’s nuclear program in the 1960s through Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative, shipping Tehran a research reactor and training Iranian scientists. (NYT)
Israel
Humanitarian Aid
One year after the IDF bombed a World Central Kitchen aid convoy and killed seven of its workers, Chef José Andrés brought his organization into Israel to “feed battered Israelis” displaced by Iranian missile strikes. (Times of Israel)
Real Recognize Real
Trump weighed in on Netanyahu’s corruption trial:
Later, he implied that the US could cut off military aid to Israel if the corruption trial isn’t cancelled. (Haaretz)
God’s Plan
MK Arye Deri said in an interview, “We were dealt a harsh blow on October 7, but ultimately it was our awakening.” The attack “saved the people of Israel” and was part of “God’s big plan.” (J Post)
Popular Opinion
A Haaretz editorial warned that Netanyahu’s government is exploiting wartime chaos to escalate its assault on civil liberties: banning protests, strip-searching anti-war demonstrators, blocking exit from the country, and trying to muzzle foreign and domestic media. (Haaretz)
Arab reporters in Israel are being threatened, silenced, and physically attacked from all sides. (Haaretz)
Haaretz reported on the rise of the Fourth Quarter, a self-described civil mass movement aiming to “reduce polarization” and “unite Israeli society,” which drew 7,000 attendees to a national conference this month without a single mention of Gaza, the occupation, or Palestinian life. The event featured prayers, eulogies, and a booth belonging to Tsav 9, the group violently blocking aid trucks into Gaza. (Haaretz)
The Knesset held an impeachment hearing against Arab Israeli MK Ayman Odeh over a tweet celebrating the release of both Israeli and Palestinian captives, in which Odeh called to “free both peoples from the burden of occupation.” One MK said to him, “In another Country, you’d face a firing squad” (Haaretz)
US
Mamdani Wins!
Zohran Mamdani’s landslide victory in the NYC Democratic mayoral primary unleashed a torrent of Islamophobia.
The Right
Laura Loomer suggested that the Trump administration could “literally bar Zohran from running for office and criminally charge him” and posted on X that “there will be another 9/11 in NYC” under Mamdani’s leadership.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) posted an AI-generated image depicting the Statue of Liberty wearing a black burka and said she stands against “shariah law”—an interesting accusation to make against one of the most progressive politicians in New York.
NYC councilwoman Vickie Paladino described him as a “known jihadist terrorist” and “communist” in a radio interview, calling for his deportation despite his American citizenship.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) referred to him as “little muhammad” and called for him to be “subject to denaturalization proceedings,” Nancy Mace (R-SC) put up a poll asking if Mamdani should be “denaturalized and deported,” while Elise Stefanik (R-NY) sent fundraising emails branding Mamdani a “Hamas terrorist sympathizer.”
Bill Ackman, the hedge fund manager who spearheaded Trump’s assault on Harvard, cast Mamdani as an existential threat against capital, and promised that he and his billionaire friends would bankroll any handsome centrist willing to run a write-in campaign and “save the city.” (As Ackman knows, nothing cures antisemitism like a Jewish billionaire trying to buy an election).
Trump weighed in on Mamdani’s sex appeal:
The “Left”
Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) called Mamdani the “absolute wrong choice for New York” and falsely claimed he “has demonstrated a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments.” She went on to say his “calls for violence against Jewish people, it’s really inappropriate for someone like that to lead the city of New York.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said, “I don’t associate myself with what he has said about the Jewish people.” (Given that Zohran has said nothing but nice things about the Jewish people, one has to wonder what Swalwell thinks of us.)
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said his “serious concerns” about Mamdani “remain,” and Rep. George Latimer (D-NY) worried it would be “tough for front-liners” to be associated with him.
Schumer and Jeffries both conspicuously failed to endorse him, despite praising his campaign, while other New York Democrats, like Pat Ryan and Josh Riley, either dodged reporters or declined to comment. (NYT)
Major Democratic donors who had poured tens of millions into Andrew Cuomo’s super PAC are privately discussing whether to back an independent run by Cuomo or rally behind unpopular incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. On Thursday, Adams spewed a series of dangerous lies, calling Mamdani an antisemite and Hamas supporter.
To his credit, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who backed Scott Stringer in the primary, was quick to endorse Mamdani. (The City)
Mamdani, for his own part, has kept his cool.
Khalil Back Home
The day after Mahmoud Khalil’s release, he was back leading a rally outside Columbia University. (Guardian)
Justice For All
The father of a 14-year-old Palestinian American girl is suing her Michigan school district after a teacher told her to “go back to your country” when she refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in protest of Gaza. (WaPo)
Human rights groups, mutual aid organizers, and Palestinians in Gaza have accused GoFundMe of blocking life-saving aid by freezing withdrawals, shutting down fundraisers without justification, and applying disproportionately strict rules to Gaza-related campaigns while allowing Israeli military fundraisers to operate with little scrutiny. (Al Jazeera)
Fighting Hate
Despite raising a record $163 million last year, the ADL laid off 22 staffers this week, including workers in education and tech policy, as part of a pivot away from broader civil rights toward a singular focus on criticism of Israel. Severance packages came with NDAs. (Forward)
Leaked group chats reveal members of Betar US plotting to harass mosques and burn Qurans to provoke confrontations, dox pro-Palestine activists, coordinate with ICE and DHS, and use pepper spray and lasers against protesters, while bragging about ties to Israeli intelligence and NYC officials. (Drop Site)
World
Europe
Irish novelist Sally Rooney warns that the UK government may label Palestine Action a terrorist group—not for killing civilians, but for spray-painting planes—potentially turning verbal support for the group into a criminal offense punishable by 14 years in prison. (Guardian)
After sustained pressure from the Palestinian Youth Movement, shipping giant Maersk announced it will sever ties with companies linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
UK police are investigating the British duo Bob Vylan after they led Glastonbury crowds in chanting “Death to the IDF.” (Times of Israel)
See you next week. As always, welcome your thoughts—especially on what solidarity looks like in the Mamdani era.
I'm in awe of your mental stamina that you can still put this together.
i honestly can't read this. it hurts too much. the zionists have stolen judaism and use it as a weapon. im glad people arent buying it anymore but much more blood will be shed before its eradicated. it breaks my heart