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AIPAC is a “hate group,” says
congresswoman
By Michael F. Brown
Betty
McCollum, a tenacious advocate
for the rights of Palestinian
children, vigorously pushed back
Wednesday against an attack ad
by AIPAC.
Craig Lassig
ZUMA Press
February 15, 2020 "Information
Clearing House" -
Betty McCollum this week
issued one of the hardest hitting criticisms of
AIPAC from a sitting member of Congress in recent
memory, perhaps ever.
Her statement provided the
extraordinary sight of a US elected representative
telling the anti-Palestinian organization enough is
enough. She pushed back – and hard.
McCollum denounced as “hate speech” the recent
AIPAC Facebook ads that she said are “weaponizing
anti-Semitism to incite followers by attacking me,
my colleagues, and my work promoting human rights
for Palestinian children detained in Israeli
military prisons.”
Terming the organization a “hate group,” she
declared that “the struggle to advance human rights
and promote human dignity inevitably results in
confronting entrenched forces determined to
dehumanize, debase and demonize individuals or
entire populations to maintain dominance and an
unjust status quo.”
McCollum – who has
introduced legislation aimed at preventing US
tax dollars from being used by Israel to harm
Palestinian children – has not been reticent in
criticizing discriminatory Israeli law previously.
In 2018 she
termed the Israeli nation-state law “apartheid.”
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Such language is simply not employed by members
of Congress, who in general would far rather speak
nicely to AIPAC’s annual conference than raise the
least concern about decades of Israeli subjugation
of Palestinians.
The Minnesota congresswoman took particular
exception to an AIPAC petition connected to the ad
which claimed: “It’s critical that we protect our
Israeli allies especially as they face threats from
Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS and – maybe more
sinister – right here in the US Congress.”
She rightly termed the language “incitement.”
Particularly revealing in the episode was that
McCollum’s comments came five days after AIPAC
issued an
apology for the ad. She has rejected that
apology.
Backers of Palestinian rights across the country
highlighted and
cheered her
words.
Ilhan Omar retweeted McCollum’s statement and
Rashida Tlaib tweeted her own message of support for
McCollum. Omar and Tlaib, the first Muslim women
elected to Congress, were also targeted by the AIPAC
ad.
The question from here as Democrats such as
presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren begin to
skip the
March AIPAC conference is how many members of
Congress will criticize AIPAC’s vicious attack on
their colleagues.
How many will also challenge the routine Israeli
violations of Palestinian human rights? AIPAC works
assiduously to convince Congress that these
violations are acceptable and relatively benign
because they serve the (falsely) perceived greater
good of Israeli dominance over the occupied West
Bank and Gaza Strip.
Nor is this the first time McCollum has been a
leader in standing up to AIPAC. In a 2006
letter she said the organization would not be
welcome in her congressional offices until it
apologized for an AIPAC representative having
“smeared” her reputation by claiming she gave
“support for terrorists.”
Netanyahu assaults free speech
As it happened, McCollum’s most recent statement
coincided with a
tweet from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime
minister, claiming, “In recent years, we have
promoted laws in most US states, which determine
that strong action is to be taken against whoever
tries to boycott Israel.”
Democratic presidential candidates, while not on
board with the nonviolent, Palestinian-led boycott,
divestment and sanctions movement, have said they
support the free speech rights of proponents.
Now they are going to have to confront the fact that
the government of Israel is promoting laws intended
to limit the free speech rights of American
citizens.
Whether members of Congress push back on this
brazen assault on American rights remains to be
seen. Better yet, they might consider the substance
of a movement fighting for equal rights and freedom
for Palestinians.
At the very least, Netanyahu’s tweet establishes
unequivocally that Israel is working to diminish the
cherished speech rights of American citizens
concerned about human rights and actually doing
something to promote them.
And AIPAC is working to attack American members
of Congress who stand up for Palestinian children
living under occupation.
McCollum, for her part, is steadfast, saying, “I
will not back down from my commitment to peace,
justice, equality, and human rights for Palestinians
and Israelis.”
The Democratic Party is finding more courage in
supporting Palestinian rights with elected
representatives such as McCollum, Omar and Tlaib
leading the way.
Do you agree or disagree? Post
your comment here
This article was published by "Electronic
Intifada"-
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