The Shift: Biden administration expresses its usual ‘concern’

On Monday, six Palestinians were killed during a nine-hour Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp. The next day two Palestinian gunmen killed four settlers near an illegal settlement in the West Bank.

US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides reacted to the events on Twitter. Here he is after Palestinians were killed: “Deeply concerned about the civilian deaths and injuries that have occurred in the West Bank these past 48 hours, including that of minors. Praying for the families as they mourn the loss of loved ones, or tend to those injured.”

And here he is after the Israelis had been killed: “I condemn in the strongest terms the senseless murder of four innocent Israelis today — my heart is with their grieving family members.”

You’ll immediately note the difference here. The death of Palestinians is cause for deep concern and prayer. The fact they were Palestinian is better left unmentioned. The death of Israelis must be condemned in the strongest terms. It should also be noted that at least 14 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank in the last three days.

After Israel approved plans to expand its illegal settlements in the illegally-occupied West Bank last week, the State Department also expressed concern. “The United States is deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s reported decision to advance planning for over 4,000 settlement units in the West Bank. We are similarly concerned by reports of changes to Israel’s system of settlement administration that expedite the planning and approvals of settlements,” read a statement put out by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Of course, there’s no threat of actual action here. Israel will continue to receive over $3.8 billion a year, and Biden believes threatening that agreement in any capacity is a “gigantic mistake.” Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf is in the region this week, but she’s there to talk to Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian leaders about the prospect of another Iran Deal and the expansion of Trump’s Abraham Accords. It’s business as usual.

There was an amazing moment at the last State Department briefing where Al Quds’s Said Arikat asked Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel about Israel ending the occupation. The United States always says Putin could end the war in Ukraine said Arikat, but the same could be said about the Israeli occupation. Israel continues it through the financial and military support it receives from the United States.

“I take issue with that characterization,” replied Patel. “We have been very clear about noting violence, noting terrorism, condemning it when it happens.”

This isn’t the first time that Patel has told Arikat something laughable about the occupation at a State Department briefing. When the issue came up in January, Patel wouldn’t even admit that Palestine was occupied. Here was that exchange:

Arikat: What is the status of the Palestinian people in the West Bank, including Jenin… and everywhere else in the West Bank? It’s a simple question. Are they under occupation?

Patel: Said, let me say a couple of things to the point that I believe —

Arikat: Vedant, are they occupied or are they not occupied? What is the status that you give the Palestinians right at this moment? What kind of status do they have?

Patel: Said, the recent period has seen a sharp and —

Arikat: I’m not talking about a recent period. I am saying about legally, how do you designate the Palestinians in the West Bank? What is their status?

Patel: Said, I understand the question you’re asking, and I – as we’ve said previously, it is vital for both sides to take action to prevent even greater loss, and we condemn any violence, escalation, or provocation.

You might recall that those comments came during a period of violence that mirrors the current situation. Israeli forces had killed ten Palestinians in a Jenin raid and the next day a Palestinian killed six Israeli settlers and a Ukrainian national in the illegal settlement of Neve Yaacov. Settlers then destroyed 200 olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers and attacked an Armenian restaurant in Jerusalem. In Turmus Ayya settlers pelted Palestinians with stones and vandalized their homes while chanting, “Death to the Arabs!”

Settler rampages have also broken out this time around, leading to the death of at least one Palestinian killed and dozens injured. Local activists told the media that140 cars were damaged in one night and that Israeli forces “joined the settlers in their attacks” against Palestinians, hooting rubber bullets and tear gas at individuals defending their homes.

“Accountability and justice should be pursued with equal rigor in all cases of extremist violence, and we welcome the IDF’s condemnation of these acts and expect the Israeli Government to ensure full accountability and legal prosecution for those responsible for these attacks, in addition to compensation for lost homes and property,” Patel told reporters.

This week has been a microcosm of the United States ‘special relationship’ with Israel.

Brooklyn Race

We’ve covered the fallout from CUNY Law graduate Fatima Mohammed’s commencement speech in the last couple issues of the newsletter. Mohammed acknowledged Israeli apartheid in her speech and the need to challenge it legally. She’s been targeted by pro-Israel organizations, pro-Israel politicians, and right-wing websites for these commonsense statements. She’s also been thrown under the bus by her own school, which accused her of hate speech.

Now the issue of CUNY and Israel has spilled into a local election. Wai Yee Chan is leading the polls for the Democratic primary in New York’s newly-created 43rd district. She has accepted the endorsement Professional Staff Congress (PSC), the faculty union representing CUNY professors.  One of Chan’s opponents, Susan Zhuang, is now attacking her because the PSC passed a 2021 resolution supporting the Palestinian people.

“Wai Yee has chosen to stand with anti-Israel and anti-NYPD groups such as PSC CUNY, which endorsed her campaign,” said Zhuang. “If she cannot even acknowledge and condemn the disease of anti-Semitism plaguing CUNY, then she can never be trusted to keep our Southern Brooklyn community safe.”

In an interview with Hamodia, Zhuang said that Mohammad shouldn’t have been allowed to give the speech and suggested that the First Amendment did not include criticism of Israel.

“I believe in freedom of speech, but you don’t say something against other people,” she explained. “That’s not called freedom — you are hurting the other people. And the hateful speech against Jewish people, the hateful speech against NYPD, and also our veterans who serve our country, that’s wrong. That’s not part of First Amendment. Freedom of speech is based on you are not hurting other people…That’s not called ‘freedom of speech.'”

“Whereas, Israel’s pattern and practice of dispossession and expansion of settlements dating back to its establishment as a settler colonial state in 1948 has been found to be illegal under international law; international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and B’tselem have designated these practices of Israel as ‘ apartheid’ and a regime of legalized racial discrimination perpetrated against the Palestinian people; and the International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into these practices…,” reads the 2021 resolution.

Odds & Ends

???????? U.K. bill would outlaw schools and other public bodies from boycotting Israel.

???? Critics skeptical of Israeli “pilot program” to land U.S. visa waiver.

???????? Biden’s refusal to demand accountability for Israeli army killings is an open farce.

????️ Rep. Joshua Gottheimer (D-NJ) criticized aspects of Biden’s antisemitism policy on the Jewish Insider podcast:  “My concerns are the ones that have been expressed elsewhere, which I think are the right concerns. On the definition (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism), why is it not fully codified? Why would they list other definitions, which I believe are certainly questionable and shaky.”

???????? Iran’s Supreme Leader opens space for possible nuclear deal:

“Khamenei seeks to ensure conservative President Ebrahim Raisi’s success as his protégé and potential successor, secure Iran’s strategic interests and regional influence, and avoid military confrontation with the U.S. or Israel, both of which have threatened to use force if diplomacy fails to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On the other hand, President Biden aims to fulfill his promise of diplomacy with Iran, prevent a nuclear crisis that could negatively impact his 2024 reelection campaign, and address concerns from U.S. allies in the region, notably Israel and Saudi Arabia, regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional behavior.”

???????? “Nearly two dozen current and former officials at local federations and community relations councils are calling on the Jewish Federations of North America to clarify its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after the umbrella group sponsored a conference promoting Israeli settlements earlier this month.”

????️‍???? Boston Pride co-hosted a Pride event with the Israeli consulate. A coalition of organizations (including the Stonewall Liberation Organization, Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights) has put out a strong statement condemning the move:

The harm behind this event is further illustrated by the actions of its cosponsors. For example, Combined Jewish Philanthropies actively funds Israeli settlement projects and has provided $661,100 to the Boston Police Foundation. Wider Bridge, whose events have been protested across the country, explicitly aims to build support for the state of Israel among queer communities in the US.

This event, along with all pinkwashing and Brand Israel events, obfuscate the daily violence committed against Palestinians. This week, nearly 100 Palestinians were wounded and six were killed by Israeli forces invading Jenin. Just last week the Israeli state raided the Ein Beit Al-Mai refugee camp in the city of Nablus, demolishing a home, injuring six Palestinians, and killing twenty-year-old Palestinian Khalil Yahya Anis. At least 170 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of this year, at least 21 of them Palestinian children.

???? Lesley Lopez, a state legislator from Montgomery County, has entered the race for the congressional seat that Rep. David Trone (D-MD) is leaving. Trone is an AIPAC “minyan” donor and ardent foe of the BDS movement. Interviewed by Jewish Insider Lopez said she didn’t know enough about the movement to have a position on it yet. “Those conversations are ongoing, and they’re a part of me just developing more of an understanding of the nuances,” said Lopez. “I certainly believe in a two-state solution. But outside of that, I think there’s obviously a lot of nuance to the situation and a lot of information to process.”

Stay safe out there,

Michael