Weekly Briefing: Democrats make pathetic pilgrimage to apartheid state, embrace rightwing leader

First the good news. This was the week Israelis turned on the Israel lobby. A group of largely-Israeli Jews put together a letter accusing the American Jewish community of being progressive on every issue but Israeli “apartheid.” You’re supporting ethnic cleansing and “Jewish supremacy,” the writers said.

They demanded that American Jewish leaders push Biden to cut funding to Israel and call for equal rights. And look, their letter is up to 1400 signatures in a week, including a lot of old Zionists.   

The letter writers know where the political power is when it comes to Palestinian human rights. It’s in Washington, and the Israel lobby.  

Lest there was any doubt, the Israel lobby group AIPAC sent a Democratic delegation to Israel last week, and minority leader Hakeem Jeffries went for the second time this year.

That’s the bad news; and a lot of first term Congresspeople embraced Netanyahu.

Including Shri Thanedar who once made the mistake of calling Israel an apartheid state, and AIPAC spent $4 million against him a year ago. Including Becca Balint of Vermont, a longtime progressive, lately associated with J Street. No wonder Balint didn’t tweet her AIPAC trip!

The trip made a joke of Rep. Haley Stevens, cheerleading on a bus.

And made posters for Netanyahu. “I wanted to thank you for… your position on the mendacious attack on Israel as an apartheid state,” Netanyahu told the sad Dems.

The word has gone down from Biden. Yes, it’s a fascist government, but please stand by Israel through 2024. Because the Republicans want to politicize the Jewish state.

And so does the left!

Thanks for reading,

Phil Weiss

P.S. This week we published a story I’ve always wondered about. Palestinian prisoners smuggling sperm out to their partners to have babies. Incredible reporting by Tareq Hajjaj. Even as Israelis try to crack down on the practice, without success. 115 babies in Gaza!