My latest at The Hill on Project Esther, Christian nationalism and the weaponization of antisemitism.
““Shalom, Mahmoud,” the Trump White House declared last week on social media, celebrating the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student at Columbia University. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Khalil at his doorstep as he returned home with his wife, eight months pregnant with their first child…
When Trump declares “Shalom, Mahmoud” as he launches an attack on civil liberties, he may well fan the flames of the antisemitism he claims to combat. Recent polling shows support for Israel at historic lows across the American public, but powerful Christian Zionists — such as U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — stand readyto deepen American backing.
By putting a “kosher” label on their anti-democratic project, the Christian conservatives behind Project Esther can conveniently keep their own influence hidden from view. If this deflection ends up feeding the falsehood that a conspiracy of Jewish power lurks behind the scenes, then this rise in antisemitism is just further proof to their followers that the end times are near. Maybe that is precisely the point.”
Ben Lorber 
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