TABLET MAG
Is the Whole World Wrong? Yes. We should stand firm in the conviction of what we know to be true.
Natan Sharansky
October 09, 2026

This morning the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that it has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 to South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, who led the 2025 U.N. commission that found Israel guilty of genocide against the Palestinians. This appears to be the greatest possible legitimization of the now-established consensus about Israel’s war in Gaza. As Jews around the world react with despair, I am reminded of an excellent article by Ahad Ha’am, written in 1892 and titled “Half Solace.” Observing the renewal of the ancient blood libel in his own time, the great cultural Zionist notes that “philosophers know that there is no lie and no evil that cannot obtain ‘general agreement’ if only the conditions of existence are suitable to it.” Unfortunately, however, “only philosophers know this, and in the eyes of the masses, even now there is no greater authority than ‘consensus.’” READ MORE

JNS Navi Pillay, who accused Israel of genocide, wins Nobel Peace Prize South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, who headed a United Nations commission that accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday…Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Friday assailed the Norwegian Nobel Committee for awarding the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Pillay, calling it a “grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice.” “If there were a prize for lies, hatred and blood libels, Navi Pillay would not merely be a candidate—she would be the front-runner,” the ministry said. “Now that the Nobel Committee has rewarded the biggest lie of the 21st century, Joseph Goebbels is surely applauding from hell.”

WALL STREET JOURNAL Editorial Board: A Nobel Prize for Hating Israel It’s possible that the Nobel Committee will someday bestow its peace prize on a less worthy recipient than Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, but we doubt it. The Oslo worthies this year have honored an 85-year-old South African whose career has been marked above all by hatred for Israel and the Jews who support it.