Judging Freedom - Aaron Maté : Al Qaeda Visits the US

Episode Date: September 30, 2025

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the Happy Z-Pack and start improving your sleep health. Remember, Zipa is HappyZ spelled backwards. Save over 24% off by going to Zipa.com and using the code Happy. Today. Text fees may apply. Hi, everyone, Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. Today is Tuesday, September 30th, 2025. Aaron Mottay will be with us, and just a minute on Al-Qaeda visits the United States. Who would have thought that might happen?

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longer optional. It's essential. Reserve your free ticket at expatmoneysummit.com. And if you want VIP access with special perks, including lifetime replay access and exclusive VIP panels, use promo code judge for 20% off your upgrade. That's expatmoneysummit.com, promo code judge. Aaron, welcome here, my dear friend. Before we get to the disgrace of al-Qaeda in the United States, and I know you've seen this, General Petraeus is fawning over a mass murderer. What is your take on?

what is your understanding of the so-called Gaza peace proposal, the neo-colonial Tony Blair as Governor General proposal offered by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday? The peace plan is a farce, and Benjamin Netanyahu didn't even wait until he left the U.S. to confirm that. Right after he met with Trump and said, yes, I accept your plan, and this is finally a way to end the war, while still meeting all of our objectives, he told in Israeli audience in a Hebrew message that we're not withdrawing from Gaza. Now, this plan was also modified at the last minute. There was a meeting on Sunday between Ron Dermer, who's Netanyahu's top aide, and Steve Wickoff, Trump's so-called Middle East Peace Envoy, and Jared Kushner, who was supposed to be out of government after having

served in Trump's first term, but it's still playing an active role. We know, because you played the clip before in your show, Jared Kushner's vision for Gaza simply turned into a real estate development that he could profit off of. And so at the last minute, they included all these new demands that Netanyahu and Ron Dermar were making, bare minimum of any kind of Palestinian aspirations. And the main thing is keeping Israeli military control over Gaza. So this is not a peace plan. It's just terms of surrender to Hamas.

Our dear wonderful friend, Max, referred to it. I forget what show is on. Morgan as putting lipstick on the Holocaust. Yeah, that's a great line. People should watch that interview. It's up now on Pierce Morgan's YouTube channel. Max took on Alan Dershowitz and other Israeli property. Oh, you're being charitable.

He more than took on. He demolished. He demolished Dershowitz. Yes, he did. He did. It's great to, you know, Max is just, let me say a word about Max. He wrote a seminal book about Israel called Goliath, more than a decade. they go, predicting exactly what is happening now.

The point of the book is simply that Israel is off the spectrum and its fanaticism, not just in the Netanyahu coalition, but across the spectrum. So it was a prescient book. He was widely attacked, including by many of his own media colleagues at the time. He was totally prescient. And since then, you know, he's one of the leading authorities on this issue in the U.S., but this is his first time on the Pears Morgan Show, nearly two years after October 7th. And many, unfortunately, of our independent media colleagues, you know, I'm on the

left so as max have not had him on so hopefully they'll follow the lead of peers morgan and finally let him share with a mass audience all that he has to know about this vital issue was was this you know when i was when i left a fox he was a fox employee was this a fox product or is this something he does independently uh peers morgan's channel i believe still is a news corporation uh entity but he that's very telling if uh he if he if my Max, I'm going to say this very directly. And I love Max, as you know, and I'm happy for him. If he passed the censors at Fox,

or a couple of blocks from where I am now in New York City, that is very, very telling and very good news for those of us who want Max to be unleashed in areas where you and I can't appear. It was long overdue to have him on Pierce Morgan. And I don't know, I don't want to get it wrong. If Pierce Morgan's totally independent now, of his news corps, but regardless, it's, it's great to see him, Max, reach a large audience.

And to the extent, you know, this reflects public opinion. If you look at polls now, Democratic Party, across all party lines, more Americans now, I think, according to the most recent poll, have more sympathy for Palestinians than they do Israelis, which is a very historic shift. Years and years and years, decades and decades and decades of propaganda to demonize all Palestinians to portray Israelis as the victims of hostile Arab neighbors, finally collapsing for the sheer result of Israeli barbarism and also just the entitlement and impunity that Israel enjoys, constantly portraying themselves as the victims while carrying out mass murder.

Chris informs me, Pierce Morgan owns the Pierce Morgan uncensored brand through his production company, wake up productions. All right. Well, the Fox people will watch it. He bought it from News UK, part of the Rupert Murdoch News Corp Empire in January of this year. All right. Well, when I knew Pierce, he was a colleague at Fox. But whatever, I'm glad that's great to see one media entity not currently owned by the Ellison billionaires to be handed over to Barry Weiss and other Israel activists. So I hope here it continues on this independent path. Agreed. Agreed. You know, you were talking about the hemorrhaging of support for Netanyahu and his crew here in the U.S.

Our friend and colleague, Alistair Crook, sort of set me up by saying Netanyahu is getting ready for his eighth war. And I said, you mean against Iran? He said, no, I mean against people in the United States who in droves are rejecting him. Now, he stands in the White House, smiles with the president, praises the agreement, and then gets on a plane and type something in Hebrew that says the opposite. What's Trump going to do? Trump's going to do absolutely nothing. Trump is fully in lockstep with Netanyahu.

Occasionally we'll get some deceptive leaks saying that Trump is furious with Netanyahu. We had the exact same playbook under the Biden administration where, you know, Biden people would put the stuff out while still giving Netanyahu pretty much everything he wanted. And that's what Trump is doing here. This so-called peace plan includes some vague nod to Palestinian self-determination and statehood maybe one day. But that's the same thing all along. There's never any concrete steps being promised to help Palestine achieve their basic right to self-determination. And the same goes for all the other states that recently recognized Palestine. Have any of them offered any practical steps as to what they're going to do to

help Palestinians achieve that minimal right to self-determination. Nothing. No one's doing anything because Israel is running the show. And as long as they have U.S. backing for that, they'll have complete impunity to do it. And you can see that in this peace plan. It got even worse after Jared Kushner and Steve Wyckoff met with Ron Dürmer. And it just speaks to the overall dynamic here where the Trump administration just does what Israel says it at once. And that's been the issue throughout the so-called peace process. Everything is the so-called peace process. Everything is framed around Israel's security needs, Israel's goals, not Palestinian's security needs, who are, of course, the most threatened people in that region.

So yesterday was a charade negotiated on behalf of the United States by two people, neither of whom works for the government. One is the president's son-in-law, who's looking to become a real estate developer of this land. another real estate developer is the president's friend. Okay, so they don't want Marco Rubio in on this. Nevertheless, in light of what Netanyahu thought in his head must have thought this when he was saying he agreed. He knew he was lying.

In light of the lies he told the president, and light of what Dermar must have told Whitkoff and Kushner, it was a facade, a charade, a joke that they accept. expect us to accept. Yes, and this is the playbook throughout this entire issue. Look at the so-called peace process that was supposed to lead to a Palestinian state. Oslo Accords, you know, formally signed in 1993. Did that go anywhere?

No, Israel used the mirage of a so-called peace process of constantly negotiating with Palestinians toward their eventual statehood to build up more illegal Israeli settlements, colonies, and the occupied West Bank. So it's a very similar playbook here. And there's just so much contempt for Palestine that they even tried to shove in Tony Blair, who's best known for being part of the criminal invasion of Iraq and telling all the lies that were used to justify that war. You know, Trump helped launch his political career by criticizing the Iraq war,

by pretending that he was against it and calling up the neocons. And now he goes ahead and for his plan for Gaza. He wants to bring in Tony Blair to help run a new Gaza situation. strip. And there's a reference there to the people of Gaza being able to stay, but they don't say the Palestinians of Gaza. So, you know, it seems to me as if they're still holding on to this, you know, vision of basically expelling as many Palestinians as they can, bringing in low-wage slave workers to come serve whoever they can manage to come, you know, entice to come in and build new resorts inside of Gaza, just completely dystopian. Here's Netanyahu.

With the president yesterday, we'll run the clip, but he basically says two things. Your plan is consistent with the five principles of my government. A lot of baloney. You'll hear it. And then he hints, but maybe Hamas won't accept it. Chris, number nine. Your plan is consistent with the five principles my government set for the end of the war and the day after Hamas. Now, if this international body succeeds, we will have permanently ended the war.

Israel will conduct further withdraws linked to the extent of disarmament and demilitarization, but will remain in the security perimeter for the foreseeable future. But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done. resistance is Hamas putting up in Gaza city. Do we know? Occasionally, you'll find some Israeli soldiers being attacked, but look, all of Gaza's destroyed. So how much resistance can there really be under these conditions? The aim here is, I don't think Nenio cares about Hamas keeping its weapons.

They're of no threat to Israel anymore. The aim here is just permanently crushing Palestinian self-determination and expelling as many people as possible. And nothing has changed with the so-called peace plan. Yes, the plan talks about the people of Gaza being able to stay. But if you're making their life impossible, if you've destroyed all of Gaza, how many people will really be able to stay,

especially under these horrible conditions? I'm not sure what Hamas is going to do. Life right now in Gaza is unimaginably miserable. I still know a few people who are there who are alive. And I just can't speak to how horrible it is. And Hamas is under pressure, I think, even from people inside guys, who are aware of what a colonial, evil deal this is. But still, they're desperate.

They have no food. They have nothing. They have nowhere to sleep. Tents cost a lot of money. Most people can't even afford to get a tent. See, if people sleeping out on the street, it's a nightmare. So I don't know what Hamas will do. But what Netanyahu cares about is keeping military control, which, as he bragged about, the peace plan allows him to do, and using any post-conflict control of Gaza to push out as many people as possible.

We're switching gears. So Abu Abbas, I think I have his right name. I know he has several names. The nominal head of the Palestinian Authority, the recognized by the UN, representative of the Palestinian people at the UN was denied a visa to the United States. But a man who posed with pictures of himself with a severed head in each hand and a smile on his face because he's wearing a Brooks brother suit in has cleaned up his appearance. And because his group now dominates a portion of Syria and he calls himself the president of Syria was allowed to come.

How did this thug get in? Who sponsored him? Well, so you're referring to Muhammad Al-Jalani, who's now the president of Syria, of Syria under a new name, Ahmed al-Shara, who's the founding leader of Al-Qaeda in Syria, Al-Nusra. And he was let in because he's on our side. Jake Sullivan wrote this back in 2012. Al-Qaeda is on our side in Syria, and al-Qaeda finally won last year with the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. I'm not sure about the anecdote of Jalani posing with severed heads.

I haven't heard that one. We can't post it, but Chris will send it to you. Okay, well, I didn't know that. But look, he was the head of Al-Qaeda in Syria. They have committed sectarian atrocities throughout the dirty war, including after he became president of Syria. There have been at least two major massacres under Jolani's watch of Aloites in March and of the Druze in July. well over 1,000 people killed by Jolani's forces,

exactly as they did when they were known as Al-Qaeda in Syria during the dirty war. And he's allowed in the U.S. because now he's on our side. He's posing with Marco Rubio, Trump is calling him handsome. And, you know, the reason there is because we wage a dirty war in Syria to weaken and finally regime change a country that was a member of the acts of resistance, the axis that resisted Israeli-U.S. aggression in the region. That's why Syria was marked for regime change in the 2006, Lebanon, Israel War, Hezbollah helped prevent an Israeli victory by getting arms, including from Syria via Iran.

And so, therefore, Syria was marked for regime change. In fact, it was marked for regime change even before that, we know from Wesley Clark after 9-11. Ironically enough, after 9-11 where al-Qaeda attacks the U.S., the U.S. marks Syria for regime change and then uses al-Qaeda for that goal. And now in the month, marking anniversary of 9-11, the former leader of al-Qaeda in Syria gets to come and visit. And meanwhile, as you said, the Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, who are collaborators with the Israeli occupation. They've been completely subordinated to Israeli occupation. But because they occasionally act out of line, for example, they go to the international criminal court, they still ask politely for token recognition of statehood. then, of course, they have to be punished.

So the Trump administration denied them visas. So we punish even Palestinian collaborators because occasionally they get out of line, but we reward al-Qaeda because they're on our side in Syria. I know this is going to aggravate you, and I know you've seen it, but I've got to run it again. This is General David Petraeus, fawning over Al-Jolani.

I just looked him up because I couldn't remember where he worked now. He works at KKR, Colbert. Kravis Roberts, where he's a partner. That's a major private investment bank. Gee, I wonder if they're looking for some sort of land deals in Syria. What do you think? Chris, cut number 24. As you know, Mr. President, I spent over 37 years in the U.S. Army, and I was a soldier, not a diplomat. So I hope you'll forgive me if I speak with the directness of the old soldier that I am, as I get the first question out. out of the way. Because the fact is that we were on different sides when I was commanding

the surge in Iraq. You were, of course, detained by U.S. forces for some five years, including, again, when I was the four-star there. And here you are now as the President of Syria. I just want you to tell you really on behalf of all the people who are here that this conversation has truly filled me with enormous hope. It has been very, very heartening and illuminating. Your vision is powerful and clear. Your demeanor itself is very impressive as well. How are you holding up under all this pressure?

Are you getting enough sleep at night? Again, I've been there, and it is so very, very hard. and you're many fans, and I am one of them, we do have worries. How do you count for that obsequious? I mean, it gives the word sycophant a new meaning because of its first syllable, sick. I imagine if you're a U.S. Army veteran and you signed up to serve your country, 11 because you wanted to fight al Qaeda and now you have a former director of the CIA former top US military leader praising the leader of al Qaeda in Syria it's such an insult to

US army veterans I think especially given that Al Jalani you know his forces were involved in killing US soldiers inside Iraq including soldiers that Petraeus commanded but the reason why Petraeus has switched and I was praising Jalani is because uh betrayus wanted a regime change in Syria. That was deemed to be a huge win for U.S. hegemony, U.S. Israeli hegemony, and so therefore, it was even worth siding with al-Qaeda. It was worth it, despite the record not only of, you know, killing U.S. soldiers, but killing and still killing many civilians inside of Syria, as Jolani's forces are still doing. And Petraeus was a huge proponent of the strategy. He was an architect of the dirty war in Syria. Obama sort of approved it in his administration.

under pressure from Petraeus and Hillary Clinton. And after it got underway, it was very clear that the insurgency that the U.S. was supporting was dominated by al-Qaeda. And Petraeus openly advocated partnering with them because he felt it was worth it, if it could just mean overthrowing Assad. It's a thing in Washington, like once a country becomes marked for regime change, anything is on the table and anything is worth it. It's just how the system works.

And Petraeus is a very key. in that machine. So now that that regime change has been successful, even though it's entailed thousands of Syrians, hundreds or thousands of Syrians being slaughtered by Jalani's forces, it doesn't matter. And so he can be praised by David Petraeus because he served our goal, which was overthrowing an ally of Hezbollah and Iran

and weakening Hisbala and Iran in the first place because, you know, the U.S. architects of the Dirty War knew that if they spent billions of dollars along with their allies, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, you know, countries in Europe, Israel as well, overthrowing government, that Iran and Hezbo would have to intervene on Assad's behalf

on Assad's behalf. That's exactly what they did. And Russia came in as well. So this was a huge win for them because they bled not only a state that was not under U.S. control, but they also bled their allies and finally succeeded by having the former al-Qaeda guy come to power.

Aaron, thank you very much. A great conversation and very, very illuminating. You know so much about all this. Thank you for sharing it. All the best to you. We'll look forward to seeing you next week. Thank you, Judge. Thanks for having me.

Of course. Coming up at 3 o'clock on all of these topics with her unique perspective, Colonel Karen Koukowski, Judge Napolitano for Judging Freedom. Thank you.