Wherever he is on the Jewish state, Peter Beinart has always arrived there before the rest of the Jewish community. Now, in his shock over Israel's fierce war in Gaza, he may find himself alone
I’m sorry, Beinart isn’t “ahead of the Jewish community” on anything. He’s a token Jew at the head of anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda by the Free Palestine cult and Islamist terrorists. The only people in the Jewish community who listen to his Hamas supporting bullshit are spineless progressives and who are watching their pathetic Free Palestine cult member children wrap themselves in keffiyehs and advocate for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of 7.7 million Israeli Jews, the largest Jewish community in the world. There is zero difference between Nazi sympathizers and the Free Palestine cult. They want the same exact outcome, and are just as violent toward the diaspora Jewish community.
We have already had far-left token Jews during the Soviet era. Like the Free Palestine cult’s Beinart, the Yevsektsitya advocated for the destruction of Zionism, and persecuted Jews on behalf of their antisemitic masters. The ended up in Gulags and shot in the head in purges, and we have seen how far-leftists turn on their token Jew apologists. We have also had far-left cults before, like Jim Jones’ People’s Temple. I can only hope that token Jews like Beinart end up exactly like Jonestown.
I haven’t read Beinart’s books but I have read his op-eds. Their shallowness is appalling. His latest, “States Don’t Have a Right to Exist. People Do.” (NYT Jan 27 2025) is in a category of its own. People feel the need to support Israel’s right to exist because, of course, it is the only country whose elimination can be seriously discussed in polite company - oblivious to what it would mean for its population. His elision of this elephant in the room is extraordinarily disingenuous. I wrote a comment on that op-ed that the NYT did not post … since it is relevant to the present discussion, I attach it here:
Peter Beinart, from his secure perch as Jew in a rare nation that has, historically, discriminated against Jews, but never killed them on a massive scale, is proposing to see 7.5 million Jews relinquish their hard-won ability to protect themselves - this is the significance of "Jewish state" – and is willing to abandon them to the good will of the hundreds of millions of their neighbors, many of which, alas, have expressed time and again their murderous intent, in word and deed. To retain his perceived moral superiority as member of a historically oppressed people, Beinart is willing to expose his brethren to the danger of another actual – not imaginary - genocide. I can not think of a more deeply immoral stance.
Beinart may say that he is so over Zionism, but what to do? Zionism is his cash cow. He'll be cussing us when we reach final victory with no Palestinian state in sight. He'll be cussing us when the fanatical right-wing settlement movement increases five-fold in Judea and Samaria...and Gaza. He'll be cussing us when the Third Temple is built. He'll be cussing us when the God of Israel is blessing us. The train is moving and the dogs are barking.
No he is much worse than a kapo. Kapos betrayed other Jews to save their own lives or their families lived. Beinart has unceasingly denigrated the Jewish people and the Jewish state, acted as the ‘as a Jew’ for antisemites - for what? A giant unending fuck you to the rest of us?
Beinart is the prototypical leftist useful idiot, the kind that will be among the first lined up against the firing squad wall once the Global Caliphate takes over.
Very cogent critique. I do sympathize with Beinart, but he certainly sounds lost in a binary perception of the conflict. I actually found some of those massacre analogies quite relevant, but I agree that it's not very helpful at this moment. Israeli society, if not most of the Jewish people, is very much stuck in its limbic system. It's not ready for this message, nor is most of American Jewry. Israel may not be worthy of support, but a lot of US Jews and certainly almost all Evangelicals do deem it more than worthy, and they will carry the day, regardless of what Beinart puts before the people as its crimes.
Watch Beinart on mute and all you'll see is "Please don't hurt me."
Don't worry Peter, us Jews hate you but we won't hurt you.
You are correct to identify the mortal danger to you at the hands of the Islamists...which is what makes you such a pathetic, obvious stooge by begging for their mercy.
What does not surprise me is the hateful comments about Beinart. It is hard to look in the mirror and see you’ve become something you don’t recognize.
His critique of Israel may be overly harsh given the foolishly maximalist position of Palestine leadership but to anyone who has being paying attention, it cannot be doubted that Israel has become less tolerant, more authoritarian, more forgiving of settler impunity and far less caring about the death of large numbers civilians.
Muslim Brotherhood--may they all choke yo death at the break of their fasts-- throwing tge Kitchen Sink in the form of Bernard's book. Thanks for The Review!
I’m sorry, Beinart isn’t “ahead of the Jewish community” on anything. He’s a token Jew at the head of anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda by the Free Palestine cult and Islamist terrorists. The only people in the Jewish community who listen to his Hamas supporting bullshit are spineless progressives and who are watching their pathetic Free Palestine cult member children wrap themselves in keffiyehs and advocate for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of 7.7 million Israeli Jews, the largest Jewish community in the world. There is zero difference between Nazi sympathizers and the Free Palestine cult. They want the same exact outcome, and are just as violent toward the diaspora Jewish community.
We have already had far-left token Jews during the Soviet era. Like the Free Palestine cult’s Beinart, the Yevsektsitya advocated for the destruction of Zionism, and persecuted Jews on behalf of their antisemitic masters. The ended up in Gulags and shot in the head in purges, and we have seen how far-leftists turn on their token Jew apologists. We have also had far-left cults before, like Jim Jones’ People’s Temple. I can only hope that token Jews like Beinart end up exactly like Jonestown.
Fluck Beinart. He completely misses that the Palestinians want to destroy Israel. So 2 states will not work in this generation.
I haven’t read Beinart’s books but I have read his op-eds. Their shallowness is appalling. His latest, “States Don’t Have a Right to Exist. People Do.” (NYT Jan 27 2025) is in a category of its own. People feel the need to support Israel’s right to exist because, of course, it is the only country whose elimination can be seriously discussed in polite company - oblivious to what it would mean for its population. His elision of this elephant in the room is extraordinarily disingenuous. I wrote a comment on that op-ed that the NYT did not post … since it is relevant to the present discussion, I attach it here:
Peter Beinart, from his secure perch as Jew in a rare nation that has, historically, discriminated against Jews, but never killed them on a massive scale, is proposing to see 7.5 million Jews relinquish their hard-won ability to protect themselves - this is the significance of "Jewish state" – and is willing to abandon them to the good will of the hundreds of millions of their neighbors, many of which, alas, have expressed time and again their murderous intent, in word and deed. To retain his perceived moral superiority as member of a historically oppressed people, Beinart is willing to expose his brethren to the danger of another actual – not imaginary - genocide. I can not think of a more deeply immoral stance.
Beinart, like most terrorist apologists, completely ignores the role of Islam in this conflict.He still thinks it’s all about land. What a loser.
One pogrom involving him or his loved ones and he will go running, begging for refuge in Israel.
Beinart may say that he is so over Zionism, but what to do? Zionism is his cash cow. He'll be cussing us when we reach final victory with no Palestinian state in sight. He'll be cussing us when the fanatical right-wing settlement movement increases five-fold in Judea and Samaria...and Gaza. He'll be cussing us when the Third Temple is built. He'll be cussing us when the God of Israel is blessing us. The train is moving and the dogs are barking.
Why review a book by a moron?
Beinart is a fycking kapo. He's not arriving at anything but a suckup to his Iranian masters
https://open.substack.com/pub/marlowe1/p/action-illinois-by-mary-gaitskill?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=sllf3
No he is much worse than a kapo. Kapos betrayed other Jews to save their own lives or their families lived. Beinart has unceasingly denigrated the Jewish people and the Jewish state, acted as the ‘as a Jew’ for antisemites - for what? A giant unending fuck you to the rest of us?
Excellent essay/book review. I agree completely with your analysis, and I will not read this book. Too annoying.
Beinart is the prototypical leftist useful idiot, the kind that will be among the first lined up against the firing squad wall once the Global Caliphate takes over.
Who exactly cares?
Peter is a rasha and a moser, and I say that as a non-religious Jew.
Very cogent critique. I do sympathize with Beinart, but he certainly sounds lost in a binary perception of the conflict. I actually found some of those massacre analogies quite relevant, but I agree that it's not very helpful at this moment. Israeli society, if not most of the Jewish people, is very much stuck in its limbic system. It's not ready for this message, nor is most of American Jewry. Israel may not be worthy of support, but a lot of US Jews and certainly almost all Evangelicals do deem it more than worthy, and they will carry the day, regardless of what Beinart puts before the people as its crimes.
Your Islamic deflection is showing and it's pathetic
What a nasty comment, Steven. What made you so hateful?
You are blocked.
Watch Beinart on mute and all you'll see is "Please don't hurt me."
Don't worry Peter, us Jews hate you but we won't hurt you.
You are correct to identify the mortal danger to you at the hands of the Islamists...which is what makes you such a pathetic, obvious stooge by begging for their mercy.
What does not surprise me is the hateful comments about Beinart. It is hard to look in the mirror and see you’ve become something you don’t recognize.
His critique of Israel may be overly harsh given the foolishly maximalist position of Palestine leadership but to anyone who has being paying attention, it cannot be doubted that Israel has become less tolerant, more authoritarian, more forgiving of settler impunity and far less caring about the death of large numbers civilians.
Muslim Brotherhood--may they all choke yo death at the break of their fasts-- throwing tge Kitchen Sink in the form of Bernard's book. Thanks for The Review!