A few weeks ago, there was an awesome event in Brooklyn in partnership with UnHerd called Dissident Dialogues. It was exactly what it sounds like: debates and discussions on the most pressing questions facing our society today. Questions like: Have we reached peak woke? Can universities be saved? Can liberalism be saved? Is government censorship justified? Is this the end of mainstream media? and What is the future of feminism? So basically, just the light stuff.
But probably the most contentious debate of the weekend was: Is Israel’s war on Hamas a just war?Â
This is not an easy debate. Emotions run hot, the stakes are high, people’s morality is called into question, and there are a lot of competing narratives. Which is all the more reason to debate the topic in public, something we always advocate for at The Free Press.
Arguing no, that Israel’s war on Hamas is not a just war, are Briahna Joy Gray and Jake Klein. Briahna was the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, and is host of the Bad Faith podcast. Arguing alongside Briahna is Jake Klein. Jake is a content creator for the Foundation for Economic Education, and he is a co-founder and editor at The Black Sheep.
Arguing yes, that Israel’s war on Hamas is a just war, are two of our very own Free Pressers, Eli Lake and Michael Moynihan. Eli is a columnist at The Free Press and a longtime journalist covering foreign affairs and national security. And Michael Moynihan, who you’ve heard guest-host Honestly, is a veteran journalist, having spent years at Vice, The Daily Beast, and Reason magazine. He is also a host of The Fifth Column podcast.
The debate is moderated by the one and only Russian British satirist, co-host of the Triggernometry podcast, and Free Press contributor, Konstantin Kisin.
Facebook: Dissident Dialogues
Instagram: @dissident_dialogues
X: @diss_dialogues
YouTube: @dissidentdialogues-qm3gm?si=f-hldBmIK9CnGqRn
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I'm uncomfortable taking a position on something I haven't heard, but I cannot imagine that listening to this would be worth my time. First, there's the simple fact that if this war isn't just, no war is. One can take the position that no war is, but then it would wrong to focus on this one.
Second, having read a smattering of Ms. Gray's tweets since 10/7, and wondering, as one does, whether they bespeak more ignorance, stupidity or malevolence, I have come down on the side of malevolence.
Holy shit. Briahna is absolutely loathsome in this debate. No class. Hardly any compelling arguments made by her. Thankful to see how meritless her ideas are, but wow that was a rough listen.