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Five Democrat’s Condemning Israel Instead of Hamas

israel, squad, palestina, hamas, gaza, ilhan omar, tlaib

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Both Democrats and Republicans have spoken out over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. White House spokespersons were moved by the victims on both sides and called for de-escalation of the conflict.

These five Democratic representatives deliberately condemned the Israeli state in their networks, using arguments similar to those of Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, Japan, the European Union, and other countries.

Jamaal Bowman

The first of the 5 Democratic representatives to show his affinity for terrorism against Israel was Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who wrote a statement equating Hamas and Israeli airstrikes. Bowman said both attacks are violent and directly ignored the context or the first aggressor.

“With regard to the quickly escalating tensions in East Jerusalem, the United States must step in and rapidly broker a ceasefire to de-escalate and bring us closer to a two-state solution. The very name Jerusalem means City of Peace,” explained Rep. Bowman.

“Violently evicting families from their homes in which generations have lived is not an act of peace. A show of strong force during prayer is not an act of peace. Destroying holy sites is not an act of peace. Hamas rocket attacks are not an act of peace. Israeli government airstrikes are not an act of peace.”

My statement today regarding global violence: pic.twitter.com/sTLWPXEyCe

— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) May 11, 2021

The representative misinforms. There was no violent eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, or not in the terms he posits. Nor is it an “outrage by Jewish settlers”, as many media misreported. What happened against the four Palestinian families and the Jews who want to recover these houses is a complex, historical and legal issue of long-standing.

Shaikhn Jarrah is an Arab neighborhood established in 1865. However, it is also very important for Judaism, as within this neighborhood was “Shimon HaTzadik”, a small Jewish area named after Simon the Just, which before 1949 had more than 2,000 years of settlement.

The Jews of this neighborhood were expelled and removed from this neighborhood by the Arab League. Once Israel regained control over Jerusalem after triumphing in The Six-Day War, the Israeli State enacted a law that allows Jewish families to regain their ancestors’ home only if they can produce an authentic ownership paper and if the residing family does not have a valid purchase or acquisition title.

This is a legal case that even reached the Israeli Supreme Court, not a “violent eviction.” In fact, the misinformation on this matter was exploited by the propaganda of the terrorist group, Hamas.

representantes demócratas,
In the image, Representative Jamaal Bowman. (EFE).

Beyond equating the Israeli and Hamas attacks and the Shaikhn Jarrah affair, there is also the problem of the representative’s inconsistencies. For weeks ago he condemned anti-Semitic hatred in New York and expressed concern about the synagogues attacked in his district, but in his statement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict he makes no mention of the Jewish victims of Hamas missiles, why does he criticize anti-Semitic misfits in the USA but not those considered terrorists by much of the free world?

Rashida Tlaib

Another Democratic representative who has been quite active in networks condemning Israel is Representative Rashida Tlaid, from Michigan, who is the first American woman of Palestinian origin elected to a seat in Congress.

“I was 7 years old when I first prayed at the Al Aqsa with my city. It’s a sacred site for Muslims. This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews,” tweeted Rashida Tlaib.

American taxpayer money is being used to commit human rights violations. Congress must condition the aid we send to Israel, and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed. Statements aren’t working @SecBlinken.

Enough is enough.

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 10, 2021

Tlaib’s arguments revolve around the “excessive use of force” by the Israeli police and also the raid on the Al Qasa Mosque which, tragically, left many injured in the days leading up to May 10, the day the Jewish people hold the famous Flag March commemorating the victory in the Six-Day War.

Palestinians historically consider the Flag March an offense and a provocation. Police said thousands of Palestinians were at the mosque armed with stones and artificial rockets in anticipation of a clash with Jewish civilians.

Hamas used the unfortunate altercations at the Al Qasa mosque to threaten and then justify aggression towards Israel. The violence at the mosque has been going on for weeks and has been over issues unrelated to the mosque itself or conflicts of a religious nature, such as the clashes between Palestinians and Jewish nationalists in the streets over the eviction in the Shaikhn Jarrah neighborhood.

Representative Tlaib unequivocally condemned Israel for its “violation of human rights,” but did not criticize Hamas for initiating the armed conflict.

Ilhan Omar

Congresswoman Omar was another Democratic representative who expressed an anti-Israel position, even accusing Israel of terrorism.

“Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism,” the Democratic representative said. “Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid.”

Omar, like his colleagues Bowman and Tlaib, chose to ignore the chronology of the attacks. Nor did he make any mention of the Jewish civilians killed by rockets from Gaza launched by Hamas.

Ilhan Omar acusa a Israel de acto terrorista
Ilhan Omar is one of the 5 Democratic representatives who condemns Israel, but not Hamas. (EFE)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Marie Newman also join the disinformation.

Like the previous 3 Democratic representatives, Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Marie Newman (D-IL) spoke out on the eviction case that virtually started the wave of violence in Jerusalem.

The forced displacement of Palestinian families in #SheikhJarrah is a blatant human rights violation.

I was proud to lead an effort with @repmarkpocan to call on @SecBlinken to exert diplomatic pressure on Israel to halt these evictions.

We must defend human rights everywhere. pic.twitter.com/ZIHtv5Sto6

— Congresswoman Marie Newman (@RepMarieNewman) May 12, 2021

“We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Israeli forces are forcing families from their homes during Ramadan and inflicting violence. It is inhumane and the US must show leadership in safeguarding the human rights of Palestinians.”

The congresswomen’s tweets are partially in sync with what was expressed by Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas’ Diaspora office, who alleged that “What is happening in Sheikh Jarrah is ethnic cleansing by expelling families who have their history in this neighborhood.”

Meshaal further claimed that Jerusalem will never surrender to the “Zionist invaders” and that the “Ummah (nation) will prevail and its enemies will be defeated despite all the suffering it is going through and the attempts to divide it.”

The Democratic representatives did not speak out on Hamas

The 5 Democratic representatives, each in their own way, unequivocally condemned Israel in the midst of this armed conflict with Hamas. Some said that Israel “violates human rights”, others misrepresented the case of Sheikh Jarrah; one accused the Israeli State of perpetrating a terrorist attack. None of them condemned the Gaza siege against Jerusalem or directly deplored the death of Jewish civilians.

Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.

Contacto: [email protected]

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