[10][11] He later recalled of the incident, speaking after the publication of his 2024 book The Message in which he criticizes Zionism and Israel: "I remember there was a woman who got on the mic and yelled about the role of Palestinians in that article."
"[11] In response, Khalek wrote: "Wow, it turns out I played a role in pushing Ta-Nehisi Coates to look more deeply into Palestine," and asked anyone reading who knew him to say "thank you for listening and for his willingness to learn and speak out.
[13] Also attending were Max Blumenthal, Yasemin Zahra, a representative of US Labor Against War, Paul Larudee, head of the Syrian Solidarity Movement and Ajamu Baraka.
In an opinion article for Al Jazeera, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad criticized Khalek for inviting her social media fans to admire the "Breathtaking View in Syria" in an image geotagged Saydnaya.
[14] According to Scottish-Egyptian activist and writer Sam Hamad, writing in The New Arab, Khalek and Blumenthal were "literally part of the same propaganda machine utilized by Assad and Russia to fully normalize their genocide".