U.S. Liberal Zionists have now upped the pressure on the Biden administration to condemn Israel’s “persecution” of Palestinian human rights group, by issuing statements that Israel’s declaration of the groups as terrorist is “baseless.” Let’s hope J Street victorious NY endorsees Jerry Nadler and Jamaal Bowman now join other Congresspeople in condemning the action.

Israeli PM Yair Lapid’s unprovoked attack on Gaza that killed 17 children was part of a “good debut” for him with Israeli voters in his race against Netanyahu, says Tal Shalev of Walla News. Lapid faces the “hatred” of rightwing media, who echo Netanyahu’s racist talking point, Lapid can only form the next government with Palestinian parties. Lapid plays along by calling the Palestinian parties “extremist”.

This week Israel did the unconscionable and shut down the offices of seven Palestinian human rights groups that are doing valiant work in the occupied territory. People ask why Israel would do such a thing, and the simple answer is Zionism.

Israel’s openly-fascistic move of shutting down seven Palestinian human rights groups in occupied territory was widely condemned by American progressives who demanded that the Biden administration take action against Israel. But rightwing Israel lobby groups were silent on the crackdown, J Street expressed “deep concern,” not condemnation. Though Americans for Peace now denounced the “persecution” of the Palestinian groups.

Anti-Palestinian racism remains the norm in the Israel lobby and in Washington too. The Israel Policy Forum aired an hour-long assessment of Israel’s attacks on Gaza this month and repeatedly praised the operation for leaving no Israelis dead, and never mentioned the scores of Palestinian civilians killed and injured. In his one indirect reference to the Palestinian deaths, Amos Harel of Haaretz said that Israel had demonstrated that it was “very good” at avoiding killing Palestinian civilians.

Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to the late Secretary of State Colin Powell, says Israel has adopted a policy of terrorizing the Palestinian population so that it will accept apartheid. “Every time you shoot a rocket at us, we will kill 1300 of you, men, women and children it doesn’t matter. And you will kill two or three of us. OK? We will live with those odds. And we will eventually eradicate you. I’m convinced that’s their ultimate goal, eradication and/or apartheid.”

“An orgy of violence” that killed 49 Palestinians in three days including 17 children — and yet Israel’s supporters have crowed that the Gaza attack was successful and it got wide support in the world press. These advocates have blinded themselves to the moral dimension of such awful force.

Polling shows Democrats support BDS by three to one, but Rep. Jerry Nadler said last night that he has stopped BDS from getting a “foothold” among progressives in Congress, and that only a Jew with his seniority can do that. Nadler bragged of supporting Israel since he was 8 years old.

The Gaza attack has heightened Israel’s rightwing political tilt as it approaches its next election. “The only place where you can see real energy is on the far right among young people,” Chemi Shalev says of the surprising support among the young for the fascistic racist Religious Zionism party.

A surprising number of Democratic politicians running in close elections have not been vocally supportive of Israel after it attacked Gaza. They include Raphael Warnock, Mark Kelly, John Fetterman, and most of the candidates in the crowded 10th district in New York. These Dems surely see Israel as an issue that is going to cause them problems with Democratic voters, so they avoid the association.