Hamas attack will likely set back Israel-Saudi normalization plan, which was hateful to Palestinians, but could also reduce sympathy for Palestinians and BDS among Democratic voters in the U.S.
On July 20, hundreds of New Yorkers marched in support of the historic Not On Our Dime! Act, which seeks to penalize nonprofits that are funding illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.
When Rashida Tlaib tweeted about the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, AIPAC described her history as “dangerous lies.” Meanwhile, liberal Zionist statements on Israel’s founding contain Nakba denial as well.
Some American protesters of the Israeli government fear for the future of the Israel lobby– that Israel’s fascistic steps could make it hard to sell the “special relationship” between U.S. and Israel.
Hundreds of protesters greeted Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outside an Israel Bonds convention in Washington, DC.
Activist groups call on U.S. to deny entry to Israel’s finance minister after fascistic comments re Palestinian town. He is due to address Israel Bonds conference in mid-March.
Calls for sanctions and BDS against Israel in the wake of its new government’s “bold” actions against Palestinians are causing that government to dig in. Netanyahu ally Danny Danon called on the United States to block any UN Security Council resolution against provocative Israeli actions at the holy sites in Jerusalem. While Netanyahu minister Amichai Chikli accused Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid of being the “spearhead of the BDS movement.”
Maryland’s Montgomery County Council unanimously voted to adopt a resolution that embraces the controversial IHRA working definition of antisemitism despite months of community protest.
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.
The latest escalation by the ADL against CAIR, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, labeling them as antisemitic because they are anti-Zionist, is further proof of the ADL’s desperation. The ADL has long worked to secure total impunity for the Israeli government. For the Palestinian community, Zionism is the political ideology that has enabled their violent subjugation and systematic dispossession. People must be able to discuss and debate these issues without being falsely smeared as anti-Semites.