Presidential Advisers, Arab Anti-Semites, Left-wing Zionists, and the Birth of the Jewish State

In Israel’s Moment: International Support for and Opposition to Establishing the Jewish State, 1945–1949, Jeffrey Herf explores the geopolitical circumstances that allowed for Israel’s birth, ranging from the USSR’s support for Jewish statehood to the role of Arab anti-Semitism in trying to block it. Herf discusses his book and much else—including the role of the White House counsel Clark Clifford in convincing President Truman to support statehood, how George Kennan came to abandon his earlier anti-Zionism, and why the American left supported Zionism—in conversation with Clifford May and Jonathan Schanzer.

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More about: 1948, Anti-Zionism, Harry Truman, Israeli history, Soviet Union, U.S.-Israel relationship

How Did Qatar Become Hamas’s Protector?

July 14 2025

How did Qatar, an American ally, become the nerve center of the leading Palestinian jihadist organization? Natalie Ecanow explains.

When Jordan expelled Hamas in 1999, Qatar offered sanctuary to the group, which had already become notorious for using suicide-bombing attacks over the previous decade. . . . Hamas chose to relocate to Syria. However, that arrangement lasted for only a decade. With the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the terror group found its way back to Qatar.

In 2003, Hamas leaders reportedly convened in Qatar after the IDF attempted to eliminate Hamas’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, following a Hamas suicide bombing in Jerusalem that killed seven people, including two American citizens. This episode led to one of the first efforts by Qatar to advocate for its terror proxy.

Thirteen years and five wars between Hamas and Israel later, Qatar’s support for Hamas has not waned. . . . To this day, Qatari officials maintain that the office came at the “request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas.” However, an Obama White House official asserted that there was never any request from Washington. . . . Inexplicably, the United States government continues to rely on Qatar to negotiate for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, even as the regime hosts the terror group’s political elite.

A reckoning is needed between our two countries. Congressional hearings, legislation, executive orders, and other measures to regulate relations between our countries are long overdue.

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More about: Gaza War 2023, Hamas, Qatar, U.S. Foreign policy