17.06.26
Editorial Note
Israel Academia Monitor (IAM) has reported extensively on Prof. Haim Bresheerh-Zabner, a filmmaker, photographer, and film studies scholar at SOAS University of London. He is a former activist in Matzpen, an Israeli socialist and anti-Zionist organization. Matzpen was a small but influential Israeli radical left organization founded in 1962. It rejected mainstream Zionism, viewed Israel through an anti-colonial framework, and advocated cooperation between Jewish and Arab socialists throughout the Middle East. Although never electorally significant, it had a lasting intellectual influence on parts of the Israeli and international anti-Zionist left. Bresheeth-Zabner joined Matzpen’s London branch.
Recently, on June 10, 2026, Tehran Times reported that “Iran Honors Activists with ‘Right Side of History’ Medal.” A group of international activists, artists, academics, and political figures participated in a ceremony in Tehran on June 8, 2026, highlighting “a growing global movement in support of Palestine and opposition to Western-backed policies in West Asia.” The award recognizes individuals who “have publicly supported the Palestinian cause and challenged dominant Western narratives regarding conflicts in the Middle East.”
Bresheeth-Zabner is among the winners. Several recipients were unable to attend and instead delivered video messages that were screened during the event. Among them was Bresheeth-Zabner, who was “honored for his academic work critical of Zionism.” In his videoed remarks, Bresheeth-Zabner “praised Iran’s support for Palestinians and described standing for political principles as increasingly difficult in today’s international environment.”
Mahdi Ebrahimzadeh, deputy and chief of staff of the Islamic Revolution Cultural and Research Institute, welcomed the guests, followed by a “series of speeches focused on resistance, political activism, and international solidarity with Palestine.” The medal “Right Side of History” was named after a letter that Ayatollah Khamenei wrote to American students in May 2024 praising them for political activism and urging them to stand on the “right side of history” by protesting against the war in Iran and supporting the Palestinians.
Tehran Times noted that similar ceremonies have previously been held in Tehran, Caracas, and Ghana, reflecting “an expanding international network of activists, intellectuals, and public figures advocating for Palestinian rights and opposing Zionism and global hegemonic policies.”
Bresheeth-Zabner stands out even by the standards of the anti-Zionist fraternity. In late 2024, Israel Academia Monitor reported that Bresheeth-Zabner was detained overnight in the UK by the police for delivering hate speech during a pro-Palestinian rally in October 2024 on behalf of the group Jewish Network for Palestine, which he co-founded. IAM noted that Bresheeth-Zabner was wearing a keffiyeh.
In June 2025, Israel Academia Monitor posted a “Report on the First Jewish Anti-Zionist Congress in Vienna,” which Bresheeth-Zabner helped to organize.
Last week, Bresheeth-Zabner reported on the upcoming second Congress, which will take place on June 26–28, 2026, in Dublin, Ireland, titled “From Vienna to Dublin: Gathering for the Second Anti-Zionist Congress.” According to Bresheeth-Zabner, the Dublin Congress “has a very loaded agenda to discuss and to move from mere debate to political action.”
Bresheeth-Zabner stated that in last year’s Congress, “The foundation was laid, and we are now tasked with the next stage – building the movement, directing its objectives, listening and collaborating with the Palestine global movement and contributing towards turning the Jewish communities from servile centers of support for Israeli crimes to becoming part of the Anti-Zionist opposition to the Israeli genocidal entity.”
The Congress participants include “leading voices in the struggle for Palestinian liberation and international justice, including Ilan Pappé, Ramzy Baroud, Francesca Albanese, Jérôme Lagarce, and Craig Mokhiber, the Congress seeks to move beyond analysis and towards practical strategies for confronting Zionism and supporting Palestinian freedom… As Anti-Zionist Jews, we are well placed to change all that – to play our part in the decolonization, de-Zionisation and liberation of Palestine from the Zionist oppression that Britain has imposed on its indigenous population. For two millennia, Jews have suffered various forms of oppression, including becoming the victims of one of the greatest genocides. This should drive all Jews to oppose genocide, and especially one perpetrated by Jews in the name of all Jews!”
Bresheeth Zabner ended by stating that “The debates in Dublin must concentrate on the liberation of Palestine from Zionism and its militarized genocide, indeed, on liberating the whole of West Asia from the monstrosity which Israel has become – the chaos engine of the West, involved in sowing death and destruction in six states over the last couple of years. But there is another type of liberation we must achieve in Dublin – the liberation of the Jewish mind, now under occupation by Zionism, militarism, racism and Jewish supremacism. Zionism has not only occupied Palestine and other states in West Asia – it has occupied and destroyed Judaism itself, exchanging the deity and Jewish history with the militarized racism of Israeli settler-colonialism. That is the first task of the Congress – let us liberate Judaism everywhere from the claws of genocidal Zionism. Let us fully join Palestinians in their struggle for justice, peace, and equality, for freedom in their own land. Let us do everything humanly possible to stop the genocide, to reverse its terrifying damage, to help rebuild Gaza and Palestine, and to bring to justice those responsible for the genocidal crimes. Only thus will there be a future for humans in Palestine – to liberate Palestine by ending Zionism is to create an independent and just Judaism, free of antisemitism and Islamophobia. This has existed in many Arab and Muslim societies where Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived together in a form of coexistence termed “Convivencia” by later historians. Such societies were free of the deep racism of Europe, now making a comeback. If it was possible in Al Andalus, North Africa, the Middle East, Iran, Turkiye and the Balkans, why is it not possible now? The removal of Zionism may open the gates to a new history of Convivencia, and not just in Palestine.”
Bresheeth-Zabner’s vision of reviving Convivencia—a concept often described as a period of peaceful coexistence among Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Spain and viewed as having been romanticized—rests on a highly idealized interpretation of history. Critics of this view note that Jews in Muslim societies lived as dhimmis, a protected but subordinate non-Muslim population subject to various legal and social restrictions. They were also vulnerable to episodes of discrimination and violence. One notable example was the Farhud, the pogrom that took place in Baghdad in 1941, during which mobs killed Jews, looted homes and businesses, and destroyed property.
His dream of Convivencia seems particularly ironic given that the Iranian regime has long declared its desire to obliterate the State of Israel. Ayatollah Khomeini, whose medal he received, went so far as to argue that, based on verses from the Koran, Israel will disappear from the face of the earth in 2040. A digital countdown clock in Tehran was set up according to this timeline.
Whatever their intentions, in practice, the rhetoric of the anti-Zionists functions as ideological reinforcement for Iran, which openly frames Israel’s destruction as a political objective. By blurring the line between critique and delegitimization, they amplify a discourse that does not aim at reforming Israel but at erasing it. This is what Bresheeth-Zabner is calling for.
Britain should rein in this terror sympathizer.
REFERENCES
Iran introduces winners of Right Side of History Medal
Iran has announced the winners of its Right Side of History Medal to a number of international activists, artists and politicians in a ceremony held in the capital Tehran on Tuesday.
Ali Bagheri, Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, addressing the ceremony, denounced US President Donald Trump’s explicit admission of seeking “peace through force,”, Taqrib News Agency (TNA) cited Khamenei.ir as reporting.
He described Trump’s policy as the complete trampling of logic, dialogue, and rationality in favor of savagery and murder.
Saeid Reza Ameli, a jury member hailed the awakening of American youths and mobilizing protest against the US war on Iran and killing of Minab school students in contrast with the years needed to build anti-war awareness during Vietnam era.
Mick Wallace, the former Irish Member of the European Parliament, was among the recipients of the award, recognized for his independent foreign policy and advocacy for social justice.
In part of the ceremony, video messages were screened from recipients who could not attend the meeting among them Professor Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, a British historian and filmmaker at SOAS, renowned Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji, Yemeni cartoonist Kamal Sharaf, Tushar Gandhi, an Indian activist and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Charlotte Kates, a Canadian human rights lawyer and coordinator of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.
Organized by the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the ceremony was held on Keshvardoost Street, close to the site where the Leader of Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei was martyred in February.
The Right Side of History Medal originates from a letter by the martyred Leader of Islamic Republic addressing the American university students in May 2024, in which he praised their political awakening and support for Palestine.
The event is one of several ceremonies held worldwide to honor those who have formed a branch of the Resistance Front and taken part in this activism to voice their opposition to the brutal crimes of Zionism and Global Arrogance.
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Iran honors activists with ‘Right Side of History’ medal
June 10, 2026 – 20:7
TEHRAN — Iran awarded its “Right Side of History” Medal to a group of international activists, artists, academics, and political figures during a ceremony in Tehran on Monday, highlighting ‘a growing global movement in support of Palestine and opposition to Western-backed policies in West Asia.’
The event was held on Keshvardoost Street, near the site where Iran says the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, was martyred in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026. The ceremony drew domestic and international guests, as well as members of the public, who gathered to commemorate the late leader.
Opening the event, Mahdi Ebrahimzadeh, deputy and chief of staff of the Islamic Revolution Cultural and Research Institute, welcomed attendees before a series of speeches focused on resistance, political activism, and international solidarity with Palestine.
Saeed Reza Ameli, speaking on behalf of the award’s selection committee, said the medal was inspired by Ayatollah Khamenei’s message to young people around the world. He argued that recent protests against the war in Iran and support for Palestinians demonstrated ‘a growing political awakening among younger generations.’
According to organizers, the award recognizes individuals who have publicly supported the Palestinian cause and challenged dominant Western narratives regarding conflicts in the Middle East.
Several recipients who were unable to attend the ceremony delivered video messages that were screened during the event.
Among them was British historian and filmmaker Professor Haim Bresheeth-Zabner of SOAS University of London, who was honored for his academic work critical of Zionism. In his remarks, Bresheeth-Zabner praised Iran’s support for Palestinians and described standing for political principles as increasingly difficult in today’s international environment.
Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji discussed her film Land of Angels, which she said was produced to highlight the humanitarian situation in Gaza. She described the project as an effort to draw attention to the loss of basic rights and daily hardships faced by Palestinians.
Yemeni political cartoonist Kamal Sharaf described the award as an encouragement for activists and advocates of social justice worldwide.
Indian activist Tushar Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, also addressed the audience via video, calling support for Palestinian rights a moral responsibility and urging greater international engagement with the issue.
Ali Bagheri, Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, delivered the ceremony’s keynote address, portraying recent events as evidence of Iran’s resilience in the face of external pressure.
Bagheri sharply criticized US foreign policy, particularly President Donald Trump’s doctrine of “peace through force,” arguing that military pressure cannot achieve political objectives. He said Iran’s response to recent military confrontations demonstrated the country’s determination to defend its sovereignty.
“We are proud that we defeated America, and America is defeated today,” Bagheri said, drawing applause from the audience.
Algerian journalist and writer Yahya Abou Zakaria also addressed the gathering, describing support for Iran and Palestine as a responsibility shared by advocates of freedom worldwide.
Filmmaker and screenwriter Babak Lotfi Khajeh-Pasha focused his remarks on the role of media in shaping international perceptions of conflicts. He argued that cultural and media institutions play a decisive role in influencing public understanding of global events and called for greater efforts to challenge dominant narratives.
“The media battle is one of the most important fronts in today’s world,” he said.
The ceremony concluded with medals being presented to recipients and representatives attending on behalf of those unable to travel to Tehran.
The “Right Side of History” Medal takes its name from a letter written by Ayatollah Khamenei to American university students in May 2024, in which he praised student activism and support for Palestine.
According to organizers, similar ceremonies have previously been held in Tehran, Caracas, and Ghana, reflecting ‘an expanding international network of activists, intellectuals, and public figures advocating for Palestinian rights and opposing Zionism and global hegemonic policies.’
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From Vienna to Dublin: Gathering for the Second Anti-Zionist Congress
The Dublin Congress has a very loaded agenda to discuss and to move from mere debate to political action. (Photo: Supplied)
The debates in Dublin must concentrate on the liberation of Palestine from Zionism and its militarized genocide, indeed, on liberating the whole of West Asia from the monstrosity which Israel has become.
Less than a year ago, the first Anti-Zionist Congress met in Vienna for three days of debates and discussion, in the very city that in February 1896 Theodor Herzl published Der Judenstaat, the small volume which started the development of political Zionism which led to the Zionist movement, and the settler-colonial state of Israel, now involved in fully-fledged genocide, ethnic cleansing of Palestine, a war against Iran and the destruction and genocide in South Lebanon. 130 years of Zionism have created the worst political monsters since the Third Reich. This was, of course, done in the name of liberating Jews.
The Jewish Apartheid state was set up in the same year, 1948, that the White Apartheid state was created in South Africa. At least that monster is already gone, though the way this was done did not lead to the liberation so many have worked for, and Blacks in South Africa are still living with many of the inequalities created by the White Apartheid regime.
Yet in Palestine, the Settler-colonial state of Israel seems stronger than ever, controlling the agenda, decision-making and the political direction of much of the global West, while it is involved in the most terrifying genocide of our lifetime. Despite the fact that this has gone on for almost three years, there seems to be no end in sight for the oppression, suffering, and destruction of Palestinian life in their own land, with every organization, institution, and even states that have partaken in the struggle against Israeli war crimes being crushed and punished by the combined might of the global West.
Surely, we are all involved? Surely, we are all suffering the loss of our rights for free speech, the right to protest, or the duty to uphold the law of the land and international law, under governments that are united in supporting crimes against humanity? That this is done in the name of helping Jews against antisemitism is one of the most persistent lies of our time. And Jews all over the world are uniting against it.
Last year, the Vienna Congress brought together a thousand activists to start the process of building a global Jewish opposition to Zionism, to Israel and its crimes, and to the states supporting these illegal atrocities – militarily, politically and financially. The foundation was laid, and we are now tasked with the next stage – building the movement, directing its objectives, listening and collaborating with the Palestine global movement and contributing towards turning the Jewish communities from servile centers of support for Israeli crimes to becoming part of the Anti-Zionist opposition to the Israeli genocidal entity.
Dublin was chosen for the second iteration of the Congress due to the specific role played by the Irish in opposition and defeating British settler-colonialism on the island of Ireland, at least in the South. Ireland was the first colony of the nascent British Empire, and we found it fit to discuss the future defeat of its last colony, the Zionist state in Palestine.
This is where this political malady had started, and this is where we should discuss the ending of the Palestine colony, started by the British Empire with its sordid gifting of Palestine to the Zionist movement in 1917, with the Balfour Declaration. Britain is the first empire that supported Zionism then, and has continued to do so without a break for 110 years – all British governments, of whatever political bent, have supported the crimes of Israel, and the current British government is proving there is nothing they will not do to continue such support – even the perversion of justice in Britain itself.
UK is alone in having arrested over 3,000 people, many of them frail and elderly, for the terrible crime of displaying a hand-written poster, judged as an act of terror, and justifying bringing terror charges against law-abiding citizens, by a regime displaying deep disregard for human rights, not just in Palestine but also in Britain. Dublin is an excellent historical location to remind the British regime that the struggle against injustice is sometimes successful. Indeed, in the long run, it is always successful.
The Dublin Congress has a very loaded agenda to discuss and to move from mere debate to political action. With contributions from leading voices in the struggle for Palestinian liberation and international justice, including Ilan Pappé, Ramzy Baroud, Francesca Albanese, Jérôme Lagarce, and Craig Mokhiber, the Congress seeks to move beyond analysis and towards practical strategies for confronting Zionism and supporting Palestinian freedom.
Most Western states are still supporting Israeli crimes. Most Jews in the West are still supporting Israel, and we need to turn this round. Most Jewish communities are still sending their sons and daughters to serve in a genocidal army.
Most synagogues in Britain are still holding Zionist events, holding prayers for Israel and the IDF. Most Jewish communities are still spreading Israeli Hasbara lies, silencing action for Palestine, and presenting themselves, as well as Israel, as the eternal victim, rather than admitting to the crimes of Zionism, aided and abetted by such communities. Such communities are still resistant to argument, evidence, and international law, not to mention morality.
As Anti-Zionist Jews, we are well placed to change all that – to play our part in the decolonization, de-Zionisation and liberation of Palestine from the Zionist oppression that Britain has imposed on its indigenous population. For two millennia, Jews have suffered various forms of oppression, including becoming the victims of one of the greatest genocides. This should drive all Jews to oppose genocide, and especially one perpetrated by Jews in the name of all Jews!
The debates in Dublin must concentrate on the liberation of Palestine from Zionism and its militarized genocide, indeed, on liberating the whole of West Asia from the monstrosity which Israel has become – the chaos engine of the West, involved in sowing death and destruction in six states over the last couple of years.
But there is another type of liberation we must achieve in Dublin – the liberation of the Jewish mind, now under occupation by Zionism, militarism, racism and Jewish supremacism. Zionism has not only occupied Palestine and other states in West Asia – it has occupied and destroyed Judaism itself, exchanging the deity and Jewish history with the militarised racism of Israeli settler-colonialism.
That is the first task of the Congress – let us liberate Judaism everywhere from the claws of genocidal Zionism. Let us fully join Palestinians in their struggle for justice, peace, and equality, for freedom in their own land. Let us do everything humanly possible to stop the genocide, to reverse its terrifying damage, to help rebuild Gaza and Palestine, and to bring to justice those responsible for the genocidal crimes.
Only thus will there be a future for humans in Palestine – to liberate Palestine by ending Zionism is to create an independent and just Judaism, free of antisemitism and Islamophobia. This has existed in many Arab and Muslim societies where Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived together in a form of coexistence termed “Convivencia” by later historians.
Such societies were free of the deep racism s of Europe, now making a comeback. If it was possible in Al Andalus, North Africa, the Middle East, Iran, Turkiye and the Balkans, why is it not possible now? The removal of Zionism may open the gates to a new history of Convivencia, and not just in Palestine.
To find out more about the Congress, its program, and to register and partake, please check the Congress website https://jazic.org – if you are unable to partake, please help us by making a donation: https://jazic.or
– Haim Bresheeth-Žabner is a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London, and the author of An Army Like No Other: How the IDF Made A Nation, Verso 2020. He contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle.
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