13,000 to 24,000 American Citizens Serve in Israeli Military
"An estimated 13,000 to 24,000 American citizens serve in the IDF, including both dual nationals residing in Israel and lone soldiers from the US. Americans represent the largest contingent of foreign nationals. I don't understand how you don't forfeit the privileges of citizenship if you go join a foreign military. If you are willing to put your life on the line, not for the United States, but for Israel, your loyalty obviously is to Israel."
About this episode
In a Thursday night Q&A session with Substack subscribers, Glenn Greenwald addressed major controversies surrounding Israel, tech billionaires, and American foreign policy priorities. The episode opened with extended analysis of the intense backlash against New York Times columnist Nick Kristof's documentation of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli facilities. Greenwald argued the unprecedented American outrage, including calls for Kristof's firing and implicit death threats, demonstrates that a significant faction of American Israel supporters prioritize Israel over the United States. He revealed Israel announced plans to sue the Times, which he called legally futile but welcomed for the discovery process it would trigger. Greenwald then examined the quasi-religious worldview of tech billionaires like Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Altman, detailing their stated ambitions to merge humans with AI and transcend humanity into a transhuman species. He cited Thiel's 30-second pause when asked if he hopes humanity survives, and Zuckerberg's advocacy for mass brain-machine interfaces beyond medical use. Greenwald warned that concentrating such god-like power in a few unelected billionaires with private theological visions poses severe risks. The episode also covered the estimated 13,000 to 24,000 Americans serving in the Israeli military, with Greenwald arguing they should forfeit US citizenship for demonstrating primary loyalty to a foreign state. He addressed European obsession with Russia, the repatriation of Ukrainian refugees to serve as cannon fodder, and defended his practice of citing mainstream outlets critically rather than dismissing them entirely. Throughout, Greenwald emphasized the need to question all institutional power and resist binary thinking.
Key takeaways
- Israel announced plans to sue Nick Kristof and the New York Times over documentation of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli facilities.
- Greenwald characterized American reaction to the Kristof column as the most intense he has ever seen to any news story, including implicit death threats from former Biden administration officials.
- An estimated 13,000 to 24,000 American citizens serve in the Israeli Defense Forces, with bipartisan Congress members proposing they receive US military veteran benefits.
- Peter Thiel paused 30 seconds when asked if he hopes humanity survives, then said the goal should be transcending humanity entirely, not just gender.
- Mark Zuckerberg and other tech billionaires openly advocate for merging human brains with AI on a mass scale beyond medical applications.
- Greenwald argued that extreme wealth inevitably creates conviction of superiority and entitlement to reshape human existence without democratic accountability.
- Germany announced plans to repatriate Ukrainian refugees to serve on front lines as Ukraine faces severe manpower shortages entering the fifth year of war.