What the New York Times Left Out of Its ‘Starving Gaza Children’ Story

Apr16
What the New York Times Left Out of Its ‘Starving Gaza Children’ Story

Ira Stoll

Palestinian fighters from the armed wing of Hamas take part in a military parade to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

A front-page story in Sunday’s New York Times accuses Israel of starving Gazan children to death.

The story, though, is missing crucial context.

The Times reports, “Obtaining enough to eat had already been a struggle for many in the blockaded Gaza Strip before the war. An estimated 1.2 million Gazans had required food assistance, according to the United Nations, and around 0.8 percent of children under the age of 5 in Gaza had been acutely malnourished, the World Health Organization said. Five months into the war, that appears to have spiked: About 15 percent of Gazan children under the age of 2 in northern Gaza are acutely malnourished, as well as roughly 5 percent in the south, the World Health Organization said in February.”

The Times reports these numbers for Gaza, but it doesn’t say what the figures are in other places.

If you look them up, you’ll find that the same World Health Organization reports figures of “severe wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age” of 1.1 percent in the Marshall Islands, 3.1 percent in Oman, 2.4 percent in Pakistan, 4.5 percent in Saudi Arabia, 1.7 percent in South Africa, 5.5 percent in Syria, 2.7 percent in Thailand, and 5.4 percent in Yemen. The numbers were 0.7 percent in China, 0.6 percent in Cuba, 1.4 percent in Ecuador, 4.8 percent in Egypt in 2014, 4.9 percent in India in 2017, and 2.9 percent in Lebanon.

Got that? For all the Times hype about the “struggle” caused by the “blockade,” Gazans before the Hamas-initiated war were eating better than in some non-blockaded countries. That’s because the so-called blockade wasn’t designed to starve Gazans. It was intended — unsuccessfully, alas — to prevent the Hamas terrorist group from amassing more weaponry with which to kill Israelis.

Even months into the war, the 5 percent acute malnutrition rate reported by the WHO, if accurate, for Gazans who followed Israeli instructions to move south puts them in roughly the same shape as residents of India, Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Why aren’t starving children in those non-Gaza countries on the front page of the Sunday New York Times? Because the Times can’t find a way to portray Jews as responsible for the deaths of those other children, and thus the news can’t be shoehorned into a classical antisemitic trope.

None of this is to deny that humanitarian conditions in Gaza are rough, or that some children are suffering. The fault for those conditions is with Hamas. The terrorist group could end the war immediately by surrendering and releasing the kidnapped hostages, but instead it cynically uses the civilian suffering as a way of advancing its diplomatic goal of surviving in power in Gaza after the war.

You might wonder who wrote the Times article. The first byline on the article is “Bilal Shbair,” a new byline to Times readers. As a former Israeli diplomat, Lenny Ben-David, noted in a social media post about what he called a “blood libel,” Shbair is frequently interviewed by National Public Radio as a Gaza “man on the street.” A 2021 NPR dispatch says, “Bilal Shbair, 34, teaches young children at an UNWRA school and lives with his wife and 20-month-old son in the central area of the Gaza Strip.”

UNRWA, whose full name is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, is the UN’s agency dedicated solely to the refugees and descendants of Palestinians who fled during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence

Given what we now know about UNWRA facilities being used to shelter Hamas tunnel entrances and missile launchers, as well as about the extensive involvement of UNWRA personnel in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Shbair’s UNWRA background might be worth disclosing to Times readers.

No matter whose byline is on the piece, though, the ultimate responsibility to prevent the New York Times from tilting to anti-Israel propaganda rests with the newspaper’s editors, publisher, and owners. Sadly, the newspaper’s management these days seems to care more about catering to an Israel-hating global online audience than it does about maintaining whatever is left of the newspaper’s reputation for unbiased reporting.

Ira Stoll was managing editor of The Forward and North American editor of The Jerusalem Post. His media critique, a regular Algemeiner feature, can be found here.

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White House calls Iran attack ‘spectacular, embarrassing failure’

Apr16
White House calls Iran attack ‘spectacular, embarrassing failure’

ANDREW BERNARD

A presidential adviser denied reports that Washington had forewarning of the attack and said the administration continues to oppose a standalone aid package for Israel.
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U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks to reporters at the White House, Oct. 3, 2023. Photo by Oliver Contreras/White House.

The White House continued to push back against media reports that Iran gave Washington advanced warning of its Saturday night attack, calling those reports “ludicrous” and the attack an “embarrassing failure.”

John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, borrowed one of U.S. President Joe Biden’s favorite phrases on Monday to describe claims that the Islamic Republic previewed the strike for Washington.

“It’s malarkey,” Kirby said. “This attack failed, because it was defeated by Israel, by the United States and by a coalition of other partners committed to Israel’s defense.”

Turkey informed Washington about warnings from Iran about the forthcoming attack, Reuters reported on Sunday. The Iranian foreign minister reportedly said that he provided neighboring countries and the United States with a 72-hour warning before the attack.

Kirby denied those reports.

“The United States had no messages from Iran or from anybody else that offered a specific timeframe or specific set of targets or the types of weapons that they were going to fire,” Kirby said on Monday.

“I’m not calling anybody a liar here. I’m telling you, from our perspective, what we knew and what we didn’t know,” he added. “The idea that Iran sent us an email or picked up the phone and told us what they were planning to do is just ludicrous. It didn’t happen.”

Kirby speculated that Iran may now be attempting to spin the attack as “some sort of small pinprick of an attack that they never meant to succeed.” 

“You can’t throw that much metal in the air, which they did, in the timeframe in which they did it, and convince anybody realistic that you weren’t trying to cause casualties and you weren’t trying to cause damage,” he said. “They absolutely were.”

Before Saturday’s attack, Biden issued a one-word warning to Iran: “Don’t.” Kirby said that despite Iran going ahead with the attack, the Islamic Republic should take heed of the results.

“Iran utterly failed,” he said. “If I’m sitting in Tehran, I’m betting that President Biden takes it pretty seriously when he says, ‘Don’t escalate.’ He’s going to act to make sure that you can’t and they didn’t.”

“They fired an unprecedented amount of munitions, but how much of a success did they have?” Kirby added. “None. Zero. Very little infrastructure. It was an embarrassing failure for the supreme leader and for the IRGC.” (The IRGC is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Washington has designated a foreign terror organization since 2019.)

Iran’s attack prompted renewed calls for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to put forward a supplemental foreign aid package that would include billions for Israel’s defense. Biden spoke with House and Senate leaders from both parties on Sunday, urging them to pass a final aid bill. 

The Senate passed a $95 billion package in February with $14.1 billion for Israel, but Johnson previously said he would not accept that version because it fails to address security at the U.S. southern border. The inclusion of $60.1 billion in aid for Ukraine is also controversial within the Republican caucus.

The House failed to pass a standalone Israel aid package in February, with a 250-180 vote. It needed a two-thirds majority to pass. 

Kirby said on Monday that the White House continues to reject that approach. “We are opposed to a standalone bill that would just work on Israel,” he said.

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Wojna w Strefie Gazy zmienia rynek narkotyków. Marokański haszysz nie dla Izraela

Apr15

Mężczyzna na polu marijuany w wiosce Azila w Maroku. (Fot. FADEL SENNA/AFP/East News)

Wojna w Strefie Gazy zmienia rynek narkotyków. Marokański haszysz nie dla Izraela

Tomasz Skowronek

Marokańscy handlarze i eksporterzy haszyszu odmawiają dostarczania narkotyków izraelskim dealerom. Stosunki handlowe zerwali w imię solidarności z Palestyńczykami.

– Handlarze haszyszu w Maroku nie chcą nam sprzedawać towaru ani bezpośrednio, ani przez pośredników – żali się izraelskiemu portalowi informacyjnemu Mako diler z Sharon. – Postanowili, że przez wojnę nas zbojkotują. Przez tę wojnę straciliśmy mnóstwo pieniędzy, miliony szekli!

Informację potwierdzają producenci. – Nie sprzedajemy już haszyszu Izraelczykom – przyznaje w rozmowie z Channel 12 News marokański sprzedawca, kryjący się pod inicjałem R. – Dlaczego Izraelczycy mieliby móc zarabiać na życie, sprzedając marokański haszysz, podczas gdy nasi palestyńscy bracia cierpią głód? Niech kupują gdzie indziej. Powtarzam, nie sprzedajemy już haszyszu Izraelczykom. Przed wojną robiliśmy z nimi interesy. Przyjeżdżali tu i przemytnicy i sprzedawcy, i nieźle zarabiali. To już koniec – podkreśla.

Haszysz był jednym z narkotyków stale przemycanych do Izraela. Organizacje przestępcze do tej pory regularnie zatrudniały izraelskich przemytników, w tym studentów jesziwy, którzy ukrywali narkotyki między innymi w specjalnych schowkach w swoich walizkach. Haszysz z Maroka trafiał do Izraela najczęściej z Syrii, Libanu, Jordanii, rzadziej z Egiptu.

Zakup finansowali izraelscy przestępcy, z których część działa w Maroku i w Hiszpanii. Narkotyk przemycali samochodami, którymi kurierzy podróżowali z Tangeru promem do Hiszpanii, lub samolotami z Casablanki do Madrytu, Lizbony i Berlina. Niedawno kilku studentów jesziwy, którzy otrzymywali po 3–5 tysięcy euro za każdy przemyt, zostało aresztowanych i skazanych na karę więzienia w owianym złą sławą zakładzie karnym Oukacha w Casablanc

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Marokański haszysz. Fot. UCG / Getty

Jak powstaje marokański haszysz? Tajemnica żywicznego koncentratu

Marokański haszysz jest poszukiwany na całym świecie jako produkt premium. Proces tworzenia autentycznego haszyszu jest tam bowiem prawdziwą sztuką. Jego powodzenie zależy w dużej mierze od doboru gatunku konopi indyjskich – w grę wchodzą tylko te o wysokiej zawartości żywicy i wysokiej procentowo zawartości THC, odpowiedzialnego za efekt narkotyczny. Podczas zbiorów rolnicy dzielą rośliny na mniej wartościowe liście oraz trichomy – żywiczne gruczoły, wyglądem przypominające nieco włoski. Trichomy są później starannie ściskane razem, dzięki czemu powoli stają się charakterystycznymi cegłami lub kulkami haszyszu. Inaczej mówiąc, jest to forma narkotycznego koncentratu, o charakterystycznym zapachu i smaku.

Od stuleci głównym ośrodkiem upraw konopi są góry Rif, rozciągające się od miasta Tanger aż do wschodniej granicy Maroka z Algierią. Według Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych Maroko do dziś jest największym producentem żywicy konopnej na świecie.

W regionie Rif mieszkańcy nie mają zbyt wielu opcji poza hodowlą konopi – możliwości gospodarcze są tam bardziej ograniczone niż w pozostałej części kraju ze względu na górzysty teren i historycznie trudne powiązania z państwem. W 2016 roku kwestie te doprowadziły nawet do powstania Ruchu Hirak Rif, który wzywał Rabat do przeprowadzenia reform społeczno-gospodarczych. Ostatecznie protest został stłumiony przez służby bezpieczeństwa.

Haszysz w Maroku. Produkcja ratuje gospodarkę

Według danych agencji informacyjnej Agence France-Presse co najmniej 700 tysięcy osób w Maroku, co oznacza ok. 90 tysięcy rodzin, utrzymuje się z produkcji konopi indyjskich.

Możliwe, że właśnie dlatego w lipcu 2021 roku rząd Maroka częściowo zatwierdził uprawę konopi, starając się poprawić gospodarkę jednego z najbiedniejszych regionów kraju – królestwo zdecydowało się oficjalnie przyjąć ustawę legalizującą produkcję konopi indyjskich do zastosowań przemysłowych, leczniczych i kosmetycznych w trzech prowincjach Rif. Jednocześnie utworzono Krajową Agencję Regulacyjną do spraw Działalności Konopnej (Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Activités relatives au Cannabis – ANRAC), monitorującą produkcję legalnej marihuany.

Jak dotąd rolnicy, którzy zdecydowali się na legalną uprawę konopi indyjskich, są nieliczni. Nielegalne uprawy i handel ciągle są bardziej opłacalne.

– Nielegalna produkcja nie jest aż tak niebezpieczna, jeśli masz godną zaufania sieć nabywców. Z naszej strony konopie sprzedajemy wyłącznie czterem znajomym rodziny, których znamy od lat, a oni zajmują się sprowadzeniem towaru do innych miast w kraju i do Europy – powiedział Anouar, producent haszyszu w rozmowie z francuskim „Le Monde”.

Od lat krążą też plotki, że władze przymykają oko na niesankcjonowanych plantatorów, by na uprawach mogły zarabiać osoby powiązane z królem Muhammadem VI. Procent od sprzedaży mają podobno dostawać także policjanci i żołnierze armii marokańskiej. We wrześniu 2021 roku algierska gazeta „L’Expression” oskarżyła nawet króla Muhammada VI bezpośrednio o zyski z upraw.

– Kolumbia miała swojego Escobara, Panama – Noriegę, w Maroku to król chroni producentów z Rif i przymyka oczy na produkcję ponad 700 ton konopi rocznie. Królestwo ugruntowało swoją pozycję jako centrum handlu ludźmi, ponieważ 72 proc. konopi konfiskowanych na świecie jest produkowane na jego [Muhammada VI – T.S.] ziemiach” – napisali dziennikarze.

Embargo na haszysz. Maroko dużo nie straci, Izrael – wręcz przeciwnie

Cena marokańskiego haszyszu kupowanego bezpośrednio od handlarzy w górach Rif wynosi około 5 tysięcy euro za kilogram, lecz gdy narkotyk dociera na przykład do Izraela lub Strefy Gazy, cena sięga nawet powyżej 50 tysięcy euro.

Haszysz nie jest jednak sprowadzany wyłącznie dla rozrywki i zarobku. Według izraelskich mediów terroryści z Nukhba – zbrojnego skrzydła Hamasu – oraz wojskowego skrzydła Islamskiego Dżihadu często używają haszyszu przed atakami. Część terrorystów odpowiedzialnych za masakrę 7 października, podczas której zginęło 1500 osób, miała być pod wpływem narkotyków.

Do Strefy Gazy haszysz trafił w latach 90. za sprawą izraelskich żołnierzy, którzy kontrolowali terytorium. Żołnierze i handlarze narkotyków przemycali go i sprzedawali miejscowym rybakom, rolnikom, robotnikom budowlanym, mechanikom, a nawet właścicielom firm i restauracji po wysokich cenach. Narkotyk był wówczas zmieszany i nieczysty, co powodowało, że handlarze narkotyków i współpracujący z nimi żołnierze osiągali bardzo duże zyski ze sprzedaży. Haszysz marokański mieszali z tańszym synajskim, przy czym większa część mieszanki pochodziła z Synaju.

Nieco ponad 20 lat po tym, jak siły zbrojne Izraela opuściły tę strefę, popyt na marokański haszysz bije rekordy nie tylko w Izraelu, ale i w Palestynie. Lata 2022 i 2023 charakteryzowały się przy tym dramatycznym wzrostem liczby – zarówno udanych, jak i nieudanych – prób przemytu narkotyków do Izraela. Oficjalne dane dostarczone przez Siły Obronne Izraela wskazują, że w sumie na granicach kraju miało miejsce około 800 „incydentów operacyjnych”, co daje prawie dwukrotny wzrost w porównaniu z 2021 rokiem.

Według Izraelczyka mieszkającego w Maroku i zaangażowanego w przemyt haszyszu do Hiszpanii i Francji, z którym wywiad przeprowadził dziennik „Haaretz”, Izrael nie stanowi jednak dużego odsetka marokańskiej działalności eksportowej tego narkotyku.

– Setki ton haszyszu sprzedaje się handlarzom narkotyków w Europie i Skandynawii – wyjaśnia. – W najlepszym wypadku do Izraela dociera zaledwie kilkaset kilogramów marokańskiego haszyszu.

Mimo to przed bojkotem narkotyk był nadal niezwykle lukratywnym towarem dla izraelskich handlarzy.

Cena kilograma marokańskiego haszyszu może w Izraelu osiągnąć 300 tysięcy NIS (około 81 720 dolarów). Popyt na ten haszysz w Izraelu jest szalony, ponieważ jest bardzo wysokiej jakości, czysty i mocny

– kontynuuje mężczyzna, jednocześnie przyznając, że bojkot może być sporym ciosem dla izraelskich grup przestępczych. Może się okazać, że poszukiwany w Izraelu narkotyk będzie trafiał do Europy bądź krajów Sahelu.

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Israel ‘came out far ahead,’ senior US officials say of Iran attack

Apr15
Israel ‘came out far ahead,’ senior US officials say of Iran attack

ANDREW BERNARD

The senior officials declined to say if or how Israel should respond to the aggression but said Washington would not participate in any strike against the Islamic Republic.

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A U.S. destroyer launches a standard missile 2 (SM-2) while operating in the Philippine Sea on April 5, 2024. Credit: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Hannah Fry/U.S. Navy photo.

Senior Biden administration officials said on Sunday that Israel “came out far ahead” in its “exchange” with Iran. The Jewish state did so after “spectacular success” in intercepting Iran’s drone and missile barrage on Saturday night, the officials said.

Speaking in a background press briefing, the senior administration, and defense and military officials, described U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s phone call on Saturday night in the aftermath of the attack.

“The president told the prime minister that Israel really came out far ahead in this exchange,” the senior administration official said. “Israel took out the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps leadership in the Levant. Iran tried to respond and Israel has clearly demonstrated its military superiority, defeating this attack, particularly in coordination with partners, first and foremost the United States, and others.”

An April 1 airstrike in Damascus killed Brig. Gen. Mohammad Zahedi, a top commander in the IRGC’s Quds Force who was responsible for Syria and Lebanon, in a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Syria. Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the strike, though U.S. and other officials have attributed it to Israel.

In response, Iran carried out its first-ever direct attack on Israel, launching hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles from Iranian territory towards targets within Israel on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that Israel and its partners intercepted the attack with a 99% success rate, destroying all of the drones and cruise missiles before they entered Israeli territory. They also intercepted almost every ballistic missile.

‘It was a pretty broad engagement zone’

During Sunday’s call, the U.S. officials described America’s role in defending Israel.

“President Biden is the first American president to directly defend Israel,” the senior administration official said. “He followed and directed every detail of this response, starting nearly two weeks ago as we began to receive word and indication that Iran was preparing for a large-scale attack.”

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush noted in 1991 that U.S. troops defended Israelis directly under his administration during the Gulf War. “Just months ago, American men and women in uniform risked their lives to defend Israelis in the face of Iraqi Scud missiles,” Bush said, which seems to contradict the Biden administration official’s claim.

The senior military official said on Sunday that U.S. guided missile destroyers intercepted between four and six Iranian ballistic missiles, and U.S. aircraft destroyed more than 70 Iranian one-way drones. A U.S. Patriot missile battery also shot down a ballistic missile over Erbil, Iraq.

The military official said that Israel intercepted the majority of Iran’s ballistic missiles using its Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile systems.

“The intercepts themselves took place not only over Israeli airspace but over neighboring countries as well,” the official said. “It was a pretty broad engagement zone.”

While the official could not say how many U.S. planes took part in the defensive operation, the planes took off from both U.S. “land bases and the sea,” the official said.

Asked whether the United States wants Israel to not respond to Saturday’s attack and “take the defensive success as the win,” the senior administration official declined to say how Israel should respond.

“I think it’s a calculation the Israelis have to make,” the official said. “This was an unprecedented attack from Iran against Israel. At the same time, we think in the overall exchange here, the Israelis came out clearly very much on top and demonstrated their ability to defend their country in coordination with us and others. It speaks for itself.”

“I think that the big question is not only whether but what Israel might choose to do, and so this is a decision for them,” the official added. “I’m not going to answer it that specifically.”

Whatever Israel opts to do, the Biden administration will not take part.

“We are committed to defending Israel. We would not be a part of any of any response they do,” the official said. “That’s very consistent policy.”

The senior officials also described the Biden administration’s direct communications with Iran via the Swiss diplomatic channel in the days before the attack. They denied that Iran gave Washington any useful forewarning about the strikes.

“They did not give a notification, nor did they give any sense of, you know, ‘These will be the targets, so evacuate them,’” the official said. “They were clearly intending to destroy and to cause casualties.”

“The fact that they didn’t, I think they might want to now say, ‘Well, we didn’t mean to.’ But launching 100 ballistic missiles, targeting certain locations, that was clearly their intent. They just didn’t succeed,” the official added. “So no, there was no such forewarning or anything like that.”

The senior administration official said that the extent of the success fending off the Iranian attack was only truly revealed on Sunday morning.

“I think the kind of spectacular success, I don’t use that word lightly, really became known only in the light of day,” the official said. “When you can really see that there was almost no damage at all—took down almost all of these things. It’s extraordinary.”

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When anti-Israel radicals win local elections

Apr15
When anti-Israel radicals win local elections

DILLON HOSIER

Anti-Israel andpro-Palestinian demonstrators march through central London in support of the Hamas terrorist group, Oct. 14, 2023. Credit: Andy Soloman/Shutterstock

In the shadow of Oct. 7 and the subsequent discord on campuses and in the streets, an alarming question has emerged: What happens when activists from anti-Israel groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) move on from student government to real government?

This is no longer a hypothetical scenario. It happened in the last local election in West Hollywood, Calif., which has historically been strongly pro-Israel.

The ascent of Chelsea Lee Byers—an SJP activist and chapter founder—to the office of vice mayor should be a wake-up call. It highlights the need for proactive political engagement as antisemitism spreads into local, state and federal government.

Byers’s ability to successfully conceal her extremist agenda behind her innocent-seeming nonprofit organization Beautiful Trouble is a warning sign of a significant threat to the Jewish and pro-Israel communities, as well as the integrity of local government. Her story is a cautionary tale.

You would never guess that Byers is the voice of a violently antisemitic and anti-Israel movement. At first glance, she appears no different from any first-time local elected official. This is not a coincidence.

Byers rose from radical activism to real political power in the course of a decade. In 2012, she tweeted, “I am the President of Northern Arizona University’s SJP—let’s make this day of action huge!” In 2022, she ran in her first election. Mere weeks after Oct. 7, she was sworn in as vice mayor.

Throughout her activism, Byers engaged in regular anti-Israel defamation. She called for boycotts, an end to foreign aid and war crimes trials of Israeli officials. In 2011, she protested an appearance by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In what was likely a deliberate lie, she falsely accused the hosting organization of sexual assault. In fact, she simply had to be physically removed from the event due to her deplorable behavior. In 2018, Byers led a protest at the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles at which the crowd chanted the genocidal slogans “Intifada, intifada, long live the intifada. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

What may be most dangerous about Byers, however, is the insidious nature of her tactics. In 2021, when it was clear she was going to run for public office, she tried to erase her digital footprint and hide her anti-Israel incitement.

This strategic rebranding was only the beginning. Byers uses her nonprofit organization Beautiful Trouble to conceal her commitment to virulent anti-Israel ideologies. Though it claims to advocate for social justice, Beautiful Trouble regularly crosses the line into outright anti-Israel hate and incitement. Its social media platforms and public rhetoric are rife with demonization, distortions and racist stereotypes against the Jewish state.

Multiple sources prove Byers’s involvement with Beautiful Trouble. Indeed, her official biography on the City of West Hollywood’s website identifies her as a “core team member” of the organization. Before the 2022 election, Beautiful Trouble’s website directed donations to Byers’s home address, showing her direct financial association with the organization.

A more complete bio at Women’s Voices Now states, “Chelsea is part of the Beautiful Trouble collective, where she facilitates resources development and content creation for an online toolbox that supports organizers and activists around the globe.”

Byers’s idea of activism is insidious and deceptive. Beautiful Trouble, for example, advises: “Don’t dress like a protester. … Dress like a Republican so you can talk like an anarchist.” This manipulation of public perception enables more overt expressions of Byers’s agenda.

As an example of the latter, Beautiful Trouble’s website features a quote that attempts to rationalize Hamas’s terrorism: ”Hamas explains itself. It is a demonstration in both senses of the word: a protest and an exposition of the reasons for that protest.” This clearly attempts to legitimize a U.S.-designated terrorist group and downplays its atrocities. It further advances the agenda of demonizing Israel and Jews with the rhetoric of social activism.

Byers was elected vice mayor by a slim margin of 54 votes. But she did not abandon her divisive anti-Israel agenda. She simply changed tactics. From her election victory to Oct. 6, she maintained a low profile with little overt activism. This changed dramatically following the horrific atrocities of Oct. 7.

In the wake of the atrocities, Byers has more or less openly supported the monstrous pro-Hamas “protest” movement that has taken to America’s campuses and streets. For example, she posted, “Keep showing up in the streets to #shutitdown4palestine.” A sitting vice-mayor clearly should not be inciting mob events. It is not just reckless but a blatant dereliction of her official duties.

Then there is Beautiful Trouble’s “Get Up, Rise Up Direct Action Fund.” This initiative is a cornerstone of the organization’s anti-Israel efforts. It funds “creative, provocative actions” ostensibly to advocate a ceasefire in Gaza, which is little more than an attempt to rescue Hamas from destruction.

Byers’s involvement in this effort raises serious questions. In particular, about the potential funneling of public resources—whether funds, permits or official endorsements—towards initiatives aligned with Beautiful Trouble. This would constitute a very disturbing conflict of interest.

In a recent post on Instagram, Beautiful Trouble shared an image that manipulated a well-known fast-food brand’s logo with the words “Genocide You Can Taste” and “Since 1948”— the year of Israel’s establishment. Beneath the altered logo is the defamatory phrase “IS-RA-HELL.”

Byers’s decision to platform such content in the context of rising antisemitism is profoundly disturbing given her office. It irresponsibly fuels antisemitism, compromising the safety and security of the Jewish and Israeli communities in West Hollywood she has sworn to serve.

The rise of Chelsea Lee Byers should serve as a stark warning to the Jewish and pro-Israel communities. It raises the question of whether, as a radical anti-Israel activist who continues to support a radical anti-Israel organization, she can truly represent all the citizens of West Hollywood.

Byers’s journey also exemplifies how radical campus environments are serving as incubators for the next generation of anti-Israel and antisemitic political leaders. These leaders will leverage their disreputable skills and tactics to win elections, starting with local city councils and school boards.

Extremism and antisemitism are threats to democracy itself. Complacency is not an option. We must mobilize at the local level to counter this insidious movement. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our governments at all levels are not hijacked by those who threaten not just Jews and Israelis, but all Americans.

DILLON HOSIER – Dillon Hosier is the CEO of the Israeli-American Civic Action Network.

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