Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: Peter Beinart

17 snips

Oct 5, 2026

Peter Beinart, a journalism and political science professor, New York Times opinion writer, and author of Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza, reflects on October 7 and the stories shaping Jewish identity. He discusses Palestinian displacement, Israel’s systems of control, comparisons with apartheid South Africa, America’s role, nationalism, and the personal cost of challenging communal assumptions.

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ANECDOTE

October 7 Turned Jewish Solidarity Into A Dilemma

On October 7, Jewish worshippers heard rumors of catastrophe during the joyous holiday of Simchas Torah.
Beinart felt torn between mourning Israeli victims and refusing demands to equate Jewish solidarity with support for Israel’s actions.

ANECDOTE

Meeting Palestinians Shattered Beinart’s Assumptions

Peter Beinart’s first visit to the West Bank exposed how little he understood Palestinian life under Israeli control.
Meeting Palestinians who were thoughtful, funny, and opposed to killing Jews revealed the dehumanization he had internalized.

INSIGHT

Why Palestinian Resistance Cannot Be Ignored

Beinart says the conventional Jewish safety narrative often treats Palestinians as secondary and explains their suffering as self-inflicted.
He argues Palestinian resistance emerged from facing dispossession, while still condemning violence against civilians.

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What happens when the story you grew up believing meets the people whose voices were missing from it?

Peter Beinart joins Preston to discuss how spending time with Palestinians challenged his understanding of Israel, Jewish identity, and the relationship between safety and freedom. They explore his experience of October 7, the history of Palestinian displacement, his comparison with apartheid South Africa, and why he believes the conflict is bigger than Hamas. Peter also reflects on the personal cost of challenging his community’s assumptions and why he argues that nationalism can become a form of idolatry.

Peter is Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times, Editor-at-Large of Jewish Currents, an MS NOW political commentator, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He writes the Beinart Notebook newsletter on Substack. His latest book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning, is a New York Times bestseller and winner of the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
08:00 Peter’s experience of October 7
10:35 Rethinking Israel after meeting Palestinians
13:52 The history Peter grew up believing
18:44 Understanding 1948: Independence and the Nakba
23:43 Grieving October 7 and opposing Israel’s response
26:40 Why this conflict is bigger than Hamas
32:01 Lessons from apartheid South Africa
35:05 Why Peter calls Israel’s system apartheid
40:59 America’s role and support for Israel
45:19 The personal cost of speaking out
48:19 Judaism, Zionism, and nationalism as idolatry
52:47 Is there hope for equality and freedom?
56:29 Extra Innings: American evangelicals and Israel

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