Christine Rosen: Democrats Can Blame Their Headaches on Their Own Cravenness
Note to Nancy and the Squad: Criticism of a public official for questionable or misleading statements she made in the course of doing her job isn’t “tone policing” or Islamophobia or racism. It’s part of the job of being a public servant; you have to answer for your public statements.
At least Omar continues to receive plenty of cover for hers from mainstream media outlets. Intellectuals sympathetic to the progressive cause have leaped to her defense. Former New York Times columnist Elizabeth Bruenig, now at the Atlantic, argues that “of course no one should believe” that Omar would equate the Taliban with the U.S. or Hamas with Israel, and paints those who questioned the remarks as acting in bad faith.
There is no “of course” in this situation, however. Given Omar’s history of anti-Semitism and anti-American statements, the burden of proof should be on Omar to explain herself, not on the public to give her the benefit of the doubt every time she says something inflammatory or bigoted.
Bruenig is assessing the situation within the framework of internal Democratic coalition politics, and as such complains that while the Marjorie Taylor Greenes of the world roam free, “Democrats pick off their only honest lefties and coddle their pet right-wingers, such as Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, in hopes of stopping the somewhat further right.”
But should Democrats be embracing these so-called honest lefties? What’s popular among the Squad and the Bruenigs of the world turns out to be not quite as palatable to the average Democratic voter. A recent autopsy of the 2020 election by several centrist Democratic groups found significant challenges posed by progressive posturing on key issues. As National Journal reported, “The political autopsy, coauthored by Third Way, the Collective PAC, and the Latino Victory Fund, suggests that largely white progressive activists pushing a left-wing agenda on the party were blind to the ideological diversity within nonwhite communities.”
Efforts by some Democrats to move to the center are “being held captive by a network of progressive activists and donors who demand ideological fealty on policy positions that are politically toxic to middle-of-the-road voters of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.” Such assessments include the Squad’s irrational hatred of Israel; 75 percent of Americans hold favorable views of Israel, according to the most recent Gallup poll.
Perhaps Pelosi should occasionally rebuke the Squad when it indulges in excessive, misleading, or anti-Semitic rhetoric? Besides making her look more like a leader and less like a shill for the Squad, it might in part determine if Pelosi will be wielding or relinquishing her Speaker’s gavel in January 2023.
Emily Schrader: The anti-Americanism of anti-Israel activists - opinion
The problem with ignoring incitement and hate speech against specific groups or even nationalities, is that it doesn’t stop there. As we’ve seen throughout history, what starts with discrimination against one group never ends with only that group. Much has already been said about the rise of antisemitism online and in person in recent months, and it’s true that it has grown in part because of the outlandish and incendiary rhetoric on social media about both Israel and Jews. But one phenomenon that many in Gen Z don’t seem to fully grasp is that the same people who are obsessed with hating Israel are also hell-bent on smearing the United States as well – and not just because of the US aid to Israel as many would like to believe.Changing the Focus of Israel Advocacy
Almost any place you see aggressive, over-the-top anti-Israel activity, you see it coupled with radical anti-American ideas as well. Even going back to my campus days at the University of Southern California, the most prominent anti-Israel groups were also virulently anti-America, and would rant and rave about how we have to overthrow the economy in order to usher in a socialist (or communist in some cases) revolution. The events hosted on campus by anti-Israel groups like “Students for Justice in Palestine” also featured openly anti-American speakers who made inflammatory and untrue statements about Israel, while also condemning US soldiers – and all of this was in the pre-Trump era.
Today’s anti-Israel activists are even more extreme. Take for example, Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd, the twins from Sheikh Jarrah with millions of followers on social media who are on a constant international media tour, playing the victim and sharing their sob story about how “evil” Israel is. Yet while the international press is normalizing these activists, a quick glance at their social media will show you not only radical support for terrorism and violence, but also vehement hatred of the United States including celebrating the burning of an American flag in Colombia and whitewashing al-Qaeda. By failing to call out radicalism, we normalize it.
But sadly, the anti-Israel and anti-America voices have also become more mainstream in the government. In the United States, the inaccurate propaganda and the smearing of American allies has been normalized thanks to extremists like Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Yet it still came as a shock to many when this month Omar compared the US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban, claiming that “all” of them had committed “unthinkable atrocities” – horrific crimes against humanity. Her ignorant comments drew sharp criticism from her fellow Democrats who penned a letter demanding “clarification.” Instead of apologizing, Omar then claimed she was being pressured because of “Islamophobia,” and Tlaib backed her up.
Obviously, Omar’s comments and response are both absurd, but where were these Democratic lawmakers when Omar was standing on the House floor calling Israel’s right to self-defense “terrorism” when they strike Hamas military targets? Suddenly when Omar exposes her true anti-American beliefs, the world is surprised. When we fail to defend the truth when Israel is unfairly maligned, the United States is never far behind in the campaign of delegitimization.
Those who advocate for Israel often take a defensive posture in response to endless attacks from advocates for the Palestinians. The debate focuses entirely on Israel’s perceived imperfections. Instead, pro-Israel advocates should take an offensive posture, shifting the focus of debate onto Palestinian behavior and holding Palestinian leaders accountable for their malfeasance.
In recent years, Israel has fared poorly in the court of public opinion. Palestinian advocates have engaged in a well-organized offensive campaign of disinformation, while Israel and its advocates around the world have remained largely on the defensive.
This posture will guarantee the continued degrading of Israel in the minds of diplomats and the general public. Those who advocate for Israel should respond not defensively but offensively, focusing the world’s attention on the gross malfeasance of the Palestinian National Movement (PNM).
Over the past decade, Palestinian advocates became much better organized, especially on college campuses. The number of chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has steadily increased. They have a high profile and an aggressive agenda aimed at vilifying Israel and intimidating Jewish students. Many students and faculty, as well as diplomats and the mainstream media, scrutinize Israel under a microscope and condemn it for every perceived imperfection. No country could withstand that level of scrutiny.
In response to this relentless onslaught, most pro-Israel advocates have tended to spend the bulk of their time and energy defending Israel. While well-intended, this approach keeps the spotlight on Israel and gives the Palestinians and their leadership a free pass.