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Hello. Today's episode is brought to you by Our favorite sponsor, sunsetlakesebae.com Use the code. Left is best. You get 20% off. 20% off. Some of the best Saba Day products in the world. It's grown without pesticides. They use integrated pest management. They are. They've got great business practices and farming practices. They practice regenerative farming to maintain the quality of their soil. They pay $20 minimum wage during the harvest and mostly employee owned after that. They've got great products. They've got tinctures, tinctures that help you sleep. Tinctures that help you relax. Tinctures that help your pets relax. They've got gummies, gummies that do all of what I just said. And some gummies with some th say that make you a little goofier, as it were. They also have a lifted tea which is fantastic. And it's the only way that we get Brian to keep showing up in the office. You just dangle a can. Yeah, I need it baby. Come on, just one more can. They have lotions and salves. They have smokables that you can mix with other smokables or just smoke on their own. They've got pre rolls and keef and flour. They've got Saba Day fudge. Great gift. Sabade coffee, also a great gift. In fact, all of their products make great gifts for people. You can find them all@sunsetlake sabade.com use the code. Left is best. You get 20% off. Again, this is a great company. They have donated tens of thousands of dollars to things like strike Relief fund and Planned Parenthood, incarceral reform and refugee resettlement and food pantries. They just gave 5,000 bucks to the Vermont Food Pantry. Just check them out. You're gonna love it. Left his best 20% off. Sunsetlake sabade.com now time for the show. It is Tuesday, December 2, 2025. My name is Sam Seder. This is the five time award winning majority Report. We are broadcasting live steps from the industrially ravaged Gowanus Canal in the heartland of America, downtown Brooklyn, usa. On the program today, Jasper Nathaniel, publisher of the Infinite Jazz substack updates from his trip to the west bank. Reporting there. Also on the program today, Pete Hegseth weaving in and out of the responsibility for the Caribbean. Either war crimes or just crime crimes. Special election in Tennessee 7th congressional district could bring a new crop of Republican resignations.
B
Inshallah.
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DHS chief Kristi Noem recommending a wide travel ban on incoming foreign visitors. Starbucks to pay nearly $40 million fine over new York City labor law violations as the Starbucks union strike continues and the boycott continues.
B
And Bernie and Zoron joined them on the picket line yesterday. Love to see it.
A
Trump administration fires almost 30% of the new York City based immigration judges. Costco sues the Trump administration over tariffs. New report US Is funding dramatically fewer grants in every area of science and medicine. Meanwhile, US Manufacturing activity contracts for the ninth month in a row. And lastly, the heartwarming story of RFK Jr. S new top advisor who's also a Covid denier. All this and more on today's Majority report. Somebody's asking if there's a color filter on the thing. I guess we did not necessarily nail it. We're playing around with the. We kind of wanted this to look like a CSI episode, like kind of procedural. Yeah. What happened? It's so much more vibrant than it was like when we did this in the.
B
Because we were trying to figure out a way to get us to match. Obviously, my camera settings are perfect for some reason. Sam's.
A
I'm all over the place. But you know what?
B
I still think it looks better than it did yesterday.
A
What are you going to do, folks? I mean, we've been doing the show now for 15 years. We like to mix it up a little bit. Haven't quite dialed it in. Yeah. Give us time. Yeah. This doesn't happen overnight.
B
The webcams, which is what we are using for people that don't realize can be finicky. Yeah, they're nice webcams.
A
Okay. As opposed to what?
B
Oh, like a regular camera. Right. Which I think most shows use, but most shows. That's okay.
A
Whatever.
B
Most shows aren't this show.
A
That's correct.
B
Is this.
A
Exactly. Okay. Yes. I have heard of a ludicrous babble. All right, let's move on.
C
Don't derail the show right now, folks.
A
Yeah, folks, just don't. Don't tempt me with Apple stuff. Let's start with this. This is a big deal that's happening In Tennessee today. Tennessee 7th with Afton Bain. At one point, we tried to get her on the show that we had a scheduling problem. So it didn't happen. But as I was saying to Brian earlier this morning, I said if there's anybody who watches this show or listens to this show who lives in Tennessee's 7th district and you're not voting today, you need us to remind you you're fired. You're not like, stop watching the show because you just. Not now. You're just sucking the life force out of us, and we don't want that. I'm assuming that everybody's going to this. This is an R. Well, we should say Donald Trump won this district by 22 points in 2024, if this is even close. You got to start thinking about the calculation that Republican congresspeople are going to be making if they look at this and they think, if Donald Trump won my district by less than 22 points, am I going to be able to get reelected? How difficult is this going to be and how much effort am I going to put in over the course of the next year when I know I'm going to end up in the minority? That's what the relevance of this is. Now, of course, there's other numbers associated with it. Like it's, you know, the Democrats pick up one more seat, it's going to tighten things. But here is Afton Bain drawing a contrast between her gathering in Franklin, Tennessee, and her opponent, Van Epps is, well, a little bit more exclusive event.
C
Yeah, this made by the Tennessee Holler.
B
What's your response to all of that?
D
Yeah, I mean, the barrage of negative attacks is because they don't have a plan to address the affordability crisis we are dealing with. I mean, there's no plan. And so unless you have a plan to make health care more affordable, you're coming after me. And the voters hear that. I mean, we have heard from voters all across the district that they're like, she's got a plan. We know what she stands for. She hasn't gone negative. All she's been talking about is how she's going to provide for Texas, Tennessee families. And more importantly, I just want to draw a contrast to this moment versus my opponent's rally in which it was behind pearly white gates of a Williamson county mega mansion, away from the people and next to the power brokers and puppet masters. And it just shows how you he's how he's going to govern, which is, you know, I'm one that's been, I've been someone who's been knocking doors every day, every week for the past nine months, talking to voters. And he is behind close doors and that is how he'll govern. And I think Tennesseans are fed up with leadership that doesn't deliver.
B
I like what she's centered her campaign around. Feed kids, fix roads, fund hospitals. That's been like a slogan that she's deployed. And it's quite the contrast to the guy behind the gates there who I think has doubled what Bain has fundraised and is beholden to the billionaires and to Donald Trump.
C
The Club for Growth is getting really heavily involved in this race.
A
Well, just the fact that they're having to bring this many people in and this much money in is indicative of how important this race is to them. Not just in terms of like the direct first order question of whether this specific district is represented by a Democrat or a Republican or what the numbers are in the House. It is what it's going to do to Republican House members in terms of demoralizing them. Let's listen to Bain making her. Well, let's, let's. Yeah, let's get a sense of that. This is number five. This is Donald Trump and Mike Johnson sort of rallying this. Both sort of rallying. I mean, I've done this burn that. He was on a golf cart when he called in.
B
No, he might have been on the toilet. Be fair.
A
Well, I was having my annual physical for the fifth time in four months. From inside the MRI machine, you can.
B
Tell he really cares.
A
Guess where I'm calling you from, Mike? Here's Mike Johnson. He's on the ground. Now, honestly, I mean, if you had said to somebody a year ago, will Mike Johnson have to travel to Tennessee to campaign in a plus 22 Donald Trump district if the Republican is out fundraising, the Democrat By a 2 to 1 margin, I think most people would say, are you serious? But here we are.
E
Remember, he's got a majority of three. A majority of three. And there aren't many people to do that. But we have to win this heat. We've gotten you the largest tax cuts in history. And the new bill, the great big beautiful bill, kicks in, as you know, on January 1st, hasn't even kicked in yet. And then you have no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime if you borrow money to buy.
B
Just pause it really briefly. I just want to make one point, is that Trump's 2024 campaign director, when he did that interview with Politico in the wake of Zoran's victory and like the Democrats sweeping across the country in a few weeks ago, was talking about how they need to refocus on affordability and cost of living and not just taxes. And you see how they have nothing to address that Trump is returning to the tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts, that this is not addressing the cost of living. That like, okay, perhaps people will have a few hundred dollars more because of tax cuts or a few thousand dollars more if you're richer but they're not addressing people where they are. And I think that that's a real vulnerability here.
A
I also, the way this sounds, I am not convinced that first of all it sounds almost. But I think the way you couldn't train an AI to sort of like backtrack in the way that he does. Still working on the weave tangent. Exactly. But I'm also would not be surprised if he didn't just record this and they played the recording back through the phone to make sure that he didn't go sideways during this. Good.
E
No tax on overtime. If you borrow money to buy a car, you get a deduction. That's never happened before. All these things kick in on January 1st. A lot of people don't know. They said, oh, they already kicked in. I said no, it doesn't start until January 1st. So that was a first date. I just want to thank everybody. I love Tennessee, one of my all time favorite places. Just loves me because we won by the biggest margins anybody's ever won by. So that's cool.
B
That's cool.
E
Matt Van Epps, he's a winner. He's going to be great. Don't let this stuff fool you. The Democrats are spending a fortune and we don't want people that want to raise your taxes. She wants to raise your taxes on top of everything else. But she said two things above all else that bothered me. Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music. How the hell can you elect a person like that? I just want to give my total support. And he's added right from the beginning to Matt Van Apps. He's going to be a fantastic congressman. He's going to represent you so well and we'll keep our agenda going. And I'm going to make a call tonight about 7 or 8 o'.
A
Clock.
E
I'm doing a tele rally for him tonight. So if anybody wants to listen, basically I'll be saying the same things I just said.
A
Whatever. I mean they are. They're nervous about this. Donald Trump that easily is working overtime. He's making two phone calls. That's quite a bit.
B
Basically I'll be saying the same thing I just said it might be the same recording.
A
Exactly. And I mean also keep this in mind. There is no direct immediate ability for him to monetize this. So he's serious about this. The fact that he would would do this where there's no direct money flowing into his pockets. Here is Afton Bain on News Nation making her final pitch.
D
I got my start as a health care community organizer in the state of Tennessee fighting to preserve Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. So as the next congresswoman for the 7th Congressional District, I'll ensure those subsidies remain for the ACA. Two, I'll restore funding for Medicaid, which is a lifeline for so many rural hospitals in the district. And three, rollback tariffs, which are squeezing and bankrupting Tennessee farmers right now.
B
So what is your final pitch to voters? They're casting their ballots today. How would you work with or challenge Speaker Mike Johnson at the same time.
D
I'm someone who cannot be bought or sold by special interests. I represent the interests of the constituents of the seventh Congressional District. And as I've said on the campaign, if you are upset about the chaos of Washington and the cost of living, then I'm your candidate. And I don't care who you voted for. I don't what political party you belong to. I welcome you with open arms. Come to our side and vote for change.
B
Better pitch than, you know, Trump's closing one, she hates country music when we're.
A
Talking about she hates the two Cs, Christianity and country music.
B
The fact that people are feeling the implications of like the economy in such an acute way, the way that that has flipped now that Trump is back in office and the Democrats are able to make this case is important because, you know, they have nothing to offer on that. Even the big, when he talks about the taxes from the big ugly ass bill. That bill is deeply unpopular as well.
A
Yeah. I mean you would imagine a place where he was 22 plus. There's a lot of Trump fans and that's what they're hoping to rally. But again, the, if they, if this election is close, if it's within six or seven points, you're talking that Republican congressmen around the country are, you know, and you've got to make allowance for the fact this special election, Democrats may be more tuned in than Republicans and you would expect that to even out a little bit in the, in the, the midterms. But a 50 making up a 15 point death or 15 points of a deficit when you have half the money. There's going to be Republican congressmen mostly, let's be honest, mostly congressmen, it's Republicans that are going to say it's just not worth it. It's exhausting to run for office. I can go out and get a corporate job and use my connections to drain money from the coffers of the government while the getton's good. And I would not be surprised if she is within Five points that we don't hear at least a couple more resignations. If not, or I should say retirements, if not, another resignation. Because people are just not going to want to deal with this losing their seat and then even if they win, they get into the minority. All right, in a moment we're going to be talking to Jasper Nathaniel, publisher of Infinite Jazz on Substack about follow up on what has happened since he has been returned from the West Bank. First couple words from our sponsors. Delete Me makes it easy, quick and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches and doxing are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. I've been using Delete Me way, way before they became sponsors on this program, obviously. 10 it was more than 10 years ago now. I think that I started using it because I didn't want a lot of my public information floating around out there. 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And a reminder, it's your support that keeps this show going. If you want the free show free of ads, become a member@jointhemajorityreport.com all right, quick break. Jasper, Nathaniel, Sam. Back. We are back. Sam Cedar, Emma Viglen on the Majority Report. Want to welcome back to the program Jasper Nathaniel. He's the publisher of Infinite Jazz on Substack. Folks, if you subscribe to any substack, do yourself a favor, subscribe to Jasper's the firsthand accounts of reporting in the West Bank. For whatever reason, we just don't see many journalists go into the west bank and actually get on the ground reporting. Jasper has done that. Jasper, welcome back to the program. We spoke to you when you came back and we showed some video of that you took when you went out to the olive groves and basically were attacked by settlers. And on Thanksgiving there was some developments in that. In fact, there was developments in two stories that you were pursuing on Thanksgiving. But welcome to the show. Tell us what happened on Thanksgiving.
F
Thank you. Thanks for having me back. Thanksgiving was a wonderful day. Basically I woke up to a million text messages because the settler who I documented clubbing, the Palestinian grandmother who before that had sort of led a chase against me and some other Palestinian farmers, he'd been arrested maybe two weeks earlier. But it was one of these things where it was unclear if it was just going to be a token arrest and he was just going to get sort of let out immediately. But on Thanksgiving morning, he was indicted on terror charges in Israel. And that still has to go to trial, obviously, but it's a sign at least that they're at least going to try to make an example of this one guy. And, you know, I want to be clear that I'm not under any illusion that, you know, Israel is going to rein in its settlers, that it, that it vehemently backs and arms and supports. But you know, as I keep saying, the fact that they have responded to this international pressure and outrage over this one attack to the point that they're actually bringing terror charges against him, I think is a good indication that, you know, pressure is working. And the more you document these things, the more they are willing to react. So that was the first thing that that happened.
A
Well, let me just, let's stop with that one first. What can you tell us about terror charges? Like where on the spectrum of charges, how serious, how serious is it that they charged him with a terror charges as opposed to like assault or. I don't know, I Mean, it seems to me there's a range of things they could have charged him with and I wonder if there's anything to be read into those charges.
F
I mean it's equivalent to like a hate crime charge. So I think the specific, it's like race based violent crime, something to that effect. I mean it is serious. Oftentimes they will arrest these guys and charge them with like disorderly conduct or, or some version of unlawful gathering or rioting or something. It's a serious charge. He could do real time. It doesn't mean that he will, it doesn't mean that he'll be found guilty or that he won't plead to lesser charges or something like that. But it's serious. There's no way around it. And I should say that the Israeli authorities who have been in touch with me about it, who I have conversed with to some extent, I've basically said to them repeatedly that like, I don't believe you, that you're serious about this and sort of challenged them and they kept saying, just watch, just watch. And they brought a serious charge against him. Again, I want to like sort of just rein it in a little bit because there's an entire terror network in Termisiah, in this town where the attack took place, that there's like a known leader of the violent outpost. The guy who was arrested is basically like a foot soldier. So you know, they have not, you know, this is like equivalent to the, to like arresting, you know, a hitman in the mafia, but not going after the actual mob family or the, or the boss or anything. So it's not in my opinion like a systematic effort to take out the terror network. But again, it's a serious charge against a violent settler which is like extraordinarily rare. Extraordinarily rare.
A
Okay, and let's talk about the second thing that happened on Thanksgiving. This was quite a morning for you.
F
Yeah. So Mohammed Ibrahim, the 16 year old Palestinian American kid who, he's from Florida and his family sort of goes back and forth between Florida and the West Bank. He was arrested or abducted I should say in February from his home in a town called Al Mazra Al Sharqiya, I should also say this is the first cousin of Saifullah Musalat, who's a 20 year old Palestinian American who was beaten to death by settlers in July. So Mohammed has been basically wasting away in Israeli military detention since February. He's been starved, he's been beaten, he contracted scabies, he's been barred from speaking to his own family for over nine months. On Thanksgiving Day, he was released into his to his father who went to pick him up and they brought him to the hospital. I mean, I don't know if you've seen photos or videos, but he's like, extremely gaunt. He looks like he hasn't seen the son in nine months. And he's lost a lot of weight and he's still got scabies, but he's free and family is ecstatic. And then actually what happened next in my mind is just as exciting. So basically I'll get into the. Well, I'll get into the details of what happened, basically. I mean, there's been an effort for nine and a half months to get the US Government to support freeing an American child, which one would think is the job of the American government.
A
And what ostensibly was he being held for?
F
Oh, yeah, he was being accused of throwing a stone. So basically him and three other Palestinian kids, kids who are not American, were accused of throwing stones at cars. Muhammad was never even accused of hitting a car. He was just accused of literally throwing a stone. And he denied it. And then eventually he allegedly confessed to it. He then said in a sworn affidavit that he was beaten on the way to the military detention center when he was abducted at three in the morning. He was beaten once he got there. And then as he was being interrogated, they threatened to beat him again if he didn't confess. So he confessed under duress, which is, you know, entirely consistent with, with testimony and reporting from what's happening inside these military detention centers. So, so the charge was that he threw a stone and basically the US Government just completely ignored it for months and months and months. The story didn't even break until July, like five months after he was abducted. And it broke when a great reporter named Joseph Ghedion with the Guardian was reporting on the murder of Saifola. And as he was talking to the family, they mentioned that Saifola's first cousin, literally their mothers or sisters were, had been in military detention for months and nobody had even known about this yet.
A
So, okay, they charge him with throwing a stone and then that's it. There's no trial over the throwing with the stone. Like after five months, at that point they just, they're like, I don't understand, like, how, how aside. Even if it's a valid charge of stone throwing, how there's no court case for this? 16 years old, right?
F
This kid, he was 15 at the time. He turned 16 in prison. Yeah, it's hard to Understand, there was no trial. I mean, basically he had a court date scheduled, and then his father showed up, and then it was delayed by 30 days. And then there was another court date scheduled and the father showed up and it was delayed by 30 days. And this happened over and over and over. And they could not get any information whatsoever. And the US Embassy was not speaking to them, and they were barred from communicating with their son in any way. So, I mean, it was a complete black box. They had no idea what was happening. And also, like, a 17 year old from the neighboring town who was Muhammad's cellmate dropped dead in prison in those first few months. And the family heard that a teenager from their area had died in prison, and they basically spent a whole day thinking that it was their son. So, I mean, it was torture. It was torture for them.
A
Where was Muhammad born?
F
He was born in Florida.
A
I mean, this is just an American kid in Florida, from Florida who is visiting family in Palestine.
F
And as it turns out, the Secretary of State of the United States is a proud Florida man. And he never so much as mentioned Mohammed's name. So, yes, I mean, this is an American kid. And I should say, like, when I was in the west bank in October, I stayed with the family a couple of times, actually. And not that this should privilege them or make them any more deserving of security, but they're Americans. These are just completely.
B
This is basic democratic representation. There should be some sort of level of trust that Americans have that a teenage boy who is an American can't be held indefinitely for throwing a stone by our supposed greatest ally without having our government intervene. That would. I mean, that's kind of basic stuff, I would imagine, for the world superpower. But you mentioned Rubio. What's fascinating here is we were talking a little bit about this. Chris Van Hollen has now been across these kind of two major cases. One that's of course, the Kilmar Garcia case earlier this year. But when it comes to this, he seemed to put a lot of pressure on the US Government and the Trump administration to free him here. What's your assessment of his role in Mohammed's release?
F
Yeah, so basically, there was like virtually, not virtually. There was literally no effort whatsoever from anybody in the US Government for the first five, six months of his detention. After the story broke, that's when I sort of latched onto it. Joseph the reporter connected me with the family, and I started talking with them basically every day. And it became clear pretty much right away that for the most part, not for the most Part that the US Embassy was not interested in helping and that their Florida representatives were not interested in helping. Rick Scott forgetting who the other Florida senator is, she was not interested in helping. And so it was clear that. And it was obviously not going to just sort of matriculate through the Israeli military criminal justice system, like, he was just going to rot away indefinitely. So it was like, okay, this needs to be just a grassroots pressure campaign. And so I basically worked with the family to start haranguing U.S. lawmakers, which included a trip to D.C. as part of a delegation with the families of Americans who had been killed in the west bank, including the father of Saif Allah Kamel. And what happened was, like, certain lawmakers started getting involved. The people you would expect, like Rashida Tlaib and then Chris Van Hollen. I gotta be honest, I didn't even know who this guy was until a year, maybe two years ago. And he just sort of comes out of nowhere. And I have to be honest, he showed real moral clarity in my conversations with his staff and just engaging with them. It seemed like he understood that this was the right thing to do, and so he started becoming really vocal about it. A couple other things that I should just mention. This detail just absolutely cracks me up, so. Or it makes me cry, maybe, but so, like, the pressure campaign builds and builds and builds. You know, we get. I'm working with the family and a couple of organizations like CARE and some others to organize, like, massive phone banking to get representatives. All of it is really aimed at, like, trying to get representatives to call the US Embassy and demand that they do something. But at a certain point.
A
A couple.
F
Of lawmakers who I can't name, who are, like, deep in the pockets of aipac, indicate that they want to help, but they need to do it secretly. They can't let it be publicly known that they are helping to free the American kid. So, like, these are people who ostensibly, like, had a sort of conscience about this and were like, we want to help, but if word gets out that we're trying to help this American kid, then we will get in trouble with aipac. And I have since seen some of these lawmakers getting, like, pilloried on social media for doing nothing to help. And they can't even come out and say, actually, we did help, because that's how afraid of AIPAC they are.
B
Can you say if they're Democrats?
F
Yes, they're Democrats.
B
All Democrats.
F
There might be one Republican, too, but there's at least two. Like, it's not Schumer or Jill Brand or Goldman. And those three did absolutely nothing. And you know, people may have seen that. Yeah, my mom, my mom has been sort of leading the campaign to harass those.
A
I was gonna say we've saw, I saw a video that was surreptitiously filmed of your mother. I hope she wasn't upset when she found out like that your sister was, was taking of your mom calling Gillibrand's office, calling Schumer's office, calling other offices.
F
Yeah. And she was basically, I mean she's been calling them every single day and sort of like leading a network of other mom friends or other friends who have been doing it too. And the message to them has basically been just wait until I leak the call logs that shows that you, that I've called you every single day and did nothing. So she's been shaming them. And I don't know if you saw this, but literally last night Ryan Grimm shared that Dropsite reached out to Jill Brand for comment and somebody, I think on background maybe or they got word somehow that Joe Brandt's office said that after the video aired of my mom saying that they then reached out to the US Embassy to check in on him. So again like this is somebody who is, you know, refuses to help, refuses to do anything but. And then they're just shamed over and over and over and over again. And finally your mom, we pop that up.
A
Yeah, okay. Yeah. Well, it's, there's two, I mean it feels like there's two lessons from this. One is that it is possible to shame these people into. You know, you need to go to extraordinary lengths to shame them. To do the bare minimum for a 15 year old American citizen who is been arrested or kidnapped, really, there's no other word for it. Kidnapped by a foreign military, ostensibly for the worst crime that they could come up with is throwing a rock. I mean it's incredible that it took that much, but it's good to know that they can be shamed. But what also it's clear is that the story. And you know, just coincidentally there's a piece out by Ben Rhodes in the Times yesterday who was a former Obama foreign policy adviser. It is quite clear the amount of influence that we in the United States have over what Israel does, at least within certain parameters. If it's, if, if there is a decision to exercise it. And what we have seen I think is like clearly these things show is a complete absence of, of willingness to exercise that leverage.
F
Yeah, that's exactly right. And the thing that it seems like finally pushed things over the edge was that after some momentum started to build when Van Hollen started speaking about it pretty regularly, Merkli, Peter Welch from Vermont, and a couple others, the Israeli Embassy in Washington circulated a memoir that, you know, they did it. They tried to do it in secret, but, you know, I got ahold of it pretty much immediately from one of the lawmakers. They circulated a memo to the lawmakers who had been speaking on Mohammed's behalf, full of lies, misinformation, and omissions to basically cast smear Mohammed as a criminal, to deny that he was having any health issues, which we knew that he was, and to basically try to encourage them to shut up about it. And so what happened was that leaked. And then separately, Netanyahu's office finally put out a statement after they were pressured enough, and they basically, Netanyahu doubled down and said he's being charged with committing a potentially deadly crime. And so after those two things happened, I then me and some others and the family and some organization started going back to these lawmakers and showing them, here are the actual medical reports that we were able to get from the prison that show that he has a severe weight loss, that show that he's contracted scabies. Here is the evidence that, you know, contradicts everything that was said by the Israeli embassy and Netanyahu. They're trying to make you look like idiots. They're lying to you. They're manipulating you. And that then triggered a bunch of these lawmakers to then start putting in calls directly to the Israeli authorities, to the prime minister's office, to the prison system. It triggered media. ABC did a story where they asked for comment from them. So basically, what. What happened was we caught Israel in a number of, like, categorical lies where they had contradicted what their own prison medical records were saying, where Netanyahu was contradicting what the actual, like, charging document said. And that had to be pointed out directly to these lawmakers who then finally were like, okay, this is getting ridiculous. And so, like, the reason I make that point is because, you know, we've talked before, obviously, about, like, I think the value of independent journalism versus mainstream journalism. Like, this took months and months and months and months of pressure and, you know, reporting to, like, be able to get all this stuff, to connect these dots, to find these contradictions, to then put it over to the lawmakers to force their hand. Whereas to the extent that any mainstream news outlet even cover this at all, and I should say, like, the New York Times did not, but, like it's one story, and then they forget about it. And there's just really, you know, virtually no impact from that. So it took sort of relentless campaign of activists, of, you know, independent journalists, of organizations of the family, to shame and pressure lawmakers until I think it basically became a big enough headache for them that they then started pressuring the Israeli government. It became a headache for them, and finally, with really no fanfare at all, they just sort of let them out.
B
Well, the rock throwing thing I just think is important to linger on for a bit because one, there's like even like biblical symbolism in it too, with, like, David v. Goliath, which obviously Israel doesn't want to think about, but they've been using this excuse to crack down on protesters or anybody, any Palestinian resistance since, you know, I guess even prior to the first intifada. And I didn't even realize that Israel, Israeli law treats stone throwing as a felony, has a maximum penalty of up to 20 years, which just gives people a sense of like, 1. The asymmetry of this conflict, I say in quotes, and to the draconian nature of Israeli law and how it's even able to implement it. Right. Just given the nature that it's talked about as if these are two sovereign entities. But the fact that Israel can charge a child essentially with a felony charge because Israel controls that area or can kidnap that kid because of the illegal occupation in the west bank says everything here.
F
And the kids who they pick up on rock throwing charges are known as security prisoners. That puts them in the same category as, like a Hamas fighter that was arrested after October 7. They are treated under the same terror laws in Israel. They have the same conditions. Ben GVIR oversees it. When you hear Ben GVIR talking about starving terrorists in prison, torturing them, wanting the death penalty, that is capturing these kids who are accused of throwing stones. That's also the security prisoner designation is what Israel used just unilaterally decide after October 7th that they were going to violate international law by barring Red Cross visits to security prisoners because it was a threat to Israeli national security. So connecting all these dots, what we're saying is kids like Mohammed and the other kids who arrested with him, which I want to get back to in one second, these are treated by Israel as terrorists in the same way that a, you know, Hamas fighter would be treated and, you know, subjected to the same conditions. I want to just also make a point that, you know, I think that the. I mean, the reason that I really latched onto Muhammad's case and Some others did. You know, in addition to just sort of the merit of it was that there was a chance to actually like have an influence since he's American. Right. We had like some levers that we could try to pull. It was never to suggest that, you know, the other kids rotting away in prison were any less deserving of freedom. However, what ends up happening, which is kind of an amazing part of the story, is that after he's released, the family's lawyer, they basically immediately gather the families of the three Palestinian non American kids who are all friends with Mohammed, who arrested with him and they use the deal that Mohammed got as leverage to basically say these kids are all being accused of the same thing. Mohammed was, you know, was released and they released the other three kids too. So that happened I think the day before yesterday. So now all four kids are out and you know, there's another 356 Children in Israeli military detention that we know about, probably many more. But the family and you know, certainly the organizations and the activists behind it and me as a journalist plan to like keep pushing on this to you know, raise awareness for the fact that they are treating children in these military detention as terrorists who have been accused of nothing more than throwing a stone if they're being accused of anything at all and to push to get all them out.
B
Can you talk about the prison where he was held? I'm looking at it now. Was it Au Fer prison, Is that correct, Jasper?
F
He was in Ofer and also Magido.
B
Okay. Because Ofer, that name rang a bell and then I was reminded of the fact that last year that head of some division of Al Shifa hospital was tortured there, if I'm not mistaken. So was Muhammad being held amongst just all adults as a 15 year old child in this prison that has been that, you know, just tortured a doctor from Gaza?
F
Yeah, they're all in the same place. It's again like, you know, they do have prisons in Israel. This is not a regular prison. This is a military prison, military detention center. And yeah, I mean Mohammed and children and grownups there are beaten and starved. I mean the Israeli Supreme Court a couple months ago, maybe a month ago actually ruled that the prison system was not giving enough food to their prisoners to survive. Literally ruled that it was starving them and ordered them to give them more food. And Ben gvir, who as a national security minister oversees the prison system, just basically said no thanks. And so yes, I mean like the conditions are barbaric. That's why they won't let the Red Cross in. It's why they won't let their families in to visit them. There's just no reason for it except for the fact that they're hiding that or they're trying to hide that. I mean, these are, these are, it's a. To quote Betsellam, which is an Israeli human rights organization, it's a network of torture camps.
A
Have you had the opportunity to talk with Muhammad? Like, are you going to. I would imagine, you know, I really don't know. I'm not sure what I can imagine. An experience like that as a 15, 16 year old from nine months in a network of torture chambers essentially would be like, but are you going to. Does he have a story to tell? Are we going to hear more about what's going on in there? I would guess there's some sensitivities in terms of timing and protecting other people and his family and others. But what can you tell us going forward that we can anticipate?
F
Yeah, I was able to FaceTime with him and yeah, I mean, it was really great. He's like all smiles now. I mean, like I said, he looks like he's just been through hell, which he has. He was also, like, when I talked to him, he was really worried about his other friends. I mean, he had just gotten home the day before and he had left home twice. Once was to visit the grave of his first cousin, Sefa La. By the way, he didn't know that Sefa La was beaten to death while he was in prison. So he gets out of prison and immediately finds out that his first cousin, who he looked up to, he was very close with, had been beaten to death. So one of his trips was to, say, father's grave. The other trip that he took was to go visit the families of the other prisoners and to tell them about how their children are doing since they had heard literally nothing. He is, the family is taking care of a few things and then they're gonna come to Florida. Then I'm gonna go down there and spend some time with them. And I mean, I think there's definitely a story to tell. Like, you know, obviously I'm not pressuring him to, to talk publicly because he's a kid and he just, I think, is like, I it really, like, I knew it the whole time, but talking to him, I was like, yeah, this is like what it's like to talk to a child, right? Like, this is, this is a kid. Like, he wants to go play with his friends. Like, I don't even think he has a Sense of like, oh, I need to tell my story to the world. I think he's more like, I want to go play soccer and like, I want to eat my favorite food and, and I want to help get my friends out and then I want to hang out with my friends. And so, but, but yes, like, the family certainly is committed to telling his story. Not just to tell the story, but again, to raise the issue of, you know, all the child prisoners and in Israeli military detention centers. But, yeah, I'm going to go down to Florida as soon as they're over there, probably in a couple weeks, and we'll see what kind of story there is.
A
I want to touch a little bit about this. There was a protest in New York City last week. I guess it was at an Upper east side synagogue where there was a program going on to essentially encourage people to make aliyah, which is where Jews go, go to Israel to live. But it was also sort of like promoting areas where they could live, which not Israel, but is occupied by Israel. And you, you talked about this in the context. The group is Nefesh Benefesh, dedicated to supporting, educating and advising individuals and families throughout their immigration to Israel journey.
B
And.
A
But you talk about them in the context of another piece that you written. I guess it was now about two weeks ago, Good Settler, Bad Settler, which has been, you captured dynamic in this piece that I feel like has been the conversation I've had with people who are, I mean, I don't know, through the years that I would have like, referred to it as supporting Zionism but supporting Israel and its expansionist policies. Walk us through that concept and then, you know, we can apply it to what happened on the Upper east side. But also in general, I think it's helpful for people at this point.
F
I wrote this piece when the story of the explosion of settler violence in the west bank during the olive harvest started to break through a little bit. Obviously, I'm pretty deep in it, so I don't have a totally clear sense. But there were stories in the Times and the Washington Post. ABC did a story. It seemed like it was becoming a story that there's this problem of these violent settlers. And it reached the point where Israeli authorities, including Netanyahu, including the army chief, and even leaders in the settlement movement were coming out and condemning the settler violence. What they all say, the way they phrase it, is condemning the fringe anarchist youth, the band of roaming, you know, violent kids who are causing problems and making all the other settlers look bad. And so there's like this real concerted effort to frame the violent settlers that people see in these viral clips, you know, wearing masks and clubbing people and setting fires and attacking people to frame them as an outlier that is completely disconnected from the broader settlement movement, which is, you know, which is respectable and. And peaceful and whatnot. And the piece was meant to basically demonstrate that it's all one movement, and the violent settlers are essentially the tip of the spear. And, I mean, what this actually looks like, just to be really blunt or to be really specific, the head of the army, he's one of the people who condemned these violent settlers. And this guy is. Or the head of the central command in the West Bank, Avi Bluth. He is in charge of going after these violent settlers. He comes out and condemns them, and he says, we'll be putting the full force of the military to go out and get them. So he says that days later, he signs off on authorizing 22 illegal outposts to begin the process of turning that into settlements. So what that actually means, means an outpost is when these violent settlers or the anarchist fringe settlers peel off from a settlement and they go and they plant a flag somewhere and they put up a tent. I know we talked about this last time. And they just basically steal a plot of land, and they start launching attacks from there. And sometimes the military comes in and dismantles them when there's enough pressure, but then they go right back up, and they appear to be sort of acting on their own. But then some time passes, people forget about it. And the head of the central command, the guy who is supposed to be policing these people, authorizes them, begins the process of turning them into one of the respectable settlements. And when you look closely at the relationships between the violent settlers and the activists in the settler community and the leaders of the, you know, ostensibly respectable settlement movement, they're working very closely to basically plot out to map out the west bank, figure out, like, where are the places that we want to build our next settlement? They send out the violent fringe youth who go and they terrorize Palestinians, and at a certain point, maybe they chase them off the land. And then the good settlers come in and start to build a good settlement, and then the state comes behind them and. And authorizes it. And so this, like, whole thing of condemning the violent settlers and, you know, the military claiming they're cracking down on them and Netanyahu, like, it's all part of this machine where they have to act like they're doing something about it. You know, it sort of lets the Tension out of the system. But it is, it is quite literally the, the tip of the spear in the settlement movement. This is how they get new land that they then build settlements on. And so the thing that happened at the synagogue, you know, if you, at the website of that organization, they present the respectable settlements. They first of all, I mean, they just say they are part of Israel. They don't even distinguish between Israel and the occupied west bank, but they paint this picture of these like really beautiful, well run towns. And people who defend this say, you know, these people are not connected to the violent settlers, but if you are supporting that organization, then you are by definition supporting the violence. And so I think that, you know, to, to the extent that liberal Zionism is a real concept, I find it shocking that these people would associate with an organization that supports this movement. And the fact that there's not been more outrage among these ostensible liberal Zionists shows that at, you know, at the very least, they are completely okay with the violent settler movement, which enables them to, you know, to build these respectable, beautiful settlements that are ethically cleansing the West Bank.
A
And we should say that the so called good settlers in this instance are also illicit. Like these settlements are not legal. I mean, so it is where like, you know, the, it's a little bit overused, but the Overton window just gets pushed further and further. I mean, literally, you know, they're, they're dealing with a literal Overton window in the sense that they just keep creeping and, and essentially occupying illegally more and more space in the West Bank. But this is, in this dynamic, I should say too is also we see it in play with, well, I have a problem with this government, the Israeli government, as if, you know, Netanyahu, who's been in power now more or less for 20 years, is some type of abnormality or you know, deviation from some other imagined trajectory that Israel is on. You know, like I think even the context of the United States, I think we can understand this, that Donald Trump is not, you know, is not dropped from the sky by an alien spaceship. He is a function of American society and indicative of a serious problem that America has. And Netanyahu has been, you know, double the amount of time that Donald Trump there is there. And they don't operate in an all or nothing political climate. They build coalitions. So this is, there is more durability and depth to the support for a prime minister there than we would have in this, in our system. So there is no good bad apples here. It is like this is all Part of a whole.
F
It's a simple fact that the settlement project in the west bank, which is fundamentally a project of ethnic cleansing, is one of, if not the most consistent state project of Israel for the last, at least since 1967. And it is true, as you say, figures like Netanyahu, obviously, Smotrich, Ben gvir, like these guys are, in the case of Ben GVIR and Smotrich, they are settlers, in the case of Netanyahu, he has allied himself with them. They are pushing it forward. But there's just simply never been a meaningful effort to dismantle the settlement movement. And the point I make in that piece is there are absolutely people in Israel, politicians in Israel, who oppose the settlement movement. They do not want to see the settlement building accelerating. They think it's like a threat to security in Israel. They think it's causing them problems. They believe in the 48 lines, but there's no actual movement to extract the settlers from the west bank and to dismantle the settlement movement. And unless you do that, you are for the settlement movement, because what we see is that it's a movement that has to keep growing. It is fundamentally always growing, always looking for new places to settle. I mean, that's why they call it the settlement movement. And so people like to, I think the discourse gets flattened a lot on the Internet the way especially like some anti Zionist folks who like to say, like, they're all the same, the liberal Zionists, the settlers, the right wing, the left wing, like they're all the same. I mean, it's not true. Like, they do have lots of political differences, but at the end of the day, they're all part of this same project. Unless the ostensible left wing in Israel is willing to actively dismantle the settlement movement to remove the 750,000 settlers in East Jerusalem and the west bank, then they're part of the settlement project. And that's just, you know, it's not happening. So, I mean, we saw in 2005 they had to get like a couple thousand settlers out of Gaza and it was like, almost caused a civil war. Yeah.
A
Well, Jasper, really appreciate you coming and updating us on these different stories that you were pursuing while you were there. Again, we will link to Infinite Jazz on substack. Really appreciate the reporting you're doing. It is, you know, we've talked about this. It's shocking, the sort of dearth of reporting that comes out of the west bank. And so much is, there's so much talk, you know, discussion about the west bank and about these things and so little reporting because I want to remind people Israel is preventing journalists from going into Gaza, but ostensibly is not doing so the same for West Bank. And to the extent that there are correspondence from major news outlets in Tel Aviv, you know, aside from the checkpoints and whatnot, you know, as the crow flies, you're talking not hours, but minutes.
F
Really, you can land at Ben Gurion and be in the west bank in like an hour.
A
I mean, it's easier than getting, you know, from here to LaGuardia Airport, essentially. And yet we don't see that reporting and the absence of that reporting in and of itself. I think it's very telling. But Jasper, that's why so grateful of the work you're doing and appreciate you coming on and talking to us about it.
F
Yeah, thanks. Sam and Emma, great to see you both.
B
Thanks so much.
A
All right, folks, we're going to take a quick break, head into the fun half of the program. Listen, we want to hear from you about Best of this is it. There's a couple of days left and then we shut the door. I'm not kidding. Email us@mainvancereportersmail.com Write the words best of in the subject line and tell us which episode of the year. Maybe you have four episodes that you think were the best of. Maybe you have six. If you get up in around 10, there'd be a problem. But send us your suggestions and they will. And just reminder, November and December of last year are eligible, but not necessarily this year. So majorityreportersmail.com tell us what you want for the best of Illuminati kid says the majority ports completely lost identity. Sam used the word dearth correctly. Oh, okay. I've used the word dearth correctly in the past. I just want to say we haven't changed around here. Also, if you want to support the program, join the majorityreport.com also Just Coffee Co op. Head over now. Use the coupon code majority and this month you'll get 30% off. 30% off. Now is the time to check out those just coffee flavors that you want to try out. If you've never tried just coffee before, now is the time to do it and do it quick because if you're quick, maybe you get the opportunity to buy a bunch as gifts for people. Also, it's a great gift, particularly now because coffee, I mean just coffee, is a co op, so they keep their prices under control. But coffee across the board, super pricey.
B
Yep.
A
So check it out. Matt, what's happening in the Mat Leck podcast universe.
C
Yeah. Live in 77 minutes left. Reckoning, episode 248, Jesus, from almost at 250. You want to put this up for me, Brian?
A
This is me getting Thomas Pynchon on. I wish how young he is.
E
The only interview he's ever done.
C
He's got a little bit of work done.
B
He maybe talked to Paul Thomas Anderson. And we're still not even sure about that.
C
No, I think, like, that's my. That's the Illuminati for me is if Pynchon gives me, like, a dinner invite.
B
Oh, my God.
C
But, yeah, we're talking about his new book, the Shadow Ticket, which is, you know, my favorite novel that I've read in half a decade about a private eye. It's sort of a noir based in at the end of prohibition, in the rise of the Nazis, starts in Michigan, ends up over in Hungary and the Mediterranean. A great book. I talked to Devin about it for about 45 minutes. So this will be on in about 75 minutes.
B
Cool.
A
All right, quick break. Fun half. Three months from now, six months from now, nine months from now. And I don't think it's going to be the same as it looks like in six months from now. And I don't know if it's necessarily going to be better six months from now than it is three months from now, but I think around 18 months out, we're going to look back and go like, wow.
B
What?
A
What is that going on? It's nuts. Wait a second. Hold on. Hold on for a second. Emma, welcome to the program. Fun Half.
F
Matt.
A
Fun Half. What is up, everyone? Fun half. No.
D
McKee, you did it.
A
Fun Half.
B
Let's go, Brandon.
A
Let's go, Brandon. Fun Half. Bradley, you want to say hello?
E
Sorry to disappoint everyone.
F
I'm just a random guy.
A
It's all the boys today.
D
Fundamentally false.
B
No. I'm sorry.
A
Women. Stop talking for a second. Let me finish.
B
Where is this coming from, dude?
A
But. Dude, you want to smoke this? 7A. Yes. All right.
E
You safe?
A
Yes.
E
Is this me?
A
Is it me? It is you.
E
If it's me.
A
Hello, it's me. I think it is you who is, you know, sound every single freaking day. What's on your mind?
F
We can discuss free markets and we can discuss capitalism.
A
I'm gonna go snow white. Libertarians. They're so stupid. Though common sense says, of course.
B
Gobbledygook.
A
We nailed it.
B
So what's 79 plus 21?
A
Challenge?
F
Man, I'm positively quivering.
A
I believe 96. I want to say 8, 5, 7, 2, 1, 0. 35, 5, 0, 1, 1 half. 3, 8, 9, 11. For instance.
B
$3,400. $1900. 5, 4.
A
$3 trillion. Sold. It's a zero sum game, actually.
B
You're making me think less.
A
But, but let me say this call satire.
E
Sam goes in satire.
D
On top of it all, my favorite.
E
Part about you is just like every.
B
Day, all day, like everything you do.
A
Without a doubt. Hey, buddy, we see you. All right, folks, folks, folks.
B
It's just the week being weeded out, obviously.
A
Yeah. Sun's out, guns out. I, I, I don't know.
B
But you should know.
A
People just don't like to entertain ideas anymore. I have a question. Who cares?
C
Oh, chat is enabled, folks.
A
I love it.
B
I do love that.
A
Gotta jump, Gotta be quick. I gotta jump.
E
I'm losing it, bro.
A
Two o', clock, we're already late, and the guy's being a d dick. So screw them. Sent to a gulag.
B
Outrageous.
A
Like, what is wrong with you? Love you. Bye. Love you. Bye. Bye.
Episode 3536 – Good Settler, Bad Settler – Update from the West Bank w/ Jasper Nathaniel
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Sam Seder
Guest: Jasper Nathaniel, Publisher of Infinite Jazz Substack
This episode features an in-depth interview with Jasper Nathaniel, who has just returned from a reporting trip to the West Bank. The conversation focuses on settler violence, the dynamics of “good” vs. “bad” settlers, updates on legal proceedings against Israeli settlers, and the struggle to free an American teenager from Israeli military detention. Throughout, the hosts and guest critique both Israeli and U.S. handling of these human rights concerns and reflect on media coverage and political accountability.
[05:44–15:49]
Quote:
"If this election is close... Republican congressmen around the country are going to say, 'It's just not worth it.' ...There's going to be Republican congressmen who say it's exhausting to run for office. I can go out and get a corporate job... while the gettin's good." – Sam Seder [15:49]
[28:12–68:56]
[28:22–32:01]
[32:10–55:43]
Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American, was held in an Israeli military prison for over nine months after being accused of throwing a stone (which he denied, later confessing under beating and duress).
He was released on Thanksgiving after extensive, relentless pressure from family, activists, and select U.S. lawmakers (notably Chris Van Hollen).
The family endured months of silence, procedural delays, and lack of U.S. governmental action.
Quote:
"There was like literally no effort whatsoever from anybody in the US Government for the first five, six months of his detention." – Jasper Nathaniel [38:20]
Lawmakers "deep in the pockets of AIPAC" secretly assisted without public credit due to fear of political backlash.
Memorable Anecdote: Jasper shares how his own mother led a campaign of daily calls to lawmakers’ offices to shame them into acting, pressuring Sen. Gillibrand and others to finally intervene.
"The message to them has basically been just wait until I leak the call logs that shows... I've called you every single day and you did nothing." – Jasper Nathaniel [42:11]
Mohammed’s release led to the release of the three Palestinian non-American teens accused of the same offense.
Conditions in Israeli military prison are described as barbaric, with children — charged as “security prisoners” — treated like Hamas fighters, subjected to beatings and starvation.
Quote:
"The kids who they pick up on rock throwing charges are known as security prisoners. That puts them in the same category as a Hamas fighter... They are treated under the same terror laws in Israel." – Jasper Nathaniel [49:01]
[56:44–67:18]
Nathaniel discusses the "Good Settler, Bad Settler" narrative, arguing that so-called fringe anarchist violence is intimately connected to the broader settlement movement.
Military and government authorities publicly condemn "violent fringe" settlers while quietly authorizing and legalizing previously “illegal” outposts, integrating them into mainstream settlements.
Quote:
"The violent settlers are essentially the tip of the spear... they terrorize Palestinians, and at a certain point... the 'good settlers' come in and start to build a 'good settlement,' and then the state comes behind them and authorizes it." – Jasper Nathaniel [58:09]
The distinction between “good” and “bad” settlers is a fiction that obscures the violence inherent to the entire settlement project.
Liberal Zionists’ material and political support of settlement organizations, even under the guise of legality or moderation, ultimately upholds ethnic cleansing.
Sam Seder expands the argument, noting that the absence of a real effort among any Israeli coalition to dismantle settlements proves how structural the occupation and expansionism are.
"There is no meaningful movement to extract the settlers from the West Bank and to dismantle the settlement movement... unless the ostensible left wing in Israel is willing to actively dismantle the settlement movement... they're part of the settlement project." – Jasper Nathaniel [65:10]
Links: