Former Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes says the Israel lobby uses money to get its way in Congress. “Members would call me at the beginning of the August recess in 2015, when we’re having the Iran [deal] fight, and be like, AIPAC put out a press release saying they’re going to spend $40 million on ads on this. The money issue became acute. And people started to say, AIPAC told me they’d cancel my fundraisers if I vote this way. We’re never supposed to name the issue of money. But when AIPAC is threatening people that they’re going to cancel fundraisers, suddenly you’re having that conversation.”
As expected, every member of The Squad was easily reelected. And this time they will be joined by even more left-leaning lawmakers.
A guide to highlight some of the races that we are paying attention to as we approach election night 2020.
All eyes will be on Biden vs. Trump next Tuesday night, but there have been races all over the country where Israel has been a factor this election year. Here is a guide to the results Mondoweiss will be paying close attention to on election night 2020.
A coalition of anti-Zionist organizations in San Diego raise concerns over progressive candidate Georgette Gómez who is running for Congress.
Read Rep. Betty McCollum speech upon accepting the Champion of Palestinian Rights Award from American Muslims for Palestine: “Why would congress, or any American, ever want to fund the abuse of a child?”
“It is no longer a political suicide for members of Congress to take a principled stand on Palestine. We are cognizant of all these dynamics and we intend to build on them,” American Muslim for Palestine’s Executive Director Dr. Osama Abuirshaid tells Mondoweiss.
On April 8, eleven members of congress released a statement opposing the Israeli government’s potential annexation of the West Bank. The action comes amid reports that the country’s new coalition government will move forward with a unilateral annexation plan.
Brad Parker explains, “Everybody can understand the physical violence against a child. I think that’s a universal red line that exists for most people. And in that, I think was the overarching sort of consideration in shaping the campaign. We wanted to have something that was really basic, straightforward, accessible, relatable so that it expanded the movement and also complemented the other things that were happening.”