US Detains Pro-Palestine Journalist Sami Hamdi Amid “Israel” Lobby Pressure

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has detained prominent pro-Palestine British journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi under the influence of the pro-“Israel” lobby, sparking outrage among civil rights advocates and free speech defenders.

Hamdi was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] officials at San Francisco Airport on Sunday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR] condemned the detention as “a blatant affront to free speech,” linking it directly to Hamdi’s outspoken criticism of “Israel’s” genocidal war on Gaza.

A well-known critic of both US and “Israeli” policies, Hamdi had spoken at a CAIR gala in Sacramento on Saturday evening and was scheduled to appear at another event in Florida the following day before being stopped by ICE. According to CAIR, his detention followed a coordinated “far-right, ‘Israel’ First campaign.” The group stated, “Our nation must stop abducting critics of [the 'Israeli' entity] at the behest of unhinged 'Israel' First bigots … This is an 'Israel' First policy, not an America First policy, and it must end.”

Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a close ally of US President Donald Trump who describes herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and “white advocate,” publicly celebrated the incident. “You are lucky his only fate is being arrested and deported,” Loomer wrote online, labeling Hamdi “a supporter of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Loomer and other extremist figures credited the escalation against Hamdi to the RAIR [Rise Align Ignite Reclaim] Foundation, a pro-“Israel” pressure group that claims to combat “Islamic supremacy.” The organization recently accused Hamdi—without evidence—of trying to “expand a foreign political network hostile to American interests,” calling on authorities to deport him.

Supporters and rights advocates have denounced Hamdi’s detention as a politically motivated act of retaliation against critics of “Israel,” reflecting an alarming trend of silencing dissenting voices at US borders.

Since “Israel” began its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, at least 68,000 Palestinians have been martyred and over 170,000 others wounded, most of them women and children. Experts warn that the true death toll could reach hundreds of thousands once the missing and those buried under the rubble are counted.