While it is easy to understand why the pro-Palestinian camp tokenises antizionist Jews, it is hard to understand why the British media so rarely challenges them.
In 2026, different outlets covering pro-Palestinian protests and calls to restrict them following the surge in antisemitism continue to put a flattering spotlight on antizionist Jews.
It is, of course, legitimate for them to voice their views — but it is not legitimate to portray them as the most representative voice, and, even more importantly, to recoil from asking them challenging questions about their real core beliefs.
This soft approach has been evident in reports about some of the recent protests in support of Palestine Action (which remains a proscribed organisation pending the outcome of the Home Secretary’s appeal), where antizionist Jews are most likely to be platformed.
Usually, anti-Zionist Jews deploy general, well-chewed statements against Israel and disavow any antisemitic sentiment in their political camp. So, last April, I went to Trafalgar Square for one of these protests for a longer conversation.
It was easy to spot large flags of antizionist Jewish organisations, including JNP, solemnly announcing the participation of a handful of their activists at the protest. I approached one of the flag-holders, who happened to be the chair of JNP, David Cannon, who also serves as a councillor on Loders Parish Council in Dorset.
Surprisingly quickly, the noble manifestos about freedom of speech and Jewish solidarity with Palestinians spiralled into something dark.
The ground-zero question was October 7. According to Cannon, “the problem with Israel is [that] most of the population have to go into the army,” concluding that “there's very few innocent Israelis”. To the follow-up question of whether October 7 was therefore justified, he replied: “October the 7th started in 1948, not on October the 7th.”
According to Cannon, “a lot of people were murdered by the Israeli forces” on that day, and this had “been kept a secret”. While trying to keep my cool, thinking about my southern family and friends who were attacked that day, I asked him whether he was claiming that “Israelis, Jews, deliberately went and massacred their own people inside their own villages?” Cannon asserted: “Yes,” adding that it was the Hannibal Directive – an Israeli military procedure used in extreme circumstances in which maximum force can be used to extract captives, even at the risk of harming a hostage. He went on to claim that “the IDF independently went in with helicopters and tanks and indiscriminately murdered everything inside”.
Internal investigations and survivors' testimonies show that the vast majority of victims were murdered by terrorists.
Protesters at a Palestine rally in London (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)Getty Images
Although Cannon said that he had watched body-camera footage recorded by Hamas members, he insisted on describing them as “freedom fighters” who had “been kept prisoner in a concentration camp for decades.” He said that on October 7 they did not invade but “entered Palestinian land”.
Pressed on whether Hamas had killed innocent civilians, Cannon said they “probably” had, and added: “I decry any innocent deaths.” Nevertheless, he insisted that the IDF killed “maybe the majority” of those who died.
When asked about the sexual violence against Israelis at massacre sites such as the Nova music festival, Cannon replied: “You shouldn't believe everything you hear in the corporate media.”
In the end, Cannon stopped the interview, claiming that I was a Zionist for asking my oh-so “provocative” questions. Obviously, while surrounded by the hardcore of Palestine Action supporters and activists, I removed any Jewish-related jewellery and did not expose my Israeli-Jewish identity. After all, Cannon and other protesters probably would not have talked to me otherwise.
In a subsequent response to the JC, Cannon broadly stood by his comments, confirming that JNP sees Hamas as “freedom fighters” who are “a legitimate part of the Palestinian resistance,” and that the October 7 attack was justified under international law.
Regarding sexual violence on October 7, Cannon stated that “no one has presented any evidence for Hamas raping. In fact, released Israeli hostages have said how well they were treated when in Palestinian custody.” Additionally, he accused Israeli soldiers of “mass rape”, including “training guard dogs to anally rape men.”
In the recent years, JNP has been a vocal antizionist organisation. According to its website, it was founded by UK members of the US-based controversial antizionist organisation Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Palestine Action is listed on its website as one of JNP’s ‘sister organisation’ (in his response, Cannon said the JNP had “never described” Palestine Action as a sister organisation and had encouraged support for its activities only before it was proscribed). Among JNP’s listed patrons are the actress Miriam Margolyes and the professors Ilan Pappé and Avi Shlaim. Tony Greenstein, a member of JNP’s Steering Committee and a founding member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), was recently suspended from the Green Party over antisemitism allegations.
Cannon is not the first and will not be the last Jew in history to turn against the majority of his own people. The question is: why is he and his JNP comrades treated as representatives of that people?
