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Zionist lobby comes for James O’Brien in surprise to no one but James O’Brien

James O’Brien seems to have fallen foul of the Zionist lobby after reading out a listener’s letter on his LBC show. Listener, Chris, had written to the presenter who read out:

I do think it’s worth saying that these warped views are not just an Israeli problem. My wife was brought up Jewish, and at Shabbat school in a leafy Hertfordshire town, she was taught that one Jewish life is worth 1000s of Arab lives, and that Arabs are cockroaches to be crushed, whilst young children are being taught such hatred and dehumanisation, undoubtedly on both sides, then they will always be able to justify death and cruelty, and it does indeed start young.

O’Brien explained that he was reading the letter out because of his interest in “objectivity.”

Complaints have since flooded in from right-wing media outlets, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews have demanded O’Brien is taken off air. For their part, LBC have removed the online clip of the offending section, and the presenter has apologised:

As with all the texts and messages that I read out on the programme, I did so in good faith, but the message has understandably upset a lot of people, and I regret taking those unsubstantiated claims at face value and am genuinely sorry for that, and it is very important that I get that out there.

The deleted clip can still be seen here:

James O’Brien in for criticism

However, it could well be the case that James O’Brien’s apology is not enough. As mentioned, the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD) were forceful in their criticism:

The BoD are a notoriously Zionist organisation. In 2020, president Marie van der Zyl said:

he Board of Deputies of British Jews represents the views and interests of the UK Jewish community. In the main, this is a Zionist community and Israel is of central importance to the identity of many of us.

The group have since submitted evidence to the government putting forward their argument that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. And, just last month five elected representatives of the BoD were suspended after criticising Israel’s genocide in Palestine. The Spectator published a strong criticism of O’Brien reading out Chris’ letter, and even said that his apology wasn’t good enough. Jewish News called the choice to read out the letter “antisemitic blood libel.”

I never thought leopards would eat MY face

The furious response of right-wing Zionists is unsurprising. But, after James O’Brien’s attitude towards his former colleague, Sangita Myska, there’s not much sympathy circulating for him. As the Canary reported in 2024, speculation was rife that Myska was fired from LBC over her critiques of Israel’s genocide.

The following clip is thought to have been the offending interview which led to Myska’s departure:

Myska tells Avi Hyman, an Israeli government spokesperson, that:

What the Iranians, of course, have said is that this is a retaliatory strike after Israel struck its consulate in Syria. Now we all know that the way diplomacy works is consulates and embassies are considered sovereign territory of the government that is concerned. What Israel did by taking that action against Iran was taken was escalate to what is already an incredibly fragile situation.

Hyman calls her expression of verifiable fact:

an outrageous framing of the reality.

Myska’s remarks are provable: Israel did strike an Iranian consulate, which under international law should have diplomatic immunity from such attacks.

Regardless, she departed from LBC. However, O’Brien insisted that Myska was not fired because of her stance on Israel but implied that it was due to a low level of listeners:

Karma for James O’Brien?

Now that James O’Brien is facing the Zionist lobby calling for his head, he’s receiving much less sympathy:

Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu was even more direct:

Evidently, the apology isn’t going to cut it:

The comparisons to Corbyn also rolled in:

So much so:

And, editor of Tribune Magazine Karl Hansen summed up exactly what it means for the BoD to come for O’Brien:

Is he wrong?

As delicious as it is to see James O’Brien get a taste of his own medicine, it doesn’t change that he didn’t do anything wrong in reading that letter. As is often the case with Zionists, they may well dispute the content and facts behind the letter. But, the point here is that Zionists are indeed radicalised and indoctrinated with hatred of Arabs.

It takes barely any research at all to find footage of Israeli settlers chanting “death to Arabs.” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has referred to Palestinians as “human animals.” Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes and families with vicious brutality – and the IDF allows it to happen. Netanyahu is not a rogue actor; the state of Israel is fully behind the Zionist ideology that fuels the genocide in Palestine.

These atrocities do not happen in isolation, nor do they happen without a pathway. The letter O’Brien read out pointed to a dehumanisation of Arabs that is vital to the process of Zionist attitudes to Palestine. That dehumanisation is the foundation of Israel’s genocide. No wonder the objections to O’Brien are so vociferous.

Featured image via the Canary

By Maryam Jameela

This post was originally published on Canary.