In 2018, a large media co. was trying to recruit me. One of the interviewers was a former senior editor from a major newspaper you read on the daily. We had already chatted on the phone, before the in-person. He sat down & said "I'm gonna ask you something unrelated to this job."

I wasn't sure where it was going so I laughed and said "sure, let's hear it!"

He responded: "So, I read this piece by you - on BDS and Israel."

I'm very expressive so I'm sure he saw my eyes drop as I tried to stay cool & keep smiling.

We talked for about half an hour about Israel, liberal zionism, Muslim zionist allies (lol) & the piece I had written. He interrogated me on my positions up until I finally just had to put an end to it.

I said, near verbatim bc I'll never forget, "I know my positions aren't popular in the mainstream but I'd rather be on the right side of justice and if that costs me a job, so be it." He smiled & said 'well, this work was top notch investigative work and you should be proud.'

Didn't get the job (and tbh, thank God) but still glad, to this day, I stuck to my principles and that I had the confidence to say what I did so clearly.

So excuse me for not giving a flying fig what those who have actively worked to suppress and criminalize the free speech of Palestinians, and those in solidarity with them, have to say about free speech.