The 21st century has witnessed a rising tide of anti-semitism or anti-Zionism in America and worldwide. Following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, the Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been dispensing stern blows to Palestine, particularly Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have been engaged in inhuman atrocities against innocent citizens in Gaza and have added to the genocide of civilians there. About 50,000 individuals have been brutally murdered in the so-called Israeli operation against Hamas. The moment the US Oval Office was taken over by President Donald Trump, the US conservative academia and scholars became active.
Project Esther by the Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative and pro-Israeli think-tank, formally released a policy paper called Project Esther on October 7, 2024, simultaneously marking the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack.
The project’s clear purpose is countering the rising voices of pro-Palestinian and anti-semitic sentiment in the United States. Victoria Coates, a senior political advisor in the United States, Robert Greenway, Director of the Allison Centre for National Security at the Heritage Foundation, and Daniel Flesch, Senior Policy Analyst for the Middle East and North Africa, founded Project Esther.
Historical Perspective
Project Esther was named and inspired by the old theological belief of Jews. In the Bible narratives, the Chapter of Megillat Esther fully illustrates a tale of Ahasuerus, a Persian king and his queen, Esther. During the mid-fourth century BCE, King Ahasuerus publicly ordered the execution of all the Jews living in his kingdom. This was because a Jew refused to bow down in front of the Persian King. Therefore, the King commanded his chief minister, Haman, to kill all the Jews in his empire. Ahasuerus’s new Queen Esther was also a Jew; nobody knew about this.
The King loved her the most. So she consciously chose, under the advice of his cousin, to cancel this genocidal decree against Jews. She informed the King that under his order of the Jews’ extermination, she would also be murdered. The Persian King, who was already in love with Esther, reversed his decree and ordered him to slay Haman and his clan. Consequently, Queen Megillat Esther appeared to be the only saviour of the Jewish community, and Haman seemed to be an anti-semitic and brutal figure in the theological beliefs of the Jews.
In contemporary Israel, the conservatives continue referring to the Muslim world, particularly to the Palestinians and the axis of resistance, as Haman. Therefore, pro-Palestinian voices emerging in the US have been termed the Hamas Support Network (HSN) in Project Esther to put pressure on the US government to drop its never-ending support for Israel. The report clearly describes that in recent times, the Americans and the Jews all across the world are now facing another Haman in the form of Hamas.
Purpose of Project Esther
The purpose of the project is to deliver a policy paper to the US administration to resist anti-semitism in the US and to protect the sanctity of the Jewish community across the world. A National Task Force will be created under this project to fight anti-Zionism campaigns and networks that are working inside the US with legal justifications. The initiative requests a concerted action of all the pro-Zionist individuals, stakeholders, and groups within and around the US to work together collectively for the absolute eradication of anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Israel thoughts and voices. The document also emphasizes support of the Jewish lobby for a friendly US administration during elections and government affairs.
Project Esther seeks to critically analyse and evaluate the resources that contribute to anti-semitism within the US. Therefore, a public-private partnership is encouraged for a joint venture against the enemy. The second most vital part of this project is to find the gaps and contradictions within the Hamas Support Network (HSN) and take advantage of these differences against their organizations. Moreover, with the assistance of the US administration, such laws will be enacted and imposed that will specifically prohibit any form of abstract and materialistic support to anti-Zionist individuals and groupings.
Role of Christian Community
A branch of the Christian community, Evangelicals are also regarded as pro-Zionist, religious, and political friends of Israel. As per their Biblical views, Israel has a far more significant role in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. So, they believe protecting Israel and Zionist policies is a religious obligation. These evangelical Christians are also exceedingly powerful politically, particularly in the circles of Republicans.
There are approximately 78 million evangelicals in the US. They have created different groupings, such as the Faith and Freedom Coalition, which operate to support pro-Israeli policies, lobby in US administrative circles, and legitimize crackdowns on pro-Palestinian voices in the US under the pretext of combating anti-semitism and terror. In addition, evangelical Christians also contribute financially to the US’s pro-Israeli and conservative think tanks and, by way of their extensive media networks (i.e., CBN and TBN), disseminate Esther narratives and support pro-Zionist initiatives.
Project Esther Under President Trump
According to the objectives emphasized in the Project Esther document, a pro-Israeli, friendly, and conservative US administration is in urgent need of pro-Zionist forces in the US. President Donald Trump’s takeover of the office in 2025 effectively addressed the needs of the pro-Zionist regime. The Trump government has adopted several measures against anti semitism in the US, which include:
- Executive Order 14188, titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-semitism,” clearly ordered the Department of Justice to probe and arrest anti-Semitic action groups in the US, particularly at educational institutions. An information sheet issued by the White House in January 2025 stated that all alien residents of the US supporting pro-Palestinian movements will be arrested and deported from the country, and student visas of all pro-Hamad activists will be terminated.”
- The Trump administration directed the Department of Education to closely study the case of some of the most renowned universities and colleges in the US, i.e., Harvard, UC Berkeley, and Columbia University, and penalize anti-semitic and pro-Palestinian campaigns and protests. The universities that openly patronize Palestinian people and enhance anti-semitic activities are excluded from federal funding by the administration.
- The US non-citizens are now being deported, including students holding visas and participating in anti-Zionism activities. These students are proclaimed to be members of the Hamas Support Network (HSN).
- In the same vein, the US administration has issued crackdowns against pro-Palestinian campaigns and activist groups. These groups are being arrested with the imposition of penalties.
Conclusion
Project Esther is a conservative effort to silence voices against the genocide of innocent Palestinians by Israel. The project is not just a Jewish effort but an American effort. To put an end to this, the US, which portrays itself as a defender of human rights and freedom of speech, is now silencing the voices of its citizens just to garner maximum support from the Jewish lobby for political purposes. The pro-Palestinian and Hamas movements have now evolved into an ideology. The US needs to realize that the elimination of an ideology will only lead to revolts, civil disturbances, and instability.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
He is pursuing a BS in International Relations programme from International Islamic University, Islamabad and has a keen interest in research works, policy analysis, defence and strategic studies and conflict resolution.