From Huda Kattan to Billie Eilish: When the Story Begins in the Middle

After October 7, the question was not only how Israel would defend itself, but how the story of that defense would be told.

In the months since the Hamas massacre, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and more than 240 abducted, public discourse across much of the Western cultural sphere has taken on a recognizable shape. Moral language is abundant. Context is selective. Outrage is intense. Sequencing is inconsistent.

Recent controversies surrounding Huda Kattan and Billie Eilish illustrate the dynamic. Kattan, whose global brand thrives within liberal democratic systems, faced backlash after remarks that aligned with anti-Israel narratives and softened the context of Hamas’s October 7 attack. Eilish, meanwhile, sparked debate after reducing........

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