Rashida Tlaib had sound reasons to call Israel an apartheid state, including Human Rights Watch’s report saying as much. But politicians and journalists don’t defend her because pro-Israel journalists like Bret Stephens have viciously attributed all criticism of Israel to its status as a Jewish state, and said the critics are motivated by antisemitism.

Progressives lost a vote on Israel in the House yesterday, overwhelmingly, by 420-9. But the ten Democrats who refused to vote for the funding represent a solid beachhead of opposition inside Congress to the special relationship between the U.S. and the apartheid “Jewish state.” Pro-Palestinian human rights forces are not going away — and the sooner the American public is exposed to this debate, the better.

Jewish Voice for Peace stages a religious protest at the home of Jeffrey Yass, the richest person in Pennsylvania. He supports expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, and also supported Democrat Andrew Yang’s unsuccessful campaign for NY mayor.

House progressives were able to temporarily hold up an additional $1 billion to Israel, but the victory was shortlived. Only eight Democrats ended up voting against the spending. NY Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not vote no, voting present; while Betty McCollum, Mark Pocan and Jamaal Bowman, who have been critical of Israel, all voted for the funding.

As progressives, including two Jewish groups, try to block $1 billion in extra aid to Israel, liberal Zionists are once again stuck in the middle, unable to come out against the funding and thereby alienate the mainstream Israel lobby.

In an unprecedented show of strength by House progressives, Democratic leadership was forced to strip $1 billion in funding for an Israeli arms system from a government spending bill. House Majority leader Steny Hoyer rushed to assure Israeli Foreign Minister that the money would go through next week.

Three progressive House members are making a legislative effort to block the delivery of US-made bombs to Israel.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the city center of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday in protest of the Palestinian Authority’s killing of popular activist and dissident Nizar Banat earlier this summer.  The demonstration came on the heels of mass arrests by the PA of prominent Palestinian critics of Abbas’ regime. These arrests have caught the eyes of the international community, including some members of Congress.

When Rep. Rashida Tlaib faulted people for making record profits from Gaza tp Detroit, Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL accused her of antisemitic “dogwhistling.” And Bari Weiss joined in the smear campaign, saying, “So many people have been willfully blind toward the worldview of this congresswoman.” Tlaib’s actual crime is being Palestinian.

David Harris of the American Jewish Committee declares war on young Jews who have joined allegedly “antisemitic”, anti-Zionist organizations so as to overcome social isolation and “are willing to throw millions of other Jews under the bus.”