We, at EMET, express our deep gratitude for the overwhelming and bipartisan support for the state of Israel, which was amply on display many times, throughout this week. First of all, we were delighted to see that when Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke before Congress, he was interrupted fully 29 times by warm outbursts of applause.
We were further heartened by the profuse support exhibited by the US Congress demonstrated by the passage of a bill in support of a Congressional Resolution, put forth by Representative August Pfluger (R-TX-11), by a vote of 412 to 9. The Resolution simply states that: “Israel is not a racist or apartheid state”; that “Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia”, and that “the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.” Although not specifically written in the Resolution, this resolution is in response to Representative Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA-7), absurdly antisemitic allegation that “Israel is a racist state.”
We also want to point out the fine statement made in repose to thatat outrageous allegation by 43 U.S. Representatives, including Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Dean Phillips (MN-3), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Kathy Manning (NC-6), Greg Landsman (OH-1), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Angie Craig (MN-2), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Wiley Nickel (NC-13), Darren Soto (FL-9), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jeff Jackson (NC-14), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Don Norcross (NJ-1), Jared Golden (ME-2), Ed Case (HI-1), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Jim Costa (CA-21), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Scott Peters (CA-50), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Hillary Scholten (MI-3), Rob Menendez (NJ-8), Susie Lee (NV-3), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Chris Pappas (NH-1), Mike Levin (CA-49), David Trone (MD-6), Don Davis (NC-1), Abigail Spanberger (VA-7), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2), Annie Kuster (NH-2), Seth Moulton (MA-6), Derek Kilmer (WA-6), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-3), Lou Correa (CA-46), and Grace Napolitano (CA-31) who had released a statement in response to recent comments by Representative Pramila Jayapal, calling Israel a “racist state”.
In it, the Representatives write: “Israel remains the only vibrant, progressive, and inclusive democracy in the region. Arab parties serve in the Knesset, women serve at the highest levels of the military, and the country remains an oasis for LGBTQ+ people in a region hostile toward the community. Pluralism flourishes in Israel.” The statement adds, “We will never allow anti-Zionist voices that embolden antisemitism to undermine and disrupt the strongly bipartisan consensus supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship that has existed for decades.”
We remain deeply concerned that Representative Pramila Jayapal’s unacceptable comments might be reflective of a disturbing trend within the progressive wing of the democratic party, as we are profoundly disappointed in the 5 members of that wing of the democratic party who boycotted President Isaac Herzog’s historic speech, including Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (NY-14), Corri Bush (MO-1), Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-7).
However, we remain largely encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive show of bipartisan support for the state of Israel, and the constant challenges and struggles that it must confront.
Says Sarah Stern, Founder and President of EMET, “Support for Israel always has been, and must always remain a bipartisan issue. Unfortunately, we have seen a worrying trend among some members of the progressive wing of the Democratic party that has tried to chip away at support for Israel through a targeted smear campaign. We sincerely commend the Representatives who voted for the Sense of Congress Resolution as well as who signed the statement, for not allowing such slander to go unchecked. However, by-in-large, the temperature of the US Congress towards the state of Israel is incredibly warm, friendly, and appreciative of our one democratic ally in the Middle East, the state of Israel.”
