Israel lobbyists have opened a new front in their effort to characterize Palestinian solidarity as “antisemitic.” Now that two House members and leading human rights groups have said Israel practices “apartheid,” Israel’s friends want to shut down the discussion. It’s a good battle to have, as even mainstream groups say the shoe fits Israel.

We can expect an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 in Gaza in the coming weeks and a severely damaged health care system and exhausted health care workers unable to cope adequately. Prior to the bombing, 99% of the COVID-19 virus circulating in Palestine was from the highly contagious British Variant B.1.1.7. An estimated 5% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza had been vaccinated and mask use during Ramadan was lax. The positivity rate for coronavirus in Gaza was around 30% three weeks ago.

The “apartheid” accusation against Israel from leading human rights groups had a very serious intention: to change the western understanding of what is taking place in Israel. There is only one state between the river and the sea, the occupation is 54 years old and Israeli leaders have no intention of reversing it, so Israel must grant equal rights to all under its governance. But western media and liberal Zionists are determined to make the charge disappear, as they cling to the fantasy that there can still be a Palestinian state in the land east of the green line, and a “Jewish democracy” to the west.

Ed Markey is facing stiff criticism from supporters on his pro-Israel positions. Activists say it reflects the shifting politics on Palestine in the Democratic Party.

A group of progressive House Democrats have introduced a resolution aimed at stopping a $735 million weapons sale to Israel that the Biden administration approved two weeks ago.

Enabled by Human Rights Watch’s April finding, mainstream media figures are coming out and saying that Israel practices apartheid– lately Ali Velshi, John Oliver explain the Gaza onslaught by saying the a-word. And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also said “Apartheid states are not democracies” over the weekend.

Chuck Schumer once called for Gaza to be “strangled.” Now the NY senator is silent as progressive Democrats decry Israeli onslaught and Schumer’s potential adversary in 2022, AOC, brands Israel an “apartheid state.” The other leading pro-Israel Democratic senator, Robert Menendez, has called for accountability for Israeli attacks on civilian targets and media outlets in Gaza. Even Paris Hilton is calling Israeli attack a “genocide.”

Progressive lawmakers urge Biden administration to defend Palestinian rights.

Why does Biden exasperate the left by defending Israel’s strikes on apartment houses in Gaza? Because he is dependent on the Israel lobby for Democratic Party campaign support. As Pew’s latest survey shows, Jews care a lot about Israel, Jews are overwhelmingly Democrats, and Jews make more money than other Americans on average.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent refusal to criticize Israel in comments to an Israel lobbyist remind us that the lobby is still entrenched in the Democratic Party. We thought that narrative was over, but it’s not. Israel critics turn into Israel praisers when they have political ambitions.