The Dingell family has controlled Michigan’s 12th district for 85 years. Challenging a political dynasty this entrenched is obviously a daunting task, but 27-year old Solomon Rajput tells Mondoweiss that he’s up for it.
Ilhan Omar: “This is not a peace plan. It is theft.”
Nancy Pelosi: “There are some areas of common ground here.”
The split over Israel in the Democratic Party has been on full display.
Arizona legislation would revise statutes relating to crime reporting to include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism as an “aggravating factor” in sentencing decisions. That definition infamously includes some criticisms of Israel.
Congressional Republicans continue to push legislation that targets the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and their first move of 2020 is the Israel Anti-Boycott Act.
In an interview with the New York Times editorial board Amy Klobuchar also cited her strong record of pro-Israel votes in the Senate. “I still think that they are in a really tough neighborhood in a really dangerous position,” she explained, “And made worse by what Trump just did with Syria because now Iran has a foothold there.”
On January 14, South Dakota’s Republican Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order that prohibits state offices from doing business with companies that boycott Israel. South Dakota becomes the 28th state to pass legislation that targets the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Last week, Jewish and Palestinian student activists with the group Jewish Voice for Peace were in Iowa to demand that Democratic candidates stop funding Israel’s occupation and embrace Palestinian rights.
The Department of Education is investigating another university over pro-Palestine events. The move comes just one month after President Trump signed an executive order that effectively allows the government to crack down on pro-Palestine campus organizing.
On January 9, Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced H. Res. 782. The legislation, which is cosponsored by Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) and David Kustoff (R-TN), would encourage “public schools to design and teach a curriculum about the history of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, and the vital and historic importance of the Jewish State of Israel.” The bill also cites the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which it claims is spreading “rampant anti-Semitism” across college campuses.
86% of right-wing Israelis, 67% of Israeli centrists, and even 37% of “left-wing” Israelis say they trust Trump. Israel was also the only country where a majority of respondents said they agree with his administration violating the Iran Nuclear Deal. Just 23% of those surveyed opposed the move. 74% of Israelis back his decision to move the United States Embassy to Tel Aviv.