Drop Site News – Episode Summary

Podcast: Drop Site News
Episode: Banning Dissent and Criminalizing Palestine Activism
Date: February 17, 2026
Hosts: Jeremy Scahill, Ryan Grim, Sharif Abdel Kouddus
Featured Guests: Huda Amori (co-founder of Palestine Action), Carrie Prejean Bowler, Miko Peled

Episode Overview

This episode analyzes ongoing efforts to suppress and criminalize dissent against Israeli policy and in support of Palestinian activism, particularly in the UK and US. The hosts cover international political developments, the state of Gaza, a legal victory for Palestine Action in Britain, and the suppression of anti-Zionist views within official US circles. The conversation includes first-hand experiences from activists and explores the intersections of political, legal, religious, and media strategies used to restrict opposition to Israeli state actions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Tribute to Jesse Jackson and Geopolitical Updates (02:18–09:47)

• Jeremy Scahill begins with reflections on the passing of Jesse Jackson, urging listeners to revisit Jackson's landmark DNC speeches from 1984 and 1988.
• Scahill details ongoing US-Iran negotiations, which are characterized by US military buildup in the region and ambiguous diplomatic communication.
• He sets the context for later discussions about Palestine by describing US and Israeli strategies regarding Iran, including threats of military escalation and sanctions:

  “The United States and certainly Israel has tried to issue an ultimatum that unless Iran eliminates its nuclear program… the specter of massive bombing, potentially an attempt at regime change or eliminating of the country’s leadership would be on the other end of that spectrum.” (03:42)

• Announces the focus: discussion with Palestine Action’s Huda Amori about criminalization of pro-Palestine advocacy in Britain.

2. Gaza Update: Ceasefire Reality and Aid Blockade (09:47–14:17)

• Sharif Abdel Kouddus reports another deadly weekend in Gaza, with ongoing Israeli military attacks and limited media coverage.
• Since the so-called ceasefire, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed.
• Details the harsh reality of the brief reopening of the Rafah border crossing, including inadequate medical evacuations and mistreatment by Israeli-backed militias:

  “...returnees have described being humiliated, harassed by Abu Shabab militants… at Israeli checkpoints, they’re made to wait hours, interrogated, often handcuffed and blindfolded. They’re humiliated. Some have spoken of being pressured by Israeli soldiers to become Israeli informants.” (12:09)

• Trump is set to host the first Board of Peace meeting for Gaza; billions pledged, but Hamas excluded from negotiations and pressured to disarm.

3. Debunking Disarmament Narratives and Understanding the "Board of Peace" (14:17–24:56)

• Jeremy Scahill deconstructs a “pervasive lie” that Hamas agreed to a full disarmament or embraced Trump’s 20-point plan.
• The actual deal signed by Hamas in October 2025 was limited: focused on prisoner exchanges and essentials, not broader political or security commitments:

  “The Palestinian resistance did not sign on to Trump’s 20 point plan...They did not make any commitments, I repeat, they did not sign any document that said we’re going to demilitarize, we’re going to disarm.” (15:30)

• Explains how Israeli and US leaders propagate the idea that disarmament is non-negotiable — threatening “total war” if not accepted.
• Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim reiterates that Hamas will only consider disarmament in the context of a sovereign Palestinian state with its own armed force.
• Scahill notes parallel media and government misinformation, and the ongoing pressure for humiliating Palestinian capitulation:

  "Netanyahu is issuing these maximalist demands...Palestinians can't even have individual rifles, and if they do, it's tantamount to menacing Israel with the specter of a second holocaust." (19:49)

4. UK "Prescription" of Palestine Action and Legal Victory (24:56–38:37)

• Sharif brings in Huda Amori, co-founder of Palestine Action, to discuss their recent legal victory against the terror designation ("prescription") in the UK.
• Significance:

  “This ruling is very significant. It's a huge victory for us...it was unlawful to prescribe Palestine Action, and it was unlawful since the very beginning.” (25:56)

• Explains the roots of the ban: lobbying by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems and pro-Israel groups after Palestine Action’s sustained direct action shut down several Elbit facilities in the UK.
• Thousands were arrested for merely expressing support for Palestine Action; these actions now recognized as unlawful under the High Court’s decision.
• The British government is appealing the decision, but prospects for fully lifting the ban are strong.

Notable Moment:

• “We are talking about activists that are targeting the machinery of genocidal warfare...people in the UK...feel they have a moral obligation to confront a direct link between what's happening in their communities on a manufacturing level and the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza.” – Jeremy Scahill (27:56)

5. Criminalization of Protest: Arrests, Prison & Hunger Strikes (29:37–38:37)

• Huda Amori details the escalation of repression:
  • Activists targeting Israeli weapons manufacturing faced arrests by counter-terror police, lengthy detentions without charge (the Filton 24 case), and severe treatment (restrictions, psychological tactics, held on remand).
  • Some activists launched hunger strikes, demanding an end to the prescription and proper legal process. Some endured lasting health consequences.
  • Juries often refuse to convict these activists, recognizing their intent to prevent greater crimes against Palestinians.
• A recent jury trial for six members of the Filton 24 resulted in unanimous acquittal.
• If the ban is quashed, the government may face thousands of claims for unlawful arrest and imprisonment.

6. Solidarity Shifts & Direct Action Strategy (38:37–46:24)

• Amori discusses her evolution from working on BDS campaigns to founding Palestine Action, citing the inadequacy of institutional or lobbying strategies:

  “You get to a point when you realize you’re constantly trying to appeal to the oppressors...So the logical next step was to take direct action...” (39:31)

• Describes the empowering effect of direct action, the goal of impeding Israel’s war machine directly, and legal strategies based on necessity to prevent greater crimes.
• Discusses efforts to educate the British public about their government’s role in the colonization and arming of Israel, as well as "cultural actions" like targeting Balfour symbols to raise awareness.

7. Where Next? Globalizing Direct Action (46:24–47:20)

• Amori confirms that, despite repression, direct action continues and the model is spreading internationally:

  “Palestine Action has become a global movement, so targeting the Israeli weapons industry across Europe, across the world, wherever they are operating.” (46:34)

8. Crackdown on Palestine Activism in the United States (48:37–62:11)

• Ryan Grim brings on Carrie Prejean Bowler (former Miss California, conservative Catholic, former Trump Religious Liberty Commission member) and Miko Peled (Israeli-American anti-Zionist author).
• Carrie describes becoming a target of pro-Israel lobbies due to her anti-Zionist social media posts and criticism of Israeli policy as genocide.
• Details the backstory of internal pressure to silence her, culminating in removal from the Trump commission.

  “I was told that I wasn’t allowed to post about Zionism, that I wasn’t allowed to be anti Zionist and that...they’ve been monitoring my post and they were saying that it was very anti Semitic simply because I was talking about the genocide in Gaza.” (55:17)

• Carrie asserts:

  “My allegiance, first and foremost, is to my faith in God and to my country...To ask me to deny my religious rights, my First Amendment rights, freedom of speech, as well as my freedom of expression was a violation.” (56:52)

• Describes being asked to "run everything" about Gaza by evangelical pro-Zionist leaders and being told to stop posting or risk removal.

9. Debating Zionism, Anti-Semitism, and Double Standards (52:30–92:20)

Commission Hearing Exchange (52:30–53:43):

• Carrie: “Catholics do not embrace Zionism, just so you know. So are all Catholics anti Semites, according to you?”
• Miko Peled: “Anti Zionism by denying the right of the Jews to have their own state… is a double standard. Hypocrisy and anti Semitism.”
• Carrie: “I don't support the political state of Israel. Am I an anti [Semite]? Yes or no?”
• Miko: “I don’t personally label people.”

Themes:

• The push within US conservative circles to conflate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism is debunked by both Bowler and Peled, emphasizing the difference between political ideology and hatred of Jews.

• Carrie discusses her experience being attacked not only by pro-Israel activists but also facing considerable personal threats.

• Miko Peled explains how the commission exists to equate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism and the significance of Carrie’s challenge to this narrative:

  “They want to make sure that anybody who opposes Zionism is an anti Semite. That's how they defend themselves, by attacking people who reject them and reject the genocide...as labeling us as anti Semites even if we are Jewish.” (62:32)

• Both guests comment on the emergence of anti-Zionist critiques from unexpected corners (such as conservatives and Catholics), and the opportunities this creates for new coalitions across traditional ideological divides.

• Miko:

  “Zionism belongs in the same column...as anti Semitism and other forms of racism. That’s what Zionism is. It’s a violent form of white supremacy and racism.” (63:14)

• Carrie discusses her evolving identity, autonomy as a thinker, and the necessity of upholding religious liberty and debate within US institutions.

10. The "Double Standard" Argument and America's Unique Relationship to Israel (79:43–92:20)

• Carrie and Ryan Grim discuss frequent accusations of “double standards” in criticisms of Israel versus other regimes.
• Carrie insists that opposition to Zionism or Israeli policies is rooted in faith and principle, not bigotry.
• Miko highlights the deep entrenchment of support for Israel in American life—politically, culturally, and financially—making the "double standard" charge moot:

  “There is no other country that gets so much money and so many weapons and is so involved in every aspect of American life... If you speak up like Carrie did, then you’re...anti Semitic, you’re out.” (91:28)

• Carrie:

  “Christianity has been subverted...I want to take back our religion and take back what the church has taught for 2,000 years. We want peace, we want unity.” (92:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On criminalization of activism:
  “All of those arrests for people holding placards, you know, sitting silently, were all unlawful as well.” – Huda Amori (25:56)

• On hunger strikes and imprisonment:
  “Some of them were on hunger strike for over two months...they do have...health complications because of those hunger strikes. The government wouldn't meet with them and now we know that was being done for unlawful ban.” – Huda Amori (32:30)

• On the impact of direct action:
  “Even for myself as a Palestinian...the best moment in my life was being on top of an Israeli weapons factory with a sledgehammer...” – Huda Amori (41:03)

• On silencing dissent in the US:
  “To ask me to deny my religious rights, my First Amendment rights, freedom of speech, as well as my freedom of expression was a violation.” – Carrie Prejean Bowler (56:52)

• On coalition-building and challenging entrenched narratives:
  “You know, this is the Zionists’ worst nightmare. A Jew, a Muslim and a Christian together.” – Miko Peled (86:45)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:18 | Tribute to Jesse Jackson & US-Iran negotiations | | 09:47 | Gaza update: deaths, aid, border policies | | 14:17 | Debunking disarmament allegations & Palestinian resistance position | | 24:56 | Sharif interviews Huda Amori: UK ban on Palestine Action | | 29:37 | Criminalization of direct action, hunger strikes, court cases | | 38:37 | Roots and evolution of Palestine Action, direct action strategy | | 46:24 | Future of Palestine Action beyond the ban | | 48:37 | US: Ryan Grim introduction to crackdown, Carrie Prejean Bowler, Miko Peled | | 52:30 | Excerpt from commission hearing: Zionism, anti-Semitism discussion | | 54:05 | Carrie recounts government pressure to silence her on Gaza/Israel | | 62:32 | Miko Peled on conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism | | 66:58 | Carrie on personal and political repercussions | | 79:43 | Responding to “double standard” criticism | | 86:45 | Coalition-building against Zionist gatekeeping | | 92:20 | Final reflections: Faith, unity, and reclaiming narratives |

Tone & Language Notes

• The episode maintains a tone of urgent advocacy, skepticism toward official narratives (media, government), and solidarity with dissenters.
• Guests and hosts speak directly, with passion and occasional humor (e.g., risk of being "Bolshevik" about ideology).
• Personal accounts are woven in to illustrate broader legal and political themes.
• The language is accessible yet detailed, encouraging critical engagement and direct action.

Conclusion

This episode of Drop Site News delves deep into the criminalization of dissent in the UK and US, using current events, legal battles, and activist testimonies to illustrate the multifaceted campaign against Palestine activism. It highlights the shifting coalition of voices—from left to right—challenging the conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, calling for a broader, deeper movement for justice and free expression.