The Jerusalem Post continues to spread misinformation around the events of the Nova festival in an attempt to shift the narrative away from growing resistance movements in nightlife. In his article titled, "Jewish, Israeli musicians fear for their careers post-Oct. 7,” Nicholas Potter perpetuates debunked claims of mass sexual violence surrounding the Nova Festival, scapegoats nightlife organizers, and positions Israeli DJs as victims in the larger cultural battle against genocide.

The New York Times' accusations that resistance fighters committed acts of mass sexual violence at the Nova festival grounds creates more questions than answers, as internal correspondence within the paper shows staff members debating whether the claims are credible in the first place. Many of these claims were debunked by further analysis, and a recent report showed that Israeli authorities “found no evidence of sexual violence,” further dispelling the widespread narrative pushed by mainstream media outlets for over a year. What’s more, the festival was “irregularly approved” to move forward despite warnings by senior IOF officials that the attendees would be at risk of being targeted by rockets and mortar fire. The Post’s article also glosses over IOF Soldiers' own admission that they were instructed to use “The Hannibal Directive,” a formally revoked procedure that orders soldiers to prevent kidnappings by any means necessary. IOF reports put the death toll of festival at nearly 370, but the number of deaths that can be attributed to their own tactics or negligence is up for debate.

Nicholas Potter criticizes the nightlife scene for resisting events “mourning Nova victims.” This common dogwhistle focuses solely on the festival’s victims, ignoring the context of apartheid that it took place in and the genocide that followed. It implies the events at Nova came out of nowhere, as if history started on Oct. 7, 2023. Framing the attack as random implies Palestinians are inherently violent, serving to dehumanize them and perpetuate racist tropes that sit at the crux of Israel’s justification for mass murder.

Not only does he invoke the Nova festival attack to validate Israeli DJs' fear of losing their careers, Potter goes so far to invoke the roots of electronic music as having emerged with a “progressive, utopian outlook,” which is “often linked to black and queer emancipation.” His framework obscures the well-known history of Black and Palestinian solidarity that preceded the creation of House and Techno in Chicago and Detroit. Instead he argues these genres of music exist to create apolitical spaces where all ideologies, including Zionism, are welcome. This notion has been rejected by a large swath of the dance music community; the article cites this issue in bad faith, conflating the scene’s refusal to allow Zionism on the dancefloor with oppression.

Whether the author likes it or not, dancefloors are political spaces. There’s a clear and targeted campaign to suppress people of the SWANA diaspora in nightlife and at large, especially in countries like Germany. When a club like Berghain aligns with this effort, they’re making a clear endorsement of state violence. This in and of itself is worth interrogating further, as it provides a direct through line between a hedonistic club space and political censorship.

Instead, the article caters to the feelings of Israeli DJs; their alleged persecution takes precedence over the unimaginable loss of life in Gaza. The article states that these DJs are, “sad and disappointed,” “intimidated,” “excluded,” and “isolated.” Not a single artist is quoted saying their livelihoods are at stake— or that their “problems getting gigs abroad,” in the words of Israeli DJ Adi Shabat, comes with any financial risk or precarity. In the author's view, it’s not Israel’s atrocities that are to blame for Israeli DJs losing gigs, it’s the dance music community’s refusal to endorse Zionism.

Rather than recognize why movements like Ravers for Palestine and DJs Against Apartheid have garnered widespread support in their efforts to resist the genocide in Gaza, the article paints these organizations as antagonists who deprive DJs of career opportunities for supporting Israel, perpetuating an age-old right wing narrative that conflates accountability with victimhood. This narrative serves to delegitimize organized pressure against violent institutions by prioritizing the feelings of a few affected individuals while avoiding the wider material realities of victims of colonialism.

Nicholas Potter and The Jerusalem Post fall in line with the many forms of intimidation Zionists use to endanger individuals who stand against genocide. They attempt to threaten pro-Palestine DJs into silence by naming them directly and levy accusations of supporting terrorism for showing public support for Palestine. Unlike the Israeli DJs quoted in the piece, many pro-Palestine artists, DJs, and organizers have been censored and threatened with legal action for speaking truth to power.

A DJs Against Apartheid organizer challenged the article’s use of intimidation as a tactic, saying that “artists have consistently played a vital role in supporting and advancing liberation work” and that the Jerusalem Post piece, “attempts to dox, harm, scapegoat the DJs in our campaign who are continuing this legacy.” An event organizer also said of the piece, “At its worst, in an increasingly fascist information environment, it's dangerous, and puts the very people who are often fighting the hardest for what's right in their communities at risk of retaliation.” This article’s intentions are clear, weaving itself into the same project that— regardless of a ceasefire— Israel allocates hundreds of millions of dollars to continue: the circulation of right-wing propaganda and systematic quashing of dissent.

The title itself, "Jewish, Israeli musicians fear for their careers post-Oct. 7” supports this project’s aims by conflating Judaism with Zionism. Speaking on this issue, one Jewish nightlife organizer commented, “We have a responsibility as a nightlife community to foster spaces of mutual understanding and safety. Judaism is not Zionism: There is a long history of anti-Zionist Jewish practice, as well as a long history of anti-semitic Christian Zionism.” She continued, “Now is the time to uplift Jewish identities that allow for collective liberation, as well as other identities, including Palestinian identities, that allow for collective liberation.”

The piece ultimately serves to bolster the image of Israel as a nightlife hub, while defending pro-Israel DJs and clubs abroad. It’s not working. As the event organizer put it, “[A]nyone who knows the real cultural landscape in this moment will be able to read between the lines and see how desperate this attempt to create a story is.“ Regardless of how hard The Jerusalem Post or Nicholas Potter tries to redirect our sympathies, their attempts to intimidate nightlife members and reframe Zionism as an essential part of dance music culture is a losing battle.