Rachel Tepper Paley

Site Director at @bonappetit. WSET ✌️. Professionally curious.

How to pitch me 👇

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

.@Orioles, you've got one of your tiniest fans rooting for you tonight! Let's go, O's!

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

In case this property would like to step in to help address the situation, this regards a stay at a @smithhotels @PRM_Global property, Acro Suites in Crete. https://t.co/Hsx0dreOxK

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

.@HyattConcierge I urgently need your help. Recently, I contacted Hyatt about a reservation at a property with a strict cancellation policy. We are in the midst of a family emergency. At that point, we were just under the 2-week cancellation window. /1

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

To say that I am disappointed in how this has been handled is a gross understatement. As a professional travel, wine and food editor, I've rarely experienced this level of poor customer service. I am eager to hear how Hyatt plans to rectify the situation. /5

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

@ssdai Congrats!!

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

Literally all I can think about https://t.co/tEpa0ZgFyA

[Amy Spitalnick @amyspitalnick]

Joe Biden has been an extraordinary president and an extraordinary public servant. We owe him a massive debt of gratitude for all he’s given this country. Full stop.

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

Overheard from the other room: "The answer is bagels. Every Jewish life cycle event involves bagels. Someone's born—bagels. Someone dies—bagels." I mean true.

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

Is it a worm

[Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib @afalkhatib]

Some thoughts, observations, and rants about yesterday's raid that freed four Israeli hostages from Gaza’s Nuseirat camp:

1. Right off the bat, it should go without saying at this point that we wouldn’t be here had it not been for Hamas’s criminality on October 7 and that these hostages should have never been taken or held this long. This entirely avoidable war was started by Hamas and the buck stops with them.

2. It’s been weird, strange, gross, revealing, and disappointing to see some “pro-Palestine” activists go into straight meltdown mode over the fact that Hamas no longer holds these hostages, NOT the death of numerous Palestinian civilians during the raid, but the idea that Hamas no longer has “Zionist prisoners” who have been consistently dismissed and dehumanized since October 7.

3. It’s been disgusting, upsetting, and, quite frankly, enraging to see the utter dehumanization of the Palestinian civilian losses and victims by some “pro-Israel” activists who have so little capacity for compassion and empathy that the hundreds who have been killed “are all terrorists” and that it’s somehow inconceivable for scores of uninvolved civilians to be killed by the massive firepower that the IDF deployed in Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah during the operation.

4. Numerous Palestinians in Gaza, on social media in Arabic, are fuming over the fact that Hamas placed hostages in dense civilian areas, endangering their lives and exposing them to the wrath of Israel’s ferocious war machines. “Where are the vaunted tunnels that you built using our resources and safety?” yelled a furious man in Nuseirat.

5. What Hamas has and continues to do through its use of civilian homes, areas, and infrastructure bolsters the “there are no innocent civilians in Gaza” propagandists who are eager to disregard the safety and proportionality principles in pursuit of the destruction of Hamas. Instead of separating the terror group from Gaza’s civilians, Hamas, and its supporters and allies continue the horrendous narrative of “we are the people’s resistance army” that has a right to do whatever it wants regardless of the consequences.

6. On the one hand, Israel, like any other nation, would conduct an operation to free its citizens from captivity, and what happened yesterday isn’t surprising in that regard. On the other hand, the apparent disregard for “collateral damage” or Palestinian civilian casualties is inconsistent with the Just War Doctrine or principles of counterinsurgency. When the US raided Bin Laden’s compound, care was taken to separate his family and uninvolved civilians from the combatants; this is true when attacking hijacked airplanes, seized banks, or other targets with militants, hostages, and civilians.

7. Some of the testimonies and accounts that I’ve encountered have confirmed a disturbing trend: IDF soldiers were shooting/killing upon contact with any unknown subjects. In other words, there was little to no effort to discriminate targets based on their gender, proximity to the hostages’ locations, or their possession of firearms. Yes, Hamas had those hostages in peoples’ homes, Gazans who are connected to the Islamist group. However, Hamas’s operational security protocols likely ensured that most civilians in the immediate vicinity/proximity had no idea that hostages were being held there; this means there truly were innocent, uninvolved civilians near the hostages who, for no fault of their own, were eliminated by the IDF.

8. There’s absolutely no real and substantive evidence, beyond Aljazeera’s ridiculous innuendo, that the US humanitarian pier was used to bring in Israeli troops to stage the operation or that the pier facilitated the movement of vehicles. The IDF has the Netzarim Corridor that it could use to bring all sorts of equipment, decoys, and materials. The use of the flat area adjacent to the pier for the evacuation helicopter’s takeoff is not evidence that the pier itself was used for the operation. It goes without saying that the US and Israel have extensive intelligence cooperation (just like many Arab countries and Israel have), and I wouldn’t be surprised if some surveillance assets were part of the reconnaissance that preceded the operation.

9. Those who did not call on Hamas to release the hostages; who dehumanized Israeli hostages and captives, calling them “prisoners of war” and thinking that they’re legitimate spoils of war; those who celebrated October 7 as resistance and cheered on Hamas; those who championed the armed resistance narrative: you own part of this! This is partly on you! Yes, your ignorance, arrogance, short-sidedness, inhumanity, and grift got us here. Imagine if the entirety of the pro-Palestine movement, in unison, called for the release of Israeli hostages, or at the very least, the women, children, elderly, and the dead. Imagine if Hamas faced this popular/public/moral pressure and realized that its actions are profoundly unpopular and despised and that it had to concede to protect its people and not lose the narrative. But no, you went along with the disaster, and now you’re upset that your beloved terror group is continuing to get the Palestinians annihilated.

10. Those who did not push for a ceasefire/hostage deal, who dehumanized the people of Gaza, and who are blinded by rage, hate, and a desire for revenge; those who do not view the Palestinians as people worthy of life or basic liberty and are unwilling to register Israel’s role in the unfolding catastrophe, including by supporting Hamas for years and letting its rule fester: you own this and are part of this catastrophe! And not only that, but you are despicably and inhumanly mocking hundreds of deaths and saying they’re all Hamas, they’re all this or that, without the slightest ability to have empathy. I’m not saying don’t rejoice in the freeing of the hostages, but to completely dismiss the horrific and unbelievably high cost involved in liberating them reeks of prejudice, inhumanity, and heartlessness.

I really am glad that Noa Argamani can see her dying mother, Liora, one last time. I hope for the immediate and expedient release of all Israeli hostages. But at what cost? Palestinian lives matter too – they really do.

[Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib @afalkhatib]

The irony of Hamas’s willingness now to accept a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders after wasting three decades and thousands of Palestinian lives, only to come full circle back to what the PLO/Palestinian Authority was working towards during the Oslo Peace Process in the 1990s. I remember vividly how much the Islamist group incited against the idea of limiting a Palestinian state to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, insisting that its armed resistance would be able to somehow liberate all of Palestine and destroy Israel. Hamas criminalized the concept of the 1967 borders, rejected the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, and wasted an opportunity to turn Gaza into an effective role model for what an occupation/settlement-free West Bank would look like. The imperfect yet viable peace process and negotiations could have led to a Palestinian state. They would have spared lives and completely needless wars and violence that failed the just and urgent aspirations of the Palestinian people. The Two State Solution and the 1967 borders that Hamas so viciously attacked and vilified led to the Palestinians having passports and ID cards, gradually expanding self-governance, an airport that I flew into twice, an impending seaport, expanding commerce and economy, and rising hope for coexistence and peace.

By militarizing the Second Intifada and refusing to accept the 2SS/1967 border framework after winning the 2006 elections, Hamas initiated a period of stagnation and political impasse. This made the group a useful idiot in the nefarious designs of anti-Palestinian, rightwing political forces in Israel, which expanded the settlement enterprise and justified its policies by claiming the lack of a viable partner for peace. Hamas could have simply come out with a political initiative last year, proclaiming its openness to negotiating and accepting the 1967 borders, instead of carrying out the October 7 attack that murdered 1200 Israelis and caused the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians, along with the destruction of Gaza.

For those who are doubling down on the armed resistance narrative, your beloved “resistance” group is realizing the futility of its own program and efforts. It has come to the conclusion that a Palestinian state can only exist side by side with an Israeli state. Regardless of how difficult and seemingly out of reach the Two State Solution might seem right now, it remains the only hope for the Palestinian people to obtain their undeniable and just right to self-determination, independence, and sovereignty. It’s time to let go of maximalist, zero-sum approaches and to rebrand coexistence, peace, and pragmatism as a necessary evolution to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people on what remains of their lands.

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

Does the Empire State Building's first-person tweet suggest that, in the Twitterverse, the Empire State Building is a sentient, anthropomorphized being?

If so, hats off to their marketing team. More sentient Empire State Building content, please.

[Empire State Building @EmpireStateBldg]

I AM FINE

[Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib @afalkhatib]

It's difficult to understate just how truly evil & monstrous Hamas's leadership is. Within the past few days, the group's leaders rejected a provisional ceasefire deal that would have entailed a viable exchange framework for releasing Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners; disregarded a Security Council ceasefire resolution despite praising it and not taking any action to implement it; and ran over to Tehran like obedient disciples to receive Iranian instructions from the Ayatollahs and continue the criminal debacle that began with a horrendous attack and massacre - thanks to years-long Iranian financing, training and backing. Worse, Hamas's warlord Ismail Haniyeh is so tone-deaf that he genuinely believes himself when saying that October 7 has "achieved unprecedented accomplishments for the Palestinian people." Instead of doing everything it can to save its people and stop the further killing of Gazans and destruction of what little remains in the Strip, Hamas is effectively daring and begging Israel to invade Rafah. It is so abundantly clear that the Islamist group is hoping for apocalyptic scenes of death and destruction to force Israel to stop the war.

And yet, so many are not willing to utter a word about Hamas and its mega massive role in the unfolding annihilation of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Stirring up the hornets nest and provoking the most right wing government in Israel's history is not only suicidal and utterly moronic, but shows a Machiavellian calculus based on bringing misery upon Gaza to "draw attention" to the Palestinian cause, somehow obtain Israeli concessions, and march towards "ending the occupation." Hamas embarrassingly hides behind Israeli hostages, including women, children and elderly people, using them and Gazans as bargaining chips and human shields in carrying out what is supposedly "courageous resistance."

You cannot separate Hamas from Israel when decrying what's happening in Gaza; afterall, we're talking about the same group that has been a useful idiot to Netanyahu's devious and nefarious designs and plans to keep the Palestinians divided & justify the occupation. Time's running out: you can be a true proponent of Palestinian rights and aspirations by exposing, attacking, condemning and isolating Hamas and their destructive narrative, or you can go on believing that "now is not the right time" or that by "keeping the focus on Israel," you're somehow helping the Palestinian people.

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

Maybe just leave the lady with cancer alone. Just a thought.

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

@lolaannamendez Hey! Sorry, just seeing this—not sure what that message was about, but not to worry, I got your email! I was OOO last week and had an automatic reply on, maybe that was it?

[Rachel Tepper Paley @racheltepper]

Gutted to hear about recent layoffs across the media industry. FWIW, @WineEnthusiast is still looking for a digital senior editor. Come work with me! https://t.co/RAI8vLz2ng

[Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib @afalkhatib]

What about Zionism? Most Palestinians believe that their traumatic lived experience is the direct result of Zionism & the Zionist project. My grandparents were pushed out of their homes in 1948, and I very much carry a generational trauma from their displacement. However, so many Palestinians & their allies still don't truly grasp the vast diversity of Zionism as an ideology & what it actually means to various Jewish & Israeli audiences. Zionists are not monolithic and come in all sorts of political, religious, social, and national orientations and tendencies. It’s hard to capture the nuances and intricacies of this topic in brief words on Twitter, but my main thoughts are:

1. The idea that the pro-Palestine cause can only be advanced by aligning with “anti-Zionist” Jews is inaccurate & and outright wrong and detrimental. Zionists are an inevitable part of the solution.

2. A Zionist doesn’t by default mean “anti-Palestinian” or anti just peace & coexistence with Palestinians. I understand why so many would think otherwise, but we need a different framework for working with Zionists and their beliefs to move forward and build a different future.

3. So many of the early Zionists were very left-leaning, pro-coexistence people who wanted to live side-by-side with the indigenous Palestinian population. And yes, many were militant from the get-go or became militant after skirmishes and clashes with Palestinian revolutionaries (right or wrong, but that’s what happened). The idea here is that Zionism is a diverse movement that was not just a bunch of angry or hateful European Jews who were seeking the displacement of Palestinians. There were also numerous Arab Jews who adopted Zionist ideologies because they, too (like many Muslims in the Middle East/ consider the Caliphates & their conquests), longed for a safe place that could unify them with their brethren.

4. Because of the thousands of years of diaspora & oppression, Zionism became an appealing ideology to so many Jews who were longing for a sense of belonging and the right to self-determination. I understand why so many Palestinians feel it's unfair for Jewish self-determination & liberation to come at their expense. But it’s important to understand this point to grasp why Zionism became a dominant theme within mainstream Judaism.

5. A free and prosperous Palestinian state will not come about from the “eradication” of Zionism, and the ideology is here to stay. Before you attack me as a “Zionist apologist," please understand that my motivation is for us to find a way to move forward & affect the trajectory of this horrendous and bloody conflict.

6. It is not inherently antisemitic to criticize Zionism, which is a multi-faceted ideology that should not be immune to critique & scrutiny. However, and especially in recent times, anti-Zionism critiques can often veer over to antisemitic tropes, stereotypes, and classically hateful sentiments that cross the line from anti-Israel/anti-Zionist activism to antisemitism. This has been especially disturbing to observe since the horrendous events of October 7th.

The Palestinian people have legitimate grievances that are worthy of a just resolution. The occupation of the West Bank cannot go on forever if Israel is to have a secure future as a Jewish state. The despicable calls for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza’s population by high-ranking Israeli officials are immoral, terrible, problematic and must be confronted.

Nevertheless, reductionist, simplistic slogans and rhetoric that pins all the ills, problems, issues, and current challenges experienced by Palestinians on Zionists and Zionism will neither advance the Palestinian cause nor will they help in understanding and working with Israelis and Jews for whom Israel means so much. Neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis are going anywhere – I'm not a Zionist. Still, I know that for peace to have any chance of succeeding, I have to work with Zionists and stop the endless cycle of demonization and dehumanization.