David Frum on Israel and Zionism

A sourced history of statements and actions associated with this topic.

Disputes concerning Israel, Zionism, and their relationship to Jewish identity and political advocacy.

Scope: Distinguishes criticism of Israeli policy, opposition to Zionism, and claims about Jewish people while documenting where participants dispute those boundaries.

Condemned1Distinct events · August 26, 2026–August 26, 2026 — Not selected; activate to add.Defended or excused0Distinct events · No published events — Not selected; activate to add.Challenged the characterization0Distinct events · No published events — Not selected; activate to add.Minimized0Distinct events · No published events — Not selected; activate to add.Mixed or conditional1Distinct events · August 26, 2026–August 26, 2026 — Selected filter; activate to remove.Explicitly stayed out0Distinct events · No published events — Not selected; activate to add.

Counts document individual events. They do not assign an overall position.

By category Timeline

Distinct documented events

Position history

1 event on this page · Inclusive range: August 26, 2026–August 26, 2026

1 matching event · Inclusive range: August 26, 2026–August 26, 2026

2 total published events · Inclusive range: August 26, 2026–August 26, 2026

August 26, 2026Mixed or conditional
Addressed record
El-Sayed's cycle-of-violence framing rationalized the antisemitic attack or improperly shifted explanatory responsibility toward Israel and Jews.
“Good start. But then ... So that's not so good.”
Speaker capacity
Staff writer at The Atlantic and host of The David Frum Show
Editorial rationale
His response combines explicit credit for the opening condemnation with a negative assessment of what followed.
The David Frum Show: Dana Nessel and Jewish voters in Michigan (opens in a new tab)

Closing exchange after the Piker clip

Frum responds to a clip of the disputed passage during an episode about Jewish voters and Michigan politics.

View context Abdul El-Sayed's cycle of violence framing after the Temple Israel attack