In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with researcher Ben Lorber about the “bad-faith disinfo[rmation] attacks” against Hasan Piker and others, which cast critiques of Israel as antisemitism. Peter and Ben look at the competition between the Left and the Right to explain Israel’s behavior and define anti-Israel politics, with the Left offering a structural critique of Israel, naming imperialism and ethnonationalism, versus the Right’s focus on what they identify as essentialist faults with Jewish character and identity. Ben and Peter also discuss how bad-faith accusations of antisemitism make it difficult to hold productive conversations about antisemitism, Israeli policy, and other political issues, how to think about “calling someone out” vs. “calling them in” over political disagreements; and how to think about political strategies for both short-term and long-term goals.
Ben Lorber is a writer, researcher and movement strategist. He works as Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates, a think tank that works to understand and counter authoritarian movements, where he focuses on antisemitism and white Christian nationalism. He is co-author of Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism (Melville House, 2024).
Peter Beinart is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is also a Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York, a Contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, an Editor-at-Large at Jewish Currents, and an MSNOW Political Commentator. His newest book (published 2025) is