Jewish Activist: Trump Succumbs to Zionist Lobby, Deporting Palestine Supporters is a Disgrace (Exclusive)

Jewish-American activist Medea Benjamin said that President Donald Trump's policy of deporting anyone who criticizes “Israel” reflects how deeply he has caved to the pressure of the powerful pro-”Israel” lobby in the United States.

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, Benjamin described the Trump administration’s insistence on deporting people for simply expressing support for Palestinians as “deeply disappointing and damaging to America’s image.”

“Mainstream U.S. media fails to present a truthful and fair picture of the Palestinian tragedy in Gaza,” she added.

Benjamin expressed shock at senior American politicians who continue to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite watching the mass killing of civilians in Gaza.

“Gaza is the world’s largest open-air prison, created by Israel and its allies,” she said, adding, “No matter how much they try to spin the events of October 7, 2023 they can’t rewrite the facts.”

Born in New York on September 10, 1952, to a Jewish family, Susan Benjamin changed her name to Medea during her first year of college, inspired by the famous Greek myth.

In 1988, she co-founded Global Exchange with her husband, advocating for fair trade alternatives in the age of globalization.

Her influence grew significantly in 2022 when she founded Code Pink, a women-led peace group. She gained even more attention after the Israeli assault on Gaza, often confronting “pro-Israel” U.S. lawmakers in public to hold them accountable.

Over time, Benjamin has become a powerful voice and a persistent thorn in the side of successive U.S. administrations, especially on Washington-backed wars in the Middle East.

Gaza and Freedoms

How do you see the arrest of student Mahmoud Khalil in the United States? What impact does it have on the country’s image globally?

The U.S. has always portrayed itself as a beacon of free speech—but what we’re seeing now is the exact opposite. Arresting Khalil simply because they didn’t like what he said is a terrifying precedent.

In fact, we’re now seeing people being deported or denied entry to the U.S. over nothing more than pro-Palestinian social media posts.

This is deeply troubling for those of us who believe in free expression. The message it sends is chilling—it makes people afraid to speak their minds and damages America’s image abroad.

Is it really possible that the U.S. is afraid of voices calling for justice? That’s why I say Trump will stop at nothing to silence dissent—whether at home or overseas.

Some believe the U.S. is starting to resemble a third-world country when it comes to freedom and human rights. How do you respond to that?

I believe we’re going through an unprecedented crackdown on civil liberties and human rights. Increasingly, our society is being run by a handful of billionaires—people like Elon Musk.

That’s the exact opposite of what a healthy democracy should look like. A free society cannot be run by money and backroom deals. That’s not policy—that’s exploitation, where the powerful grab what they can and everyone else is pushed aside.

To me, it’s a disaster for American society. We don’t need more billionaires—we need a democratic government that values human dignity, both here and abroad.

Why do you think “Israel” sometimes holds so much sway over U.S. decision-making? What’s behind that?

It’s simple—the Israeli lobby. It’s extremely well-funded, well-organized, and made up of hardline Zionist groups, both Jewish and Christian, that wield immense influence across multiple levels of power.

Did the Biden administration’s strong support for Israel in its war on Gaza show any differences compared to Trump’s administration?

Unfortunately, no. Both are beholden to the Israeli lobby, which drives U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Biden’s approach to Palestine made it painfully clear—they seemed to be taking cues from somewhere else entirely.

And Trump’s administration was not different. There are deep ideological ties and powerful economic interests that the Zionist lobby uses to shape policy.

Your recent quote that anyone who stands with Netanyahu represents pure evil has gained traction. Could you elaborate on that?

What I said is this: anyone who continues to stand with Israel after everything we’ve seen is complicit in evil. We’ve watched children being slaughtered. How can anyone still support the Israeli government? To do that, they have to completely deny the humanity of the Palestinian people—that’s unrestrained evil.

Time doesn’t erase the truth. Netanyahu is killing children and women, demolishing homes with families inside, and his state continues to occupy land that doesn’t belong to it. These are facts—and no matter what the U.S. administration does to prop him up, it is aligning itself with that evil.

Trump’s Policies

Trump decided to shut down the Department of Education and redirect its mission. In your view, why did he take this step?

It was a campaign promise—he claimed the department was filled with “liberals” who were corrupting our education system, and argued that education should be left to the states.

To be honest, I don’t see it as a deeply impactful issue, but it does reflect the arrogance of this administration.

It’s clear that the Trump administration has no intention of backing down from its support for Netanyahu or cutting military and financial aid to Israel. Do you see any creative ways to pressure his administration into changing course?

I wish I had new strategies, but all I see are the ones we’ve used before—like weekly protests. Sadly, these haven’t changed minds in the White House.

Maybe two things could have an impact. First, a shift in public opinion—even within the Republican Party—if people start to value peace and reject spending taxpayer money on endless wars.

Second, the region’s growing instability. Trump doesn’t want to get dragged into a broader regional war, including with Iran. That kind of pressure might influence him to reconsider. I say might because nothing is guaranteed.

On a human level, how do you see Congress's role—given its major influence on U.S. policy—in addressing what's happening in Gaza?

The administration claims to care about the Palestinian people. They say they're pressuring Israel—“Please stop killing so many people, don’t starve civilians.” But it’s all performative. Their actions show the opposite.

Right now, they’re voting to send more money to Israel—to buy more bombs, which are being used against the people of Gaza.

Congress is not being honest on this issue—at all. As I’ve said, this is due to the influence of a powerful and deeply entrenched Zionist lobby. We can’t allow the United States to continue being held hostage by such forces.

Since taking office, Trump has pushed for higher tariffs on goods from other countries. Do you see this as beneficial for the U.S.?

I believe these trade wars will ultimately hurt American consumers and won’t bring back many jobs to the U.S.

I expect Trump will eventually be forced to backtrack, especially as people grow frustrated with rising prices on groceries and other essential goods.

That’s why he needs real advisors in these areas. Understanding economics isn’t just about being a businessman—it requires expert knowledge and policymaking experience.

What Trump is doing on this front is harming the U.S. more than helping it.

What do you think about Trump’s comments on buying Greenland or investing in Gaza and other such proposals?

He’s incredibly contradictory. On the one hand, he says “America First,” and on the other, he talks about taking over Greenland, Canada, the Panama Canal, Gaza [..] it’s just absurd.

Frankly, I think much of it sounds unhinged. Most Americans are far more concerned about domestic issues than about expanding territory. That’s why Trump often walks back these statements—he tends to throw out extreme ideas just to negotiate down to what he really wants.

How do you see Trump’s decisions regarding undocumented immigrants?

I think he shows a lack of appreciation and understanding for how much immigrants contribute to our society. Calling them rapists and criminals is deeply offensive to the millions of hardworking migrants in this country.

He needs to stop demonizing immigrants and start working toward a path to legal status for the millions who’ve lived here for decades without a chance to become legal citizens. Many other countries do this.

But using immigration as a wedge issue for political gain—especially when it affects real lives—is shameful and does nothing to help the United States.

U.S. Support for Dictatorships

The U.S. continues to back authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and across the Arab world. How do you see this affecting political activists in those countries and America’s image globally?

This is a reality we see all the time. U.S. support for repressive regimes in the Middle East directly harms activists in countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia—those who are working toward political change.

It also reveals America’s hypocrisy. On one hand, it imposes sanctions on governments like Venezuela for having “unfree and unfair” elections, yet on the other, it sells billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia, fully aware that these regimes are undemocratic.

This is a blatant contradiction—one of the major issues that U.S. administrations consistently avoid addressing. Why? Because, unfortunately, successive administrations have always found their interests better served by backing dictatorships in the region.

This needs to be challenged from within. People must call out this double standard and demand that the U.S. stop aligning itself with oppressive regimes—this alignment is not just politically damaging, it’s an affront to basic human dignity.

The Trump administration is no exception—if anything, it’s worse. Trump openly boasts about supporting dictators in certain countries. Sadly, we've hit rock bottom with policies like these.

Some claim “the conflict with Israel” over Gaza began on October 7. What’s your response to that?

Yes, there are those who aggressively promote this false narrative, hoping to sway public opinion into excusing Israel’s crimes and accepting the ongoing campaign of extermination.

But where were these voices back in 1948, when Israel began forcibly displacing Palestinians, killing them, burning their homes—events that are well documented in history? Even in recent memory, Israel never stopped repressing Palestinians in Gaza. After its so-called withdrawal in 2006, it maintained full control over land, sea, and air—effectively turning Gaza into an open-air prison and rendering life there nearly impossible.

Can anyone really ignore these facts? Gaza is the world’s largest open-air prison, created by Israel and sustained by its allies. No amount of spin around October 7 can erase that reality.

Do you think mainstream U.S. media presents a fair picture of what’s happening in Gaza?

Absolutely not. That’s why we must do everything we can to help the American public understand that continued support for Netanyahu’s government is unacceptable.

As a Jewish person, I believe I have a legitimate voice in this conversation. This doesn’t help Jews. It doesn’t help Israel. And it certainly doesn’t help the United States’ relationships with the Muslim world—or global stability more broadly.