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Shontel Brown

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If you had any question why Joe Biden went to Saudi Arabia and destroyed his own credibility by making friends with the murderous Crown Prince, AIPAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel gave you the answer Tuesday night. In a House district in Maryland just over the D.C. line, they spent more than $6 million to get a mainstream candidate, Glenn Ivey, the Democratic nomination over progressive former Congresswoman Donna Edwards. Because Donna Edwards has at times been critical of Israel.

For the second time in the last year, the rightwing Israel lobby– AIPAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel, which bragged of spending over $1 million — helped Rep. Shontel Brown defeat Nina Turner in Cleveland primary. What was Nina Turner’s crime? Expressing solidarity with Palestinians being thrown out of their homes and being bombed in Gaza. Though Brown doesn’t even mention Israel in her public priorities.

It’s O.K. in the Democratic Party to critique white supremacy in the U.S. but dare to bring up Jewish supremacy in Israel and cite apartheid reports and you will get railroaded as a supposed antisemite. Aided by megadonor Haim Saban, the Israel lobby group AIPAC has raised nearly $16 million in three months to take on Democratic candidates who might “undermine” the relationship with Israel.

Workers prepare the stage at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington

The United Democracy Project, the new super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has begun spending in Democratic primaries. It has unveiled four television ads set to run in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. The new ads do not mention Israel once. The spot for Rep. Shontel Brown in Ohio mainly focuses on progressive challenger Nina Turner, who squared off against Brown in a special election last year.

Reverend Raphael Warnock (Photo: Twitter)

A bipartisan group of 68 Senators are calling on the Biden administration to stop the United Nations Human Rights Council from investigating Israel’s latest assault on Gaza and end the council’s “discriminatory and unwarranted treatment of Israel.” Among the signatories, Raphael Warnock.

Nina Turner speaking at a rally for social and economic justice in Washington DC, November 17, 2016 (Photo: Lorie Shaull/Flickr)

After the Squad openly criticized Israel in the House during the Gaza onslaught last May, Nina Turner came under pressure to disavow her friendships with those reps. “I was told by a prominent Jewish businessman, we’re coming at you with everything you got, you need to disavow the Squad. If I didn’t do it they were coming for me.” Turner lost in August after an onslaught of negative ads paid for by pro-Israel groups.

Nina Turner lost a big lead in the Ohio-11 congressional race, apparently because of an onslaught of negative ads that were paid for by the Democratic Majority for Israel but that said nothing about Israel, just questioned Turner’s commitment to Joe Biden. Turner blamed “dark money,” but declined to make Israel an issue in the race. Even though the Democratic base overwhelmingly blames Israel and not the Palestinians for the latest fighting.