When Israeli soldiers killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy for protesting Jewish settlers taking his land, it ought to have been a George Floyd moment for liberal Jews. But Americans for Peace Now chatters about John Lennon not Ali Abu Alia, and dreams about a two-state solution that will never happen. It is time for Zionism to experience a crisis, and Jews must support the only hope for change in Palestine, BDS.
The killing of Ali Abu Alia — on top of hundreds of similar atrocities in recent years — has generated outrage in the west. Will anyone bear responsibility for robbing the young teenager of his life? It all depends on the responses of American political actors.
“We got to make sure that we stand by Israel and their right to defend themselves.” The newly anointed chair of House Foreign Affairs also assails Palestinians for “fighting” in grotesque commentary that is oblivious to the fact that Israel just murdered a child protester.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Betty McCollum and the UN and EU condemned Israeli killing of boy protester Friday, and JVP called for an end to US military aid. As for liberal Zionist groups? Crickets. Even IfNotNow issues a toothless statement.
Today House Democrats voted on who would become Foreign Affairs Committee chair, now that Rep. Eliot Engel has been ousted from congress. They picked New York’s Gregory Meeks over Texas’ Joaquin Castro in a 148-78 vote.
Bari Weiss’s rage over Peter Beinart’s role in a panel on antisemitism with Rashida Tlaib and Marc Lamont Hill next month shows that Weiss is in a battle with Beinart about who will represent American Jews. Weiss represents a tribal perspective of sacred victimhood; and Beinart’s universalism and openness to the Palestinian story is a threat to her.
Reema Dodin is set to become the first ever Palestinian-American senior White House staffer. Her appointment was attacked by Israel supporters with specific focus on her past pro-Palestine activism.
As expected, every member of The Squad was easily reelected. And this time they will be joined by even more left-leaning lawmakers.
Palestinian messaging about human rights is working. A rightwing Israeli thinktank says anti-Zionism is growing in the U.S. Jewish community. A “possibly significant minority (which may be up to 25%) appears to hold beliefs that are intensely critical of Israel and Zionism itself, including attitudes that Zionism may be a colonial and/or racist, apartheid movement as practiced in Israel today.” Even more, 31 percent, would vote for Rashida Tlaib because she is a progressive!
The Democratic Party successfully sent the message in its convention that Biden won’t be a troublemaker like Obama on Palestinian human rights, thereby pleasing big donors. But the news from congressional races is that the Democratic base cares deeply about the issue.