How America's most powerful Jewish group became a censorship machine for Israel
By isabelle // 2026-01-22
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  • The Anti-Defamation League faces accusations of systematically silencing critics of Israel.
  • Critics argue the ADL pressures tech platforms and lawmakers to censor political dissent.
  • The organization's CEO has publicly called for the banning of specific commentators like Tucker Carlson.
  • Proposed legislation backed by the ADL could heavily fine platforms for content related to broadly defined "terrorist" groups.
  • A growing coalition warns this campaign conflates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism to suppress free speech.
A powerful Jewish advocacy group has abandoned its civil rights roots to become what critics say is the most effective censorship operation in America, systematically silencing critics of a foreign government with the full cooperation of Congress and Big Tech. The Anti-Defamation League, once respected for combating anti-Semitism, now functions primarily as an enforcement arm for Israel, according to journalist Glenn Greenwald and a growing coalition of free speech advocates. The organization wields its historic credibility like a weapon, they argue, pressuring lawmakers to pass unconstitutional legislation, bullying social media companies into banning dissenting voices, and destroying the careers of Americans whose only transgression is questioning U.S. support for Israel. The evidence of this transformation, Greenwald contends, is no longer deniable. The controversy crystallized recently when ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt explicitly called for social media platforms to ban specific commentators. In a public address, Greenblatt labeled commentators Tucker Carlson, Hasan Piker, and Nick Fuentes “disgusting” and declared, “We definitely are working a lot to try to get the platforms to… enforce their own terms of service.” His stated goal is to have “people on the right take down Tucker Carlson” and to silence other voices. This push extends beyond public pressure. The ADL is actively involved in legislative efforts that could force tech companies’ hands. Greenwald highlights a bipartisan bill, the Stopping Terrorists Online Presence and Holding Accountable Tech Entities (STOP HATE) Act, championed by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.). The bill, unveiled at a press conference with Greenblatt, would fine social media companies $5 million daily for failing to curb content related to groups designated as “terrorists.”

The expanded definition of hate

Critics warn the law’s application hinges on broad definitions. At the bill’s press conference, Bacon suggested that protests against Israeli policy and even opposition to pro-Israel lawmakers could be problematic. “I even saw an article today… talking about we have to oppose congressmen who are pro-Zionists, right?” Bacon said. This perspective aligns with the ADL’s own evolving stance. Following the October 7 Hamas attacks, the ADL changed its methodology for tracking anti-Semitic incidents to include expressions of “opposition to Zionism.” Greenwald argues this conflation is the heart of the issue. “This is not about anti-Semitism,” he states. “It’s about whether Americans have the right or not to criticize Israel.” He points to the ADL’s own statements as evidence. In a 2024 report, CEO Greenblatt said, “Social media platforms are still falling far too short when it comes to moderating antisemitic and anti-Israel content,” explicitly tying the two concepts together.

A history of targeting critics

The campaign against individual critics is not new. Greenwald notes the ADL “was on a constant crusade” to get Tucker Carlson fired from Fox News, which it later “hailed” when it happened. In 2018, CNN severed ties with contributor Marc Lamont Hill after a speech on Israel that the ADL condemned. The pattern, critics say, reveals a focus not on bigotry in general, but on pro-Israel orthodoxy. “You can be as anti-LGBT as you want,” Greenwald contends, citing commentators who face no ADL pressure because they support Israel. The ADL’s influence also appears central to the political drive against TikTok. Greenblatt has called the platform “Al Jazeera on steroids, amplifying and intensifying the anti-Semitism and the anti-Zionism.” Greenwald and others note that momentum to ban TikTok significantly increased after the app became a space for sharing footage of Gaza, alleging the push is “due to Israel and not China.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly cited the forced sale of TikTok to a pro-Israel consortium as a major wartime success.

Free speech advocates push back

The legislative and corporate pressure has sparked a coalition of concern. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee warned the STOP HATE Act gives the government and groups like the ADL “unfettered powers to police private social media companies, attack lawful expression.” Abed Ayoub, the group’s director, said, “We must reject any legislation that threatens our speech, our conscience, and our right to dissent.” The ADL's crusade represents an existential threat to American free speech. "The Anti-Defamation League has long branded itself as… a standard liberal civil rights group," Greenwald states. "It has long ceased being that." What has replaced it is something far more troubling: an organization that uses accusations of bigotry as cover while advancing the interests of a foreign state at the expense of Americans' constitutional rights. The pattern is undeniable: critics of Israel face coordinated campaigns to destroy their livelihoods, legislation designed to criminalize their speech advances through Congress with ADL operatives literally standing over lawmakers, and social media platforms bend to pressure that explicitly targets political dissent rather than genuine hate. The question is no longer whether this is happening, but whether Americans will tolerate an organization with divided loyalties dictating the boundaries of acceptable discourse in their own country. As Greenwald's documentation makes clear, defending Israel abroad has become indistinguishable from censoring citizens at home, and the ADL is leading the charge. Sources for this article include: X.com CommonDreams.org AlJazeera.com
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