Candace Owens leaves Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire following Israel criticism and antisemitism accusations

Right-wing commentator Candace Owens left the conservative media outlet The Daily Wire on Friday after she criticised Israel's war on Gaza and then made further comments considered to be antisemitic.

“Daily Wire and Candace Owens have ended their relationship,” Jeremy Boreing, co-founder of the site with far-right commentator Ben Shapiro, wrote on X.

In her own post on the same platform, Owens announced, “The rumours are true – I am finally free.”

Shapiro has clashed with Owens in recent months due to her initial criticisms of Israel, which then spiraled into what many would call antisemitism. Shapiro is known for his hardline pro-Israel stance and has been one of the most vocal supporters of its war on Gaza.

The feud began in November of last year, when Owens tweeted about Israel’s war on Gaza, writing: “No government anywhere has a right to commit a genocide, ever. There is no justification for a genocide. I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.”

A video then appeared online of Shapiro answering a question about Owens, where he said her commentary on Israel’s war on Gaza was “disgraceful”, accusing her of “faux sophistication”.

Owens doubled down on her initial mainstream criticisms of Israel, but then evoked antisemitic tropes,  writing about “political Jews” and a “very small ring of specific people who are using the fact that they are Jewish to shield themselves from any criticism”.

The situation escalated on Monday when Owens liked an antisemitic post on social media, which asked right-wing pro-Israel rabbi Shmuley Boteach if he was "drunk on Christian blood again".

No government anywhere has a right to commit a genocide, ever.

There is no justification for a genocide.

I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) November 3, 2023

Subsequently, Owens faced criticism from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which campaigns against antisemitism but also frequently targets opponents of Israel. They posted a report from Media Matters, showing the far-right activist Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier, praising Owens for launching what he described as a “full-fledged war against the Jews”.

Owens denies accusations of antisemitism and claims she doesn’t know who Nick Fuentes is.

Taking to X, she said in response to the ADL:

“Everyone can see what you guys are doing to me. Your pattern is well established and the world is waking up to it. My crime is having stood up for myself against your network of smears.”

The right-wing American commentator further stated that “her crime” was not believing "that American taxpayers should have to pay for Israel’s wars or the wars of any other country.”