On June 8, 2026, CNBC invited “State of Palestine” envoy to the United Kingdom Dr. Husam Zomlot to analyze the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and negotiations. The veteran diplomat answered every question with anti-Israel vitriol or an insistence that the world think only about “Palestine.”
Given his prior refusal to condemn Palestinian terror and his support for “pay for slay,” the Palestinian Authority’s payouts to terrorists and their families which financially incentivize Palestinian terror, one could certainly question CNBC’s choice to invite Zomlot at all.
But, to their credit, CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick, Karen Tso, Geoff Cutmore and Dan Murphy pushed back on some of the diplomat’s outrageous claims. When he blamed Israel for everything, the hosts sharply challenged the assertion. When he called Israel the destabilizing force in the region seeking hegemony, the hosts pointed out how that described Iran.
However, the CNBC panel failed to address many of his other false or misleading statements.
Everything Must Revolve Around ‘Palestine’
Deflecting a question about what it would take to reach an agreement between the U.S., Israel and Iran, Zomlot’s response was that the main issue was “Palestine.” What did he mean when he said “Palestine” was the “root cause of all this” or that Israel “exports . . . issues . . . all the time?” No one asked.
If Zomlot meant that “Palestine” was the root cause of the larger regional U.S.-Iran conflict, including Iranian attacks against Gulf States, because Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, invasion unlocked a chain of events leading to direct kinetic war with Iran, that would have been a remarkable comment from a Palestinian diplomat. But it’s unlikely that’s what he meant.
Instead, he implored that regional instability would remain unless and until attention is refocused and the issue of “Palestine” is resolved.
Zomlot misled viewers when he claimed the 1981 and 2002 Arab peace initiatives entailed Israel withdrawing entirely from the disputed West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem in exchange for normalization with the entire Arab world. In fact, both plans demanded Israel return to pre-1967 boundaries and give millions of Palestinian refugees the right of return to Israel, effectively eradicating the world’s only Jewish state (an outcome which President Obama recognized) while simultaneously establishing a second Palestinian state. Plus, the 1981 Fahd plan did not include any mention of normalization.
The hosts neither challenged Zomlot on this exaggerated and inaccurate claim nor did they ask why Palestinians rejected at least six offers which would have given them a state, including the original 1947 United Nations Partition Plan. Given the diplomat’s expressed fondness for the U.N. sprinkled throughout the interview, it would have been interesting for Zomlot to answer that question.
Lies About Israel
Zomlot lied that the current Israeli government has two goals, the first being “complete control over historic Palestine, from the river to the sea“ and the second, “complete hegemony over the region.” Suffering from a serious case of projection, in support of his first falsehood Zomlot pointed to the devastation in Gaza. There was no mention of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel (perpetrated because of Hamas’ desire to have complete control from the river to the sea). Nor did the hosts remind Zomlot that on that day, Palestinian terrorists killed more than 1,200 and kidnapped over 250. The diplomat also got a pass from the hosts regarding Hamas’ human shield strategy, designed to cause maximum death and destruction for Palestinians.
As to the second, Zomlot pointed to bombings in Lebanon, Iran and Yemen as proof of Israel’s hegemonic aims. CNBC appropriately pointed out that his accusation was backwards given Iran’s desire for a nuclear weapon, its official policy of seeking to destroy Israel and its use of proxies in the region.
CNBC did not, however, challenge his non-response when he said the Arab Gulf states were opting to deal through diplomacy with Iran, whereas it’s “Israel that always chooses bombings [and] destruction.” This, of course, does not address the Islamic Republic’s muqawama ambitions or that it has funneled billions of dollars to Hezbollah – an entity it created – to ensure it can fight Israel.
When another CNBC host reminded Zomlot that Iran was attacking infrastructure and causing economic pain and hardship, the diplomat sharply suggested they speak to an Iranian spokesperson about that. He then pivoted to complain, again, about Israel. When asked if he endorsed or condemned what the Iranians and Houthis were doing in choking off the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al Mandab, he avoided the question and said he endorsed international law and resolutions . . . about “Palestine.”
Briefly, Zomlot mentioned Israel bombing Lebanon. Neither guest nor hosts acknowledged that Hezbollah broke the ceasefire by firing on Israel in early March 2026. Ignoring centuries of Arab imperialism, the diplomat’s rank hypocrisy was further on display while painting Israel as a non-stop, out-of-control aggressor, remarking, “Israel thinks and acts like it can bomb every Arab city, every Arab capital. It can bomb its way through all the years.” Of course, this argument ignores not only the fact that the overwhelming military operations in which Israel has been involved have been defensive (including preemptive), but also the fact that Israel has sought and abided by peace treaties for decades.
Unlike other journalists, who at times allow officials and self-described experts to rant and spew unchallenged propaganda, the CNBC hosts commendably sought to discredit some of Zomlot’s dubious statements. Can they nevertheless do a better job challenging guests who seek to confuse fact and fiction? Most certainly.