Author Uri Kaufman Blames ‘Cognitive Dissonance’ and Racial Lens for Progressive Antisemitism in New Book - Alan Skorski Reports

In a recent interview with podcast host Alan Skorski, historian and author Uri Kaufman discussed his forthcoming book, American Intifada: Israel, the Gaza War, and the New Antisemitism, arguing that progressive support for Hamas following the October 7, 2023, massacre stems from cognitive dissonance and a racialized worldview that casts Israelis as “white oppressors” and Palestinians as “people of color.” Kaufman, whose previous work on the Yom Kippur War was named a top history book by the Financial Times, pointed to former President Barack Obama’s post-October 7 comments as a prime example. Obama stated that “nobody’s hands are clean” in the conflict and described the situation for Palestinians as “unbearable,” partly attributing it to Israel’s “occupation.” “There was no occupation,” Kaufman said, noting Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, including the removal of all settlements and even the exhumation of Jewish graves. He called Obama’s reference to an ongoing occupation factually incorrect and not merely an instance of cognitive dissonance, but a deliberate distortion. Cognitive dissonance, Kaufman explained, occurs when individuals alter facts to preserve deeply held beliefs rather than adjust those beliefs. For many progressives, he argued, an obsession with race leads them to view Gazans as oppressed people of color and Israeli Jews — regardless of the country’s ethnic diversity — as privileged whites. This framework, he said, allows supporters to justify calls for humanitarian aid to Hamas-ruled Gaza even after the group’s October 7 attack killed 1,200 people, involved widespread rape and the burning of infants, and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. “Imagine if white supremacists controlled Gaza and committed the same atrocities against Black Israelis,” Kaufman posed hypothetically. “No one on the left would demand aid for them. But because Palestinians are seen as people of color, the same rules don’t apply.” Kaufman also addressed Israel’s intelligence failure leading to October 7, attributing it to the “Conceptzia” — a prevailing assumption that Hamas would never risk its lucrative arrangements with Israel by launching a full-scale attack. Prior to the massacre, he noted, Israel supplied Gaza with massive amounts of aid: in 2022 alone, 5.7 billion gallons of water, two-thirds of its electricity, all of its fuel, 67,000 truckloads of goods, and work permits for 17,000 Gazans. “Hamas was willing to sacrifice everything for jihad,” Kaufman said. “Israel had no Plan B because it never imagined an enemy would choose national suicide over survival.” On shifting global attitudes, Kaufman described a “moral collapse” in Western Europe and parts of the English-speaking world, including Canada, Australia, France and the United Kingdom. Yet he highlighted strong pro-Israel sentiment in Central and Eastern Europe — such as Hungary, Poland and Serbia — as well as in Asian democracies like South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. -VIN News Alan Skorski Reports 25NOV2025 - PODCAST