Tag Archives: Israel

Boycott of AIPAC Conference by Dem Presidential Candidates: Another Sign of Growing Anti-Semitism on the Left

The annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) policy conference, which opened in Washington this week, has long been a required stop for American politicians.  Vice President Pence, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Schumer, House Speaker Pelosi and House Minority Leader McCarthy as well as about two dozen other congressmen will address the conference. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also will speak.

U.S. presidential candidates regularly attend and speak at the AIPAC conference. But this is not the case this year for most – if not all — Democratic candidates who gave in to demands by the far-left to boycott the event. As a result, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders as well as Rep. John Delaney, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro are not attending.

A March 20 article on the website of the far-left organization MoveOn.org said over 74% of its members did not want 2020 presidential candidates to attend the AIPAC conference. The MoveOn.org article criticized AIPAC for trying to defeat the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, having Netanyahu as a speaker at the conference, “giving platforms to Islamophobes,” and refusing to condemn the anti-Semitism of Republicans.

Most of the field of Democratic candidates have said little about the conference. No candidate has confirmed whether he or she will attend. A Sanders aide said he isn’t attending because AIPAC is providing a platform for leaders who have expressed bigotry and oppose a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. O’Rourke seems to be boycotting because he thinks Netanyahu “has openly sided with racists.” However, most of the other candidates gave no reason for their no-shows or blamed scheduling problems.

Most of the Democratic presidential candidates are trying to have it both ways – boycott the AIPAC conference to appease their energetic far-left supporters and not talk about it to avoid alienating Jewish Americans.

The Democratic presidential boycott of the AIPAC conference reflects how far-left, anti-Semitic groups like MoveOn.org are taking over their party. This is especially concerning since it comes amid current tensions over anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party due to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments, especially her despicable tweet about AIPAC money buying influence in Washington.

The American people are watching this shameless surrender by Democratic presidential candidates to far-left, anti-Semitic extremists.

Thank Heaven – And C.S.P. – For Israel Being Sovereign On The Golan

President Trump just took another courageous and strategically astute step to align U.S. policy with reality in the Middle East, rather than with diplomatic delusions that have, for decades, caused disputes to fester and embolden our enemies, and Israel’s.

As with Mr. Trump’s previous actions relocating the American embassy to Israel’s capital and withdrawing us from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights puts America first.

After all, it is in our vital interest to prevent outcomes that would actually have the effect of destabilizing the region, rather than promoting peace – whether in Jerusalem, in Tehran or on this strategic high ground that protects Israel from the chaos in Syria and Iranian forces now being deployed there.

If Israel had not exercised sovereign control over the Golan during the past few years, by now, there surely would have been a very bloody war – one that may not have been confined to Israeli and Syrian territory.

It is deeply satisfying to recall the contribution the Center for Security Policy made twenty-five years ago to avoiding such an outcome.  In October 1994, the Center published an exceedingly timely and influential analysis that helped stave off an initiative then being aggressively pursued by the Clinton administration and the Israeli government of Yitzhak Rabin.  It would have lubricated the transfer of the Golan Heights back to Syria with the replacement of Israeli forces there with American ones.

This study, entitled U.S. Forces on the Golan Heights?, was principally drafted by Douglas J. Feith, who would go on to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the George W. Bush administration.  It was endorsed by eleven other senior national security practitioners – including six retired four-star general officers representing all five of the armed services. The arguments the Center for Security Policy made against the then-incipient Golan deal were so compelling that Commentary Magazine took the unprecedented step of publishing the analysis in its entirety.

The effect of the Center’s study was to precipitate a much-needed debate in Washington about the advisability of the Clinton-Rabin initiative. As it happened, that debate delayed its execution and, when Prime Minister Rabin was tragically assassinated, the plan was abandoned. And the Golan has remained securely in Israeli hands ever since.

Just as Israel’s continued existence has been safeguarded by the Jewish State’s exercise of sovereignty over the Golan Heights, its control over the equally strategic high ground known as the West Bank has been vital to preserving the peace.  And just as America’s vital interests are served by acknowledging and preserving the former, it behooves us to assure the latter remains the case.

President Trump Tweets: “it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights”

President Trump tweeted Thursday that “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a number of American politicians have tweeted their support in response to the President:

This represents a continuation of the Trump administration’s strong support for the nation of Israel.

Last year the Trump administration took the historic step of moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish state.

And administration officials National Security Advisor Bolton and Vice President Pence have been unequivocal in vocalizing support for the American ally.

Washington Post Seems to Cover Up Anti-Semitic Joke at House Dem Meeting

Originally published by Newsmax:

The Washington Post published a story with an astounding account of a private meeting on March 5 of Democratic House members held in response to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s controversial anti-Semitic statements and tweets. At this chaotic meeting, Omar refused to apologize for her comments or to “publicly affirm Israel’s right to exist and protect itself.”

But the Post excised a key paragraph from the original version of this story on how a facilitator at the meeting made an anti-Semitic joke about Jews that drew criticism from one of the attendees.

At the meeting, Rep, Omar was asked to apologize for her anti-Semitic comments and to affirm Israel’s right to exist by Rep. Dean Phillips, a Jewish Democrat who represents a Minnesota district near Omar’s. Instead of responding to Phillips, Omar’s allies changed the subject to alleged mistreatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government. Some members also accused Phillips of racism because they were “offended that a wealthy white businessman representing an affluent suburban community was suggesting a black refugee such as Omar incited fear.”

Rep. Rashida Tlaib came to Rep. Omar’s defense and began to cry as she spoke about mistreatment of her Palestinian grandmother by Israelis.

The print version of the Post story said tensions at this meeting worsened after a facilitator from a group called “Bend the Arc” made an anti-Semitic joke:

“When the small group convened, tension emerged almost immediately. A Bend the Arc facilitator made a joke about Jews and money to try to clear the air. But Rep. Jahana Hayes (Conn.), one of the freshman allies invited to join the session, grew serious and asked why the facilitator could talk like that when someone like Hayes could not.”

However, later versions of this story posted online omitted the above paragraph.

For me, the Post excised the most important in point in this story — that at a meeting of House Democrats held in response to Rep. Omar’s anti-Semitic remarks, a meeting facilitator made a crude joke about Jews which one congresswoman objected to after Congressman Hayes was rebuffed for asking Omar to apologize and affirm Israel’s right to exist.

This is what this story would be about if such a meeting had been convened by Republicans. I am sure Democratic leaders were angry that The Washington Post printed the above paragraph in the original version of this story and pressured the Post’s editors to delete it. The Post’s editors need to explain their decision to remove this language.

It’s hard to see how hiding embarrassing information for the Democratic Party is consistent with The Washington Post’s self-righteous motto of “Democracy dies in darkness.” This is another example of why President Trump and conservatives condemn the mainstream media for producing fake news and being arms of the Democratic Party.

“The Growing Threat to Israel and the Region” – Watch Clare Lopez on a Citizens Commission on National Security Panel

The Citizens Commission on National Security (CCNS) – successor to the Citizens Commission on Benghazi – presented a 6-hour set of panel discussions live on-air at the Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS) on Tuesday 26 February 2019. With heart-felt thanks to JBS founder/president Rabbi Mark Golub, CCNS dedicated its first symposium to the U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance.

The final panel of the day, moderated by Roger Aronoff, was titled “The Growing Threat to Israel and the Region” and features CSP VP for Research and Analysis, Clare M. Lopez. Lopez devoted her presentation to “The Red-Green Axis Bares Its Teeth.”

“The Growing Threat to Israel and the Region”

“The Historic Alliance”

“A New Peace Plan Emerges”

“Interview with Alan Dershowitz”

CPAC 2019: Why Anti-Zionism is a Form of Anti-Semitism and a Threat to National Security

The Center for Security Policy sponsored a panel at CPAC to discuss the topic “Why Anti-Zionism is a Form of Anti-Semitism and a Threat to National Security.”

The panel included Center President Fred Fleitz, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rabbi Yechezkel Moskowitz of the National Council of Young Israel, Dan Pollak of the Zionist Organization of America and James Simpson, an investigative journalist and author.

Watch the panel in HD on YouTube below:

The following is the original Facebook Livestream event:

Nikki Haley: “Supporting Israel was one of the easiest things I did at the UN, because it was telling the truth”

During her tenure as the United States Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley staunchly supported the state of Israel while working in the midst of a world body notorious for its persistent anti-Israel bias.

In a speech delivered while accepting an award from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Haley explained that, “Supporting Israel was one of the easiest things I did at the UN, because it was telling the truth.”

She noted that “fighting for Israel was not just a job for me. Fighting for Israel will always be the right thing to do.”

The Trump administration has continued to broadcast its strong support for the Jewish State.

In a January 2019 tweet, National Security Advisor John Bolton described the two nations’ alliance as “unbreakable” and asserted that “U.S. support for Israel’s right to self-defense is unwavering.”

Vice President Mike Pence, who recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Poland, tweeted that “Under @POTUS Trump, the United States will never fail to stand with our ally, Israel.”

And Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that Israeli-U.S. relations are at “an all time high.”

Red-Green Axis Chokes on Omar’s Anti-Semitism

Seems it’s been a little much for even the Democratic Party to stomach. And that’s saying a lot.

First term Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) ignited a storm of controversy with a Tweet on Sunday 10 February 2019 that cast AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) as a Jewish lobby whose money buys a pro-Israel U.S. foreign policy. In response to a Glenn Greenwald tweet invoking the familiar “dual loyalty” trope about U.S. support for Israel, Omar’s sly double entendre, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” roused even Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party leadership to demand an apology from Omar…which she provided, sort of.

Declaring that “Anti-Semitism is real” and “I unequivocally apologize,” Omar then took it all back with her very next statement: “At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry. It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it.” Then hours later, Omar was back on Twitter again, re-tweeting a thread with a former staffer on a failed congressional campaign who claimed his candidate accepted AIPAC money in return for issuing pro-Israel statements. Worse yet, the re-tweeted thread included explicit criticism of Pelosi for demanding Omar’s apology.

Condemnation of the Somali-American first-term Congresswoman’s vicious antisemitism continues to pour in from across the political spectrum. En route to a Texas rally on Monday 11 February, President Donald Trump weighed in to reporters aboard Air Force One, saying that Omar “should be ashamed of herself” for the “all about the Benjamins” comment. The next day, on Tuesday 12 February, Trump turned up the pressure on Omar even further when he called her apology “lame” and demanded “she should resign from congress or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.” Speaking before a cabinet meeting that day, Trump indicated his understanding of the doctrinal nature of Islamic Jew-hatred, when he added that Omar’s comments were “deep seeded in her heart.”

Powerful Democratic party chairs, including Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerold Nadler (D-NY) and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), issued strong statements condemning Omar’s antisemitic attacks. It may be noted that Omar was recently named to a coveted position on the House Foreign Relations Committee, which, among other things, considers U.S. policy towards Israel. Even so, Speaker Pelosi hasn’t yet given any indication that she is reconsidering Omar’s appointment to the Foreign Relations Committee.

The current storm aside, however, it isn’t as though Omar hasn’t made perfectly clear her antisemitic beliefs for a long time. For example, in a November 16, 2012 tweet, Omar wrote, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” Unsurprisingly, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR, the U.S. branch of the jihad terror group HAMAS), leapt to Omar’s defense following her most recent tweets, issuing a statement on Monday 11 February that admitted that “Anti-Semitism is real,” but then added that “it should not be used disingenuously as a tool to silence legitimate criticism of a foreign nation’s discriminatory policies. CAIR applauds Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for their courage…”

CAIR, of course, along with a long list of Muslim Brotherhood front groups, was named by the Justice Department an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation (HLF) HAMAS terror funding trial.

Coming full circle back to Congressional campaign donations, it might be noted that both of the newly-elected Muslim Representatives, Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), have accepted thousands of dollars from not only CAIR/HAMAS, but from a slew of individuals who list affiliation with various other Muslim Brotherhood fronts. Among them are ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America, also an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF case), MAS (Muslim American Society, founded by Muslim Brotherhood members), MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Committee, which branched off from the Muslim Brotherhood-founded Islamic Center of Southern California), and MSA (Muslim Student Association, the first Muslim Brotherhood front group established in 1963 in the U.S.). Some of these Brotherhood-affiliated donors are senior officials of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood: for example, Rizwan Jaka, who donated to Omar’s 2018 congressional campaign, sits on the Board of Trustees for the ADAMS (All Dulles Area Muslim Society) Center, which is the hub of operations for the Muslim Brotherhood in Northern Virginia and broader Capital area. Hatem Bazian, another donor to Omar’s campaign, is a regular speaker at the ICNA-MAS (Islamic Circle of North America-Muslim American Society) conferences. ICNA is a founding member of the Muslim Brotherhood political umbrella group, the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO). One more: Zaki Barzinji, who donated to Omar’s 2018 campaign, is the scion of a notorious Muslim Brotherhood family. He is the grandson of Jamal Barzinji, who not only was among the founders of the jihad mosque, Dar al-Hijrah, but also played a key role in the founding of numerous U.S. Muslim Brotherhood front groups, including IIIT (International Institute of Islamic Thought), ISNA, MSA and NAIT (North American Islamic Trust, also named by the Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF trial). Zaki Barzinji himself has served as an ISNA Board member and is a former president of the Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA), which describes itself as “the youth organization of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)”.

Finally, lest there remain any doubt about Rep. Omar’s actual antisemitic sentiments and affiliations, we see that she is scheduled to be a keynote speaker at an Islamic Relief USA dinner to benefit Yemen in Tampa, FL on 23 February 2019. There, she will share the program with IRUSA official Yousef Abdallah, who has displayed his own antisemitism in calling for violence against Jews on social media. Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) is the U.S. branch of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) included on a 2014 list of terror groups. In a revealing post from 29 May 2018, the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT)’s writer, John Rossomando, published a photo of IRUSA Board Chairman Khaled Lamada flashing the four-finger Brotherhood sign alongside other known Brotherhood loyalists. Despite denials, Lamada’s associations and the photos that attest to them make clear that IRUSA is as closely-connected to the Muslim Brotherhood as its IRW parent.

Rep. Omar, by her jihadist Muslim Brotherhood affiliations and multiple public statements, has shown herself to be deeply antisemitic. Her “apologies” ring hollow. Her hatred against Israel and the Jewish people is on display for all to see. It is highly unlikely she will have a genuine change of heart any time soon. Thus, it is time for Speaker Pelosi to remove her from the Foreign Relations Committee, at a minimum. Her continuing presence in the U.S. Congress is a stain on the nation. She should be disowned by the Democratic Party, recalled, and removed as soon as possible.

Congresswoman Omar Must be Removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee

House Democratic leaders, led by Speaker Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Obama Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and Chelsea Clinton deserve credit for condemning the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel tweets by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) over the weekend that suggested politicians are being paid off to support Israel, specifically by AIPAC. This transparently anti-Semitic trope was too much for House Democratic leaders who had been ignoring such religious bigotry by Rep. Omar and two other newly elected Democratic House members, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Tlaib has called for a one-state solution that would destroy the state of Israel and made the notorious anti-Semitic “dual loyalties” charge against members of Congress who support Israel. Ocasio-Cortez has accused Israel of “occupying” Palestine and praised openly anti-Semitic UK Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The statement by House Democratic leaders stated:

“Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted and condemned whenever it is encountered, without exception,” the statement said. “We are and will always be strong supporters of Israel in Congress because we understand that our support is based on shared values and strategic interests. Legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share. But Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive.

We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments.”

This was a difficult step for Pelosi and her leadership team since they knew it would infuriate the far-left of their party which is increasingly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.  But Pelosi realizes that as much as she wants to tap into the energy of this wing of her party, Rep. Omar’s ugly tweets are a reminder of how far removed it is from the views of average Americans who regard Israel as one of America’s closest allies and reject anti-Semitism and other forms of religious bigotry.

In response to the controversy over her tweets, Rep. Omar claimed to “unequivocally apologize” but went on to “reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry.”  Omar’s swipe at AIPAC in her apology led many to question the sincerity of her contrition.

House Republicans are calling on Speaker Pelosi to take further action against Omar for her history of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments by stripping her of her committee assignments, including her plum seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. At a minimum, I believe Pelosi must remove Rep. Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee and any other foreign policy, defense and homeland security committee because her hateful views will interfere with the work of these committees and do not represent the views of the American people. Pelosi put Omar on the Foreign Affairs Committee to energize her party’s Trump haters and to score points with the mainstream media which is enamored by newly-elected Reps. Omar and Tlaib. Speaker Pelosi must correct this mistake ASAP.