{
  "id": 15176790,
  "title": "Sarah Helm doubles down as pro-Israel groups urge police action and Zack Polanski praises her 'bravery'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/sarah-helm-doubles-down-as-pro-israel-groups-urge-police-action-and",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T10:20:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sarah-helm-doubles-down-pro-israel-groups-urge-police-action-and-zack-polanski-praises-her"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sarah Helm, a prominent journalist and author, has publicly supported Palestinian rights in the face of growing pressure from pro-Israel groups. The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating her for a social media post backing Sally Rooney, whose books are being withdrawn from the UK market due to her support for the Palestine Action group. Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer's national security adviser's wife, Helm, has been denounced as anti-Israel and anti-Jewish by opposition journalist Adam Boulton. In response, Helm urged authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action, stating that such support should not be punished. Meanwhile, Campaign Against Antisemitism called for a police investigation, while Green Party leader Zack Polanski praised Helm for her bravery. The Labour government's ban on Palestine Action, which has led to arrests of its supporters, has sparked outrage from human rights organizations and prominent critics of Israeli policies.",
  "summary": "Sarah Helm doubles down as pro-Israel groups urge police action and Zack Polanski praises her 'bravery' Submitted by Imran Mulla on Sat, 10/17/2026 - 10:25 The journalist and wife of the British prime minister's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, posted: 'God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action' Sarah Helm is an author and a former foreign correspondent for The…",
  "key_points": [
    "Sarah Helm supports Palestinian rights despite pressure from pro-Israel groups",
    "Metropolitan Police investigating Helm for social media post backing Sally Rooney",
    "Zack Polanski praises Helm's bravery amid calls for police action"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}