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Middle East Eye
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US Congressman Khanna leads push to recognise Palestinian state
US Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna's effort to gather support for recognising a Palestinian state is now being supported by 13 House Democrats, as of Monday. In a letter to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mark Rubio, which was obtained by both the Jewish Insider and Axios last week, the Democratic lawmakers have urged the government to follow in the footsteps of 147 countries that have already recognised a Palestinian state, saying the US should not 'be isolated from the rest of the free world'. Axios reported on Monday that the number of lawmakers who had signed the letter had grown to 13. The lawmakers who have signed the letter so far include representatives Greg Casar; Lloyd Doggett; Veronica Escobar; Maxwell Frost; Jared Huffman; Mark Pocan; Bonnie Watson Coleman; Chellie Pingree; Nydia Velazquez; Andre Carson; Jim McGovern; and Al Green. "The recognition would come by embracing the 22-state Arab League Plan just passed this week that calls for a Palestinian state and the recognition of Israel as a Jewish democratic state,' the letter went on to say. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'We encourage the governments of other countries that have yet to recognize Palestinian statehood, including the United States, to do so as well'. Last week, 11 lawmakers had signed the letter, according to a report by Jewish Insider. After Jewish Insider leaked the letter, Khanna shared a post on X on 31 July, saying: 'Someone leaked our effort to try to sabotage it. Sad. It won't work. 'Recognizing a Palestinian state is an idea whose time has come. The response of my colleagues has been overwhelming. We will build support and release prior to the UN convening.' Congressman Green has been calling for a ceasefire in Palestine since November 2023, and in December 2023 introduced a bill affirming the right of the State of Palestine to exist. He told Axios he planned to reintroduce the bill in Congress. International recognition More than 75 percent of United Nations members - 147 of 193 member states - recognise Palestine as a sovereign state as of March this year. Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognised a Palestinian state in May last year, while Slovenia did so in June 2025. France said it would recognise a Palestinian State at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, more than a week and a half ago. Last week, the UK said it would recognise a Palestinian state if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire by the time the UN convenes. Malta and Canada say they will also conditionally recognise a Palestinian state in September. The US has threatened to penalise Canada regarding a trade deal after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement. Portugal also joined a growing number of countries considering the recognition of the State of Palestine at the upcoming UN meeting. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's office said last week that the government would consult with the president and parliament before making a final decision.
The Hill
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Khanna: ‘Time has come' to recognize Palestinian state
At least 11 progressive House Democrats, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), have signed onto a letter calling for the U.S. to recognize a Palestinian state in the wake of moves by several American allies to do so before the United Nations convenes in September. 'Recognizing a Palestinian state is an idea whose time has come. The response of my colleagues has been overwhelming,' Khanna wrote on X. 'We will build support and release prior to the UN convening.' The letter was first reported by Jewish Insider. In the same post, Khanna charged that someone had leaked the letter to the paper in order to 'sabotage' the effort. Signatories, Jewish Insider reported, include Texas Democrats Reps. Greg Casar, Veronica Escobar, Lloyd Doggett and Al Green, alongside Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.). Prominent progressives Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) also signed on. Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, has also signed the letter, Khanna's office confirmed to The Hill. The letter follows announcements from France, Canada and the United Kingdom that they would move towards recognizing a Palestinian state. France plans to do so at the U.N. in September, while Canada said recognition was contingent on demilitarization and holding democratic elections without Hamas. The U.K. plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September if a ceasefire is not reached by then. The moves by the members of the Group of Seven are largely symbolic, but they signal growing diplomatic pressure on Israel over a worsening hunger and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A draft of the letter from Democratic lawmakers circulated July 31 states that recognition by the U.S. — an unlikely prospect regardless — would be contingent on a Palestinian state recognizing Israel and adopting 'a framework to guarantee Israel's security, including the disarmament of and relinquishing of power by Hamas.' 'We believe recognizing Palestinian statehood and obligating Palestinian leaders to abide by the international law binding on states and their governments will make that far more achievable and sustainable than decades of statelessness and repression have,' the draft letter reads. The Palestinian Authority is currently an observer state at the United Nations, meaning it cannot vote (the Vatican holds the same status). There have been efforts to make the Palestinian Authority a full member state, which requires the assent of the U.N. Security Council, where the U.S. holds veto power, alongside a two-thirds vote from the U.N. general assembly. The United States blocked a move for full Palestinian membership in April 2024.
Middle East Eye
29-07-2025
- Business
- Middle East Eye
TikTok hires ex-Israeli army instructor as new hate speech manager, sparking backlash
TikTok's new hire to oversee hate speech policies for the app has long-standing ties to the Israeli army, the company confirmed to Jewish Insider on Monday. The social media platform announced that Erica Mindel, a former US State Department contractor who worked for ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the Biden administration's special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, will join TikTok's public policy and hate speech team in the US. Mindel will 'develop and drive the company's positions on hate speech', aim to 'influence legislative and regulatory frameworks', and 'analyse hate speech trends' with a particular focus on antisemitic content, according to the official job description shared by TikTok. She listed her new role at TikTok on her page as "Public Policy Manager, Hate Speech, at TikTok." Before her career at the US State Department, Mindel was an instructor in the Armoured Corps in the Israeli army's spokesperson's unit, according to information she provided when she appeared on a podcast with the American Jewish Committee. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In the podcast, Mindel says she volunteered and enlisted in the Israeli army and served for two years. Many on social media criticised TikTok's decision, suggesting that the social media platform aims to silence pro-Palestinian speech. TikTok has hired Erica Mindel, a former IOF soldier, to run 'hate speech' enforcement. That means silencing Palestinians. Her job was built by the ADL, pays up to $330K, and she openly flaunted her Zionist identity in an AJC video. — Thomas Keith (@iwasnevrhere_) July 29, 2025 Meanwhile, it appears the position was created after a 'high-level convening' that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) helped coordinate last year, according to Dan Granot, the ADL's national director of antisemitism policy. In a statement to Jewish Insider, Granot said the role emerged as 'a key recommendation for all social media platforms' during that gathering. Last year, Wikipedia's editors voted to declare the ADL "generally unreliable" on Israel and Palestine as well as the issue of antisemitism, adding the organisation to a list of banned sources, according to a report by the Jewish Telegraph Agency. The ADL has a long history of attacking Palestinian rights movements with labels of antisemitism, and previously worked with US law enforcement to spy on Arab-American groups. It also facilitated and funded US police training trips to Israel. The ADL put out a celebratory tweet on X, suggesting that they welcome the decision. As antisemitism and hate surge to record levels, we welcome @tiktok_us's creation of a role focused specifically on hate speech and antisemitism. As ADL's @_DanGranot said, 'it's a promising sign of TikTok's willingness to take these challenges seriously.' — ADL (@ADL) July 28, 2025 Many on social media have suggested they believe TikTok has 'submitted to pressure' from the ADL, hinting at the possibility that TikTok is 'complying with these censorship demands to try and stave off a ban' in the US. 🚨 TikTok has hired ex-IDF instructor Erica Mindel to "develop and drive the company's positions on hate speech" with a focus on combatting "antisemitism." The position she's getting (base salary $178k-$330k) was created under pressure from the Anti-Defamation League. Here's… — Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews) July 28, 2025 In 2024, a bill looking to ban the app overwhelmingly passed in the US Congress. The bill, which passed in the House by a 352-65 vote, required TikTok to be sold to an American company or face a ban in the US. TikTok was briefly banned in the US after a law that forced its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban on 19 January. While US President Donald Trump temporarily reversed the TikTok ban the day after he took office, the application's future in the country, as well as the state of its pro-Palestine content, remains unclear. In February, congressional insiders revealed that the main reason behind the United States' push to ban TikTok is due to Israel's image on the platform rather than fears of Chinese infiltration. Last week, US Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Don Bacon (R-NE), together with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, announced the renewed introduction of the STOP HATE Act, a bill aimed at combating the spread of antisemitism on social media platforms like TikTok. Several US lawmakers and prominent figures have been attacking the platform due to the alleged prominence of pro-Palestinian content on it, including Republican Senator and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
New York Post
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
PA Gov. Josh Shapiro bashes NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani over failure to condemn ‘blatantly antisemitic' extremists
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has ripped New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani for failing to condemn the 'blatantly antisemitic' rhetoric being spewed by his Israel-bashing supporters. 'You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can't leave room for that to just sit there,' Shapiro, a fellow Dem, told the Jewish Insider on Wednesday about the socialist state lawmaker. 'You've got to condemn that.' Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday bashed Zohran Mamdani for failing to condemn the 'blatantly antisemitic' rhetoric being spewed by his Israel-bashing supporters. Getty Images The governor took aim at Mamdani after the lefty firebrand, whose shock mayoral primary win last month has largely divided the party, faced widespread backlash over his anti-Israel commentary. 'He seemed to run a campaign that excited New Yorkers,' Shapiro said. 'He also seemed to run a campaign where he left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things.' Critics have been tearing into Mamdani of late as they accused the progressive frontrunner of being antisemitic over his backing of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Mamdani has faced widespread backlash over his past anti-Israel commentary and initial refusal to condemn the 'Globalize the intifada' phrase. James Messerschmidt The Queens assemblyman has maintained that opposing the Zionist state is not antisemitic and insisted that he'd fight against Jew hatred as mayor. Mamdani has also faced widespread backlash for refusing to condemn the 'globalize the intifada' rallying cry seized on by anti-Israel groups. In the wake of his Democratic primary win, Mamdani has said he now discourages people from using the phrase after meeting with Jewish elected officials. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was among those to rip the mayoral hopeful's controversial comments on the intifada — arguing that he should emphatically 'denounce it' if he wants to rep the Big Apple. 'As a leader of a city as diverse as New York City with 8 million people, as the largest Jewish population in the country, he should denounce it. And that's it. Period,' Gillibrand, a pro-Israel Democrat, told WNYC last month. The criticism from Shapiro comes as Mamdani grapples to secure the overall backing of his party. New York's top three Dem leaders — Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — have so far refused to say whether they'd endorse the nominee.
The Hill
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Shapiro advises Mamdani to rein in ‘blatantly antisemitic' supporters
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) advised New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to rein in 'blatantly antisemitic' supporters, according to a new Jewish Insider interview. 'I'll say this about Mamdani or any other leader,' Shapiro said, according to Jewish Insider. 'If you want to lead New York, you want to lead Pennsylvania, you want to lead the United States of America, you're a leader.' 'I don't care if you're a Republican or Democratic leader or a democratic socialist leader,' he added. 'You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can't leave room for that to just sit there. You've got to condemn that.' Mamdani, a democratic socialist, recently shocked American political observers with his win over political heavyweight and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor. He has also faced criticism over remarks he made in which he avoided condemning the phrase 'globalize the intifada' and likened it to the Warsaw ghetto uprising amid the Holocaust. Pro-Palestinian activists have maintained that the phrase only refers to liberation for Palestinians to have the right to their own state and doesn't endorse calls for violence. However, pro-Israel activists and many Jewish people see the phrase as calling for a worldwide uprising to enact violence against Zionists, who back Israel's existence, and Jewish people more broadly. Mamdani has said he would not use the phrase and would dissuade others from using it amid scrutiny over his unwillingness to fully condemn the expression, multiple outlets reported recently.
