Useful Idiots
Politics • Comedy
Israeli historian Ilan Pappé on Genocide of Palestinians
Plus the truth about antisemitism on college campuses and the one hope for the end of the occupation
December 08, 2023
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This week, Useful Idiots guest Refaat Alareer was killed by Israel. We interviewed him on October 11 when Israel had just begun its assault on Gaza, and he shared important on-the-ground information all while sheltering 15 children in his Gaza apartment. Bombs could be heard falling in the background of the interview, but still Refaat bravely spoke out. We are heartbroken and angry by this devastating loss.

Which means it is more important than ever to continue to expose the crimes of Israel.

Ilan Pappé, an Israeli historian, joins Useful Idiots from Haifa, Israel to give historical context to both Hamas’ attack and the assault committed by Israel, which he deems a genocide under international law.

And he also gives his outlook on the future of the tragedy: “The near future doesn’t look good,” he tells us. “It looks bleak.”

“But there is some light at the end of the tunnel. That light is being radiated by the younger Palestinian generation. It’s a far more assertive generation, a far more united generation.”

“I draw a lot of inspiration and courage from them,” Pappé continues, “and also hope that together with the amazing solidarity movement, they have the potential to challenge this powerful coalition of multinational corporations, security companies, military industries, and governments that support global Israel. I’ve never seen such a solidarity movement in history as we see now across the globe.”

Subscribe for the full interview with Ilan Pappé on the alleged spread of antisemitism in the US and college campuses, the historical difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, his analysis of Hamas, and what needs to happen to end the occupation.

Plus, catch this week’s Thursday Throwdown: CNN Declares Palestinian Civilian Death Ratio 'Tremendous'

Watch the full interview here:

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Sanctions Are a Form of Warfare

“Sanctions are a form of war. They’re economic warfare. And they destroy people’s lives.”

Joshua Landis (https://twitter.com/joshua_landis), Sandra Mackey Chair in Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, is one of the foremost experts on Syria. This week, as Syria, along with neighbor Turkiye, grapples with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, Professor Landis joins the Useful Idiots to explain the deadly consequences that sanctions pile on to the damage.

“America likes to talk about all its precision bombing and hitting someone with a drone to avoid collateral damage,” Landis explains. “But sanctions? It’s all about collateral damage. Very little of it is targeted.”

But if you read corporate media outlets like the New York Times or Washington Post, you’d find a much different story. Both papers this week published headlines that were hastily changed when they realized they were being a little too truthful. See if you can tell the difference:

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00:01:17
"Shameful" New York Times Changes Headline to Protect Sanctions

“Sanctions are a form of war. They’re economic warfare. And they destroy people’s lives.”

Joshua Landis (https://twitter.com/joshua_landis), Sandra Mackey Chair in Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, is one of the foremost experts on Syria. This week, as Syria, along with neighbor Turkiye, grapples with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, Professor Landis joins the Useful Idiots to explain the deadly consequences that sanctions pile on to the damage.

“America likes to talk about all its precision bombing and hitting someone with a drone to avoid collateral damage,” Landis explains. “But sanctions? It’s all about collateral damage. Very little of it is targeted.”

But if you read corporate media outlets like the New York Times or Washington Post, you’d find a much different story. Both papers this week published headlines that were hastily changed when they realized they were being a little too truthful. See if you can tell the difference:

The ...

00:01:24
Free preview: Matt Taibbi Exposes Russiagate Bots

With Matt Taibbi’s Twitter Files and Jeff Gerth’s new in-depth reporting for CJR exposing the years of lies spread by Russiagaters, bitter attacks from outed journalists are rolling in.

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Jeff Gerth has been working as a reporter for decades and published, in the very mainstream Columbia Journalism Review, a 20,000-word report on his findings, only to be called a liar and misdirecting magician in the most self-important article by Mother Jones’ David Corn (“The true media failure is that Trump got away with it and that articles like this one that you are now reading are still necessary.”) And possibly worse ...

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Emphasized "Dancing with 88

I have altered space here—   to

a rupture in the silent fabric,

where every atom reclaims its song.

A change, seen on my 90° angle,

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the precise intersection where fate unspools.

In that crisp right-angle lie the secrets

of all absorbed twilight and reborn dawns,

a moment where geometry becomes prophecy,

transmuting static lines into dynamic rhythms,

inviting the cosmos to twirl in unexpected arcs.

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I find myself dancing with 88,

a numeral of resonance, a muse of mystery.

It whispers in binary beats,

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symphonies scribbled on the canvas of space-time.

This is no choreographed routine,

but a wild, liberated waltz

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where the old order crumbles

under the heat of relentless transformation

and every step unearths a layer of being.

At that 90° juncture,

the universe unfolds like a secret map,

revealing uncharted realms in every fracture,

while 88 becomes the score for a cosmic ballet,

...

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March 26, 2024

Good to be part of the community. I think that Aaron and Katie do a brilliant job in these hellish times when such great in - depth research and reporting are essential.

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Kamala and Pete Are Trapped in a Cult
2028 Presidential (un)hopefuls Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg strangle their own chances of victory as they cling to Biden’s disastrous Gaza policy

“God did the State of Israel a favor,” announced Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog in April 2025, “that Biden was the president during this period [2023 and 2024]. We fought [in Gaza] for over a year and the administration never came to us and said, ‘ceasefire now.’ It never did.”

The Biden Administration was there to help kick off Israel’s genocide in Gaza, supply them with endless weapons, silence protesters, and prevent international bodies like the UN and the ICC from holding the Israelis accountable.

And yet for some reason, members of the Biden Administration are continuously given second, third, and fourth chances to reverse their position, condemn Israel, and ditch Biden’s policy, which has been as disastrous politically as it has morally.

And for an even stranger reason, none of them will do it. Not even to win the White House. That’s how strong Israel’s cult holds onto them.

This week, after Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El Sayed (who is now leading in the polls) refused to bow to pressure and say that Iran poses more of a threat to the United States than Israel does, Pete Buttigieg (who is not leading in any polls) could barely wait for the question to finish before he bowed and said:

"Iran is our enemy. Israel is not — they're an ally."

Kamala Harris was only slightly less weak than Pete. “We should,” she announced, bravely, boldly, powerfully, “have acted sooner, and more forcefully." This is the same candidate who, when asked if Israel’s bombing of a refugee camp in Gaza counted as a “legitimate military target,” responded: “We are not telling Israel how it should conduct this war, and so I’m not going to speak to that.”

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And that’s not all we cover in this week’s Friday Free-for-All: Ukrainian President Zelensky tells Piers Morgan a military secret in front of millions of viewers, a Republican Congressman melts down after his constituents laugh at him when he tries to blame rising gas prices on the Democrats, and Russiagate is back! Aaron has a field day dunking on an MSNow stenographer.

Your subscription helps keep the show running. Thanks for your support, catch the full episode here:

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It Doesn’t Go Well When JD Vance Tries to Define Socialism
Plus, Laura Ingraham asks Scott Bessent how young, poor losers can feel better about capitalism

How do you define socialism personally?

A reporter asked this seemingly simple question to JD Vance, who has been busy racing around the country in a 32-day campaign blitz in an attempt to turn the Republicans’ failing poll numbers around. With prices rising, housing becoming unaffordable, and an oil shortage stemming from the administration’s disastrous war on Iran, Vance had an important choice to make:

Do I say what socialism actually is, with the risk that its principles of helping workers afford basic goods may sound enticing to voters? Or do I hit ‘em with an epic culture-war slam that has nothing to do with the question?

You can now guess which one he picked:

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“I think in reality what it actually means in the American context is you want to replace American workers with foreigners workers, and you want boys to play in girls’ sports!”

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In completely unrelated news, Pete Hegseth unveils a powerful new military role: the Office of Religious Affairs
MAGA Congressman Warns that Belligerent, Religious Army is Planning to Destroy the Middle East

There’s a belligerent, religious-fanatic army run by a madman that’s planning to destroy the Middle East!

This warning comes from the very serious Congressman from Georgia, Rich McCormick, who, after blaming high gas prices on Obama, ripped into the religious army spreading across the Middle East.

In other, unrelated news, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the unveiling of a new military sect: the Office of Religious Affairs. The chaplains at ORA will reportedly have a line directly to the secretary himself, who in turn has a direct line to God, making it one of the most powerful offices in the land.

After all, Hegseth says in his speech, “as Psalm 33:12 extolls us, blessed is the nation in which God is the Lord."

Watch out for the religious army in Iran though…

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It’s all this, and more insanity, on this week’s Friday Free-for-All. Thanks for supporting our work, catch the full episode here:

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