Key facts
- A pro-Israel student, Tali Smus, wrote an article for The Telegraph claiming to be a victim of "anti-Jewish hatred" at King's College London.
- A review of Instagram group chat messages by Middle East Eye suggests Smus edited quotes to support her narrative.
- Smus has connections to several Israel advocacy groups, including Stand With Us, Camera, and Students Supporting Israel.
- The student appeared on GB News and has held fellowships with pro-Israel organizations.
- Fellow students stated their opposition was to Smus's support for Israel, not her Jewish identity.
- Smus was present at a pro-Palestine demonstration holding an Israeli flag.
A pro-Israel student, Tali Smus, who wrote an article for The Telegraph detailing her experiences of "anti-Jewish hatred" at King's College London, has been accused of editing quotes from a group chat to support her claims. Middle East Eye reviewed a log of the Instagram group chat and found discrepancies between Smus's published account and the original messages.
Smus, who refers to herself as "the British Zioness" on Instagram, described being attacked by fellow English literature students for being a "fucking Zionist" and claimed she was ganged up on "almost 100 against one." However, the message log suggests closer to 20 students took issue with her position on Israel, particularly regarding the conflict in Gaza.
Further scrutiny revealed that Smus has connections to multiple Israel advocacy groups, including Stand With Us, for which she appeared on GB News, and Camera, for which she produced media content. She is also the president of the King's College London chapter of Students Supporting Israel. Her past roles include research assistant at the Henry Jackson Society and policy research intern for Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp.
While some students acknowledged that certain messages could be viewed as distasteful, they emphasized that their opposition stemmed from Smus's unapologetic support for Israel's actions in Gaza, not her Jewish identity. Smus was also pictured holding an Israeli flag at a pro-Palestine demonstration and vigil for KCL alumni killed in Gaza, an event she described in her article as a commemoration of "one year of genocide."
One KCL academic, speaking anonymously, suggested Smus felt safe attending demonstrations for social media content while being scared to attend classes, adding that "other students don’t like her. That’s about as far as it goes."