Mainstream Democrats must confront anti-Zionism & anti-Semitism Michael L. Wise, PhD mlwise@gmail.com |
More
than 120 Democratic Congress members, headlined by Rep. Ilhan
Omar and Senators Warren and Klobuchar, sent letters wel-coming
the Islamist Hamas supporting anti-Israel Coun-cil on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR) gala to Washington. Senator Bernie Sanders
and Elizabeth Warren support Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions of Israel (BDS)
and Mayor Pete Buttigieg called Netan-yahu a
provocateur. Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
tweeted a vicious, anti-Semitic blood libel falsely accusing Israel of
kidnapping and executing an Arab boy and throwing him into a well. Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) characterized the Jewish people as “white supremacist
Jews” and falsely claimed that Israel denies Palestinians access to clean
water... Rep. Hank Johnson called Jews living in Israel “termites.” Sen.
Kirsten Gillibrand has praised Israel-bashing Jew-haters Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, and Carmen Perez, all of whom
admire the racist anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.
Virtually every 2020 Democrat candidate appeared
at the Al Sharpton’s National Action Network despite his history of
anti-Semitic activities.
Where
was the Democratic congressional outrage? Joe Biden called Trump’s peace and
prosperity vision “a political stunt that could spark unilateral moves to annex
territory and set back peace even more.” Democratic politicians know that
speaking in support of Israel or against the anti-Semitism of the far left
threatens their candidacy. In January 2019, the anti-BDS Act had 59
co-sponsors, 58 of them Republicans and only one Democrat. Every Democratic
presidential candidate has vowed to rejoin the JCPOA Iran deal that poses
threats to the US and Israel.
Not surprising that the elimination of the
terrorist Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, sworn
enemy of the USA and Israel, was roundly criticized by the Democratic
leadership. Democrats condemned the move of the American Embassy to Jerusalem,
Secretary Pompeo’s declaration that communities in Judea-Samaria and Jerusalem
are not illegal, and the withdrawal of the US from the Israel biased UN Human
Rights Council and UNESCO. J Street, the Jewish Voice for Peace and others
allege Israel apartheid and “occupation” to influence Democratic politicians to
support anti-Israel positions. MoveOn.org and others convinced Democratic
presidential candidates to skip the AIPAC conference. Ilhan
Omar portrayed the U.S.-Israel relationship as being “all about the Benjamins.”
Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour, a longtime
anti-Semite, tweeted, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the
people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”
The
2020 Dems are fearful of standing up and condemning “anti-Is-rael” and “anti-Jewish” rhe-toric.
How did support for Israel and Zionism become a partisan issue in the USA?
Historically,
Congressional support for Israel was overwhelmingly bi-partisan. In 1922, both
Houses of Congress unanimously approved the “Mandate for Palestine,” endorsing
a Jewish National Home in Palestine (H.J. Res. 322). In 1995, the Jeru-salem Embassy Act was adopted in an overwhelming bipartisan
vote by the Senate (93–5) and the House (374–37). It authorized the move of the
US Embassy to Jerusalem, Israel’s undivided capital. Remarkably, many Democrats
are now turning against Israel and do not condemn anti-Semitism, and they
accuse Israeli leaders of racism.
Thirty years ago, Kimberly Crenshaw, a law
professor at UCLA, coined the term inter-sectionality
to address the oppression of women of color. Intersectionality quickly linked
victims and identity groups defined by class, race, sexual orientation, age,
religion, creed, disability, and gender. Over time other movements were included:
#MeToo
and in 2013 Black Lives Matter.
In 2014, enemies of Israel realized that
intersectionality could be used as a weapon against Israel and Zionism and
encouraged new anti-Semitism. They depicted the Palestinians as victims of
Israeli oppression, promoted... and equated Palestinian “victim-hood” with the
Black Lives Matter movement. Palestinian protesters are labeled “people of
color” fighting against white Zionist colonialists... Students are told support
for Israel is incompatible with social justice and defending Israel is taboo.
Anti-Israel activism has spread beyond the college campus and into elementary
and high school classrooms. A Massachusetts high school taught that Israel was
murdering and torturing Palestinian women.
SJP spreads the lie that genocide of black
people in America is similar to Palestinian genocide. There is no genocide of
Palestinians... Co-opting and
manipulation of legitimate causes to advance a biased and false narrative about
the Israeli/Palestinian conflict must be exposed, as it undermines the
credibility of everyone involved in social reform. Israel is not a racist,
apartheid or oppressive country. Israel exhibits the highest standards with
respect to class, creed, gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and religion...
To brand Israel as an apartheid state, is a
corruption of the word apartheid, and a distortion of Israeli society and its
minority rights. Israel’s Declaration of Independence assures equal civil and
religious rights for all minorities...
To brand Israel as an apartheid state, is a corruption of the
word apartheid, and a distortion of Israeli society and its minority rights.
Israel’s Declaration of Independence assures equal civil and religious rights
for all minorities in stark contrast to the status of Jews, Christians and
Hindus in much of the Muslim world. Israel’s Muslims are Members of Parliament,
government ministers, judges, professors, physicians, entertainers, and senior
business and community leaders. The Arab minority in Israel is educated in
Arab-speaking public schools administered by Arabs in their own cultural and
religious traditions. Israel measures including checkpoints and barriers to
suppress terrorism and violence have nothing to do with apartheid, racial
prejudice or oppression. The PLO Charter (1964) and the Hamas Covenant (1988)
call for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Pursuant to the Oslo Accords
(1993-1995) more than 97% of the west bank Arab population is governed by the
Palestinian Authority.
After Arafat walked away from Camp David peace talks in 2000,
Israel implemented security measures to prevent terrorists from exploding
buses, cafes, and public gatherings. As a result, suicide bombings and violence
were severely curtailed. Arabs in the West Bank are safer and more prosperous
than in neighboring Muslim countries. If the intersectionalists
want to combat apartheid, they should travel to the Palestinian territories and
neighboring Arab countries where they will find outrageous abuse against religion,
race, LGBQT, and gender. Legitimate intersectionality has been hijacked and has
degenerated into anti-Semitism. When it comes to Arabs in Israel, there is no
“apartheid”, no racism and no oppression. Of the 51,000 Arab students enrolled
in Israeli Universities (total 313,00 students), 61% are Arab women. Greater
than any Arab country. An Arab in the Middle East who is gay, female,
Christian, or seeking education & self-improvement can do no better than
living in Israel.
Intersectionality supporters of women’s and gay rights ally with
an intolerant Palestinian Arab society in which misogyny and honor killings are
commonplace. Hundreds of LGBTQ Palestinian Arabs risk their lives in order to
flee to the relative sanctuary of Tel Aviv, where individuals are not abused.
Nonetheless, intersectionality demands that every victim in the world must ally
with the Palestinians. Democrats must recognize the absurdity of anti-Israel
BDS campaigns describing Palestinians as victims of colonialist oppression.
Israel is not only a progressive, anti-racist, sophisticated, sustainable,
moral society but could become the political catalyst and moral anchor for a
strengthened, reinvigorated Middle East capable of affirming the human rights
that intersectionalists seek.
Democratic Party leaders are afraid to confront the mantras of
the intersectionality adherents. They fear polling data that suggest that the
partisan divides on race and identity as well as anti-Zionism are growing. That
trend will continue until the intersectionality movement fights racism and
intolerance. Far-left progressives have created the illusion that identity
politics are mainstream in the Democratic Party. Rank and file Democrats cannot
let intersectionality supporters with incompatible values hijack their party.
Democrats must learn to distinguish legitimate intersectionality and reject the
imposters.
Support of Israel must again become bi-partisan. When Democrats
understand that Israel is a progressive liberal society that respects universal
human rights, they will have the courage to stand up to the anti-Zionists and
anti-Semites in the intersectionality movement.