John Anderson: Conversations Why the West Condemns Israel but Ignores Iranians | Brendan O'Neill
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Mar 6, 2026 Brendan O'Neill, chief political writer and former editor of Spiked and author of After the Pogrom, discusses Western reactions to October 7 and campus unrest. He explores why intellectuals turned on Israel, how Israel became a civilizational scapegoat, hypocrisy over Iran, media gullibility, campus radicalization, and the limits of hate‑speech laws.
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Israel As The West's Modern Sin Bearer
- Anti-Israel loathing in influential Western institutions reflects a broader turn against Western civilization and its canon.
- O’Neill argues Israel has become a ‘sin bearer’ used to self-flagellate over colonialism, slavery, and empire.
Ancient Anti‑Semitic Libels Repackaged As Political Claims
- Modern delegitimization of Israel repackages medieval anti‑Semitic libels into political claims like genocide and apartheid.
- O’Neill tracks continuity from blood libel and conspiratorial claims to contemporary accusations against the Jewish state.
Selective Outrage Over Iran Exposes Political Bias
- Many Western progressives who ignored Iran's recent massacre now claim concern for Iranians, revealing selective moral outrage.
- O’Neill attributes this to an 'islamo‑left' sympathy for anti‑Western regimes that align politically.
