Tag: Israel–United States relations

WASHINGTON – A new controversy involving Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and Israel erupted on Sunday, when the Minnesota Congresswoman wrote on Twitter that support for Israel in the United States was “all about the Benjamins,” referring to Benjamin Franklin, whose image appears on $100 bills. Bad form, Congresswoman. That's the second anti-Semitic trope you've tweeted.” In reply, Omar wrote: “AIPAC!” The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is the most influential U.S. lobby group supporting the Israeli government. AIPAC responded to the controversy with a short statement: “We are proud that we are engaged in the democratic process to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Our bipartisan efforts are reflective of American values and interests. We will not be deterred in any way by ill-informed and illegitimate attacks on this important work.” >> Republicans spoke up against Steve King. "Implying that Americans support Israel because of money alone is offensive," he wrote. The American Jewish Committee also criticized Omar, saying she should apologize: “Suggesting that a Jewish organization is buying off American politicians is both demonstrably false and stunningly anti-Semitic. He also accused Omar of “shameful bigoted hate-mongering.” Last month Omar apologized for saying "Israel has hypnotized the world" to carry out "evil" in a 2012 tweet. The tweet was brought up by critics after Omar's election to Congress for its alleged anti-Semitic undertones.

The split-screen images of Israeli and US officials smiling at the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem, while Israel killed Gazans just miles away, reflected a striking indifference by leaders in the United States and Israel to the consequences of the occupation of Palestinian territories. Even before the violence in Gaza and the embassy opening, on my trip to Israel last week, the duality of the US-Israel relationship was stark. When Jewish Americans uphold occupation, it corrodes our souls | Mariyama Scott Read more Just a few days before, as I stood in an Israeli settlement in the Palestinian city of Hebron, it was difficult to understand how the United States can provide support for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that protect Israelis committing illegal acts in taking Palestinian land – in some cases acts that are condemned even by Israeli courts. Play Video 1:20 The other version of the relationship is one of deepening polarization in both countries: the rightwing Israeli government cozies up to US Republicans and pursues extreme policies, while American views of Israel are increasingly divided along partisan lines. But one cannot ignore Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza where a combined almost 5 million Palestinians live. Falling support for Israel among a younger generation of American Jews will fracture the relationship In America, views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are more partisan than they’ve been since 1978, according to one study, which revealed that 79% of Republicans say their sympathies lie more with Israel than with the Palestinians, while only 27% of Democrats are more sympathetic to Israel. In 2015 there was a Democratic uproar when the Republicans invited the Israeli prime minister to speak to Congress in opposition to the Iran nuclear deal being pushed by a Democratic president. Trump is backing Netanyahu’s government with hardly a critical word of Israeli activity towards the Palestinians. This is no small part of the reason why rightwing parties promising security have run Israel for almost two decades now. On my trip, I repeatedly heard the claim that fewer American Jews support Israel because they are moving away from Judaism, not because of Israeli policies towards Palestinians.