Another well written article by Bret L. Stephens . It is incredible to watch how Omar gets a pass after pass simply because she is a Muslim woman. It is shameful that Jewish members of Congress tolerate clearly anti-Semitic rhetoric. I am afraid that Democratic party is so hateful toward Trump , it has allowed old fashion jew hater within its ranks.
2
I have been devastated by the increase in anti-Semitism that has arisen as a result of Trump's intolerant rhetoric. I do not, however, believe that Omar's comments contribute to this hostile environment. Read her speech at Busboys and Poets in full and you will see that she is sensitive to and in dialogue with her Jewish constituents. She may have phrased her appeal for the dignity of Palestinians awkwardly and problematically, but, as a Jewish person myself, I believe she is nonetheless correct in her assessment of the dehumanization the Palestinians suffer and of the urgent need to redress it. This does not mean she does not support the existence of the state of Israel.
3405
@Katzman
Yes, the Palestinian problem needs to be redressed. So what doesn't Rep. Omar take Jordan and Egypt to task as well as Israel, since they were the countries which created the problem in the first place?
By refusing to deal with the Palestinians in 1949, The Arab countries knew they were creating a wedge issue that would haunt Israel and the Middle East for generations. And they succeeded.
Fine, that's the history. Now, in 2019, why aren't the Arab countries trying even the tiniest bit to be part of the solution? Because if they help solve the Palestinian problem then "Death to Israel!" ceases to have any power and their leaders lose their jobs.
If Rep. Omar addressed this part of the equation her criticisms of Israel would be better taken.
424
Except her not supporting Israel is likely to come back and haunt her in 2020. She made a point of not saying that before the primary and the general election. The large Jewish community in her district made a point of supporting her. Likely her words these days won’t stand up to scrutiny in 2020.
187
@Katzman
Exactly. The Israeli far right under the leadership of Netanyahu has harmed the reputation of Israeli though their cruel treatment of the Palestinians. These acts have in turn inflamed Palestinians and violent conflict has ensued.
Many Israelis understand and reject the far right. They understand that achieving peace requires consistent acts of peace-making. Israel's international reputation could be much better than it is.
205
just wondering, has Brett stephens watched the Al Jazeera documentary, The Lobby USA, on Israeli interference in US political affairs and whether he has an opinion on it?
114
This article would have made more sense had it been published in The Times of London rather than The New York Times. “Corbynism” — apparently a reference to British politician Jeremy Corbyn — features prominently in the title and is mentioned once again in the penultimate paragraph but nowhere does Mr. Stephens explain what he means by it. I’d say that violates a basic tenet of Essay Writing 101.
188
Bret, do you really not find it conspicuous that Ms. Omar gets this much blowback for her criticisms of Israel, but Trump goes un-rebuked for encouraging white supremacy?
249
where are her complaints against rights in other middle east countries, you know like the entire region?
where are the rights for women in other middle eastern countries? where are Omar's complaints?
Where are the rights for Christians in other middle eastern countries?
Where are the rights for Jews in other middle eastern countries? where are Omar's rants?
Where are rights for gays in other middle eastern countries?
The focus on Israel is so .... clear, so intellectually dishonest.
186
Criticism of Israel's faults is not anti-Semitic. Obsession with it is
174
Dual loyalty Jews generally don’t see it as a problem. They don’t see Israel as antagonistic foreign country. It’s ok for their prime minister to insult the president. And the bought by AIPAC congress goes for it.
A special law to stop criticism of Israel is not right. Part of Judaism is to not criticize Jews to the outsider.
I live in New York and talk to Jews all the time because there are more Jews here than anyplace. Mostly we have a nice time until they bring up Israel and how we should love the Jewish state. I am not Jewish and don’t agree. This is the USA not a small country in the Middle East.
Omar is right on in her observations and I support her. Our country needs More people that are Americans FIRST
85
Since the Yom Kippur war, Israel has been the subject of continuous vilification, cast as imperialists in a cynical reversal of Middle East history by an international left that sublates the oppression of sundry groups with Palestine.
How has Israel—the homeland of Holocaust survivors and their descendants—allegedly become apartheid nation, a veritable concentration camp?
Why this fetishistic demonization of Israel, a democracy whose right to self-determination is continuously under siege in a region replete with Islamic monarchies and Sharia Law that victimize many more of its citizens than Israel? Selective BDS?
This psychological orientation has its roots in David and Goliath, the tale of the youth who defeated the Philistine giant with a slingshot and went on to become King of Israel. Israel’s detractors would have it that the nation is no longer David but has become Goliath, trampling on the rights of Palestinians. Like David, Israel has undergone remarkable growth and development, becoming a nation where Jews and Arabs live peacefully together, unlike any Arab nation.
Americans who would criticize Israel should first look to themselves. America’s expansionist territorialism is founded on dispossession of American Indians—through superior armaments, disease, outright lying and cheating—exploitation of black slave labor and Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Latino, and European indentured labor.
Ms. Omar’s constituents, not pundits, will decide her fate—the American way.
94
I wonder if you and your love America first were so offended when your prime Minister came to this country and tried to embarrassed and undercut president Obama. I wonder what would you write if an American president goes to Israel, your first country, and do the same to your minister.
93
When Bebe came to my country and addressed Congress condemning my president (Obama), that was the turning point for me. Why should I respect Isreal if they send their leader, who has and continues to govern under a cloud of corruption? We have always supported Isreal and will continue to do so because they are are beacon of hope for democracy in the Middle East. But they should respect political system and politicians. From my perspective I see little wrong in any remarks Ms Ilhan made. Afterall we do have freedom of speach....don’y we???
132
"but those who support the state should not have to face allegations that their sympathies have been purchased, or their brains hijacked, or their loyalties divided."
Unless for them it is true. It certainly isn't true of everyone who supports Israel, but it is true of some who support the worst things Israel does.
Who? Probably the current President. Let's start there for someone whose opinions have impact.
50
The underlying challenge Israel now faces is reclaiming democracy from what is fast becoming a theocracy. There is an inherent tension between democracy, where discussion and dissent are essential, and theocracy, where the doctrines of faith (as interpreted by mortals) are the ultimate arbiter. A state whose authority rests on a religious orthodoxy will ultimately fail as a democracy. Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Iran, Myanmar, and Yugoslavia all provide ongoing or recent examples.
43
I think this issue is going to hurt the left wing of the Democratic Party much more than the centrists and conservative democrats. Kamala Harris, Sanders and Warren may find themselves losing support and be clueless as to why.
66
It is important to note something from the fairly recent past that serves to illustrate the depth of the problem in today's Middle East. Following in the wake of the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, which committed Britain to the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, a blue-ribbon British commission was tasked with exploring the question and making recommendations. The overall conclusion of the commission was that this was a fundamental problem of, "Right against right". The claims of the Arabs in the region were equally as persuasive and valid as the claims of the Jewish settlers there. Stephens may relish the opportunity of sticking it to Democrats over Ms. Omar's questionable rhetoric, but it does nothing to advance dialogue on an issue so fraught with problems.
Do I support the existence of Israel? Absolutely. Do I want to see both peace in the region and the establishment of a Palestinian state? Same answer. Are these views incompatible? For the sake of the region, and perhaps the rest of the world, I hope not.
61
I’m afraid Bret Stephens knows exactly what he is doing.
Equating sincere U.S. criticism and criticism of AIPAC with anti-semitism, proving the Congressperson’s point.
Stephens recently wrote a column stating “ Time for Netanyahu to go”. He did, and I read it. It’s at least 6 years too late. Much of the existing anti Israeli government ( not anti-Semiticm ) has been caused by the Netanyahu government moving to the Right and going after the U.S. evangelical support with his hardcore policies with the support of AIPAC. He is doing this, knowing these actions do not necessarily represent the views or feelings of most U.S Jews. Netanyahu has used Trump and his voters to stay in power. Any conversation that starts talks about any U.S allies civil rights and ANY country’s influence on our government is a good and fair conversation.
94
Thanks: good column. The Democrats need to speak up in contradiction to Omar as you have done in your column. The youngest new House members get a lot of TV coverage, but they do not represent the majority of Democrats nor a path to winning the presidency. Specifically, AOC got only 40% the number of votes in her election compared to Nancy Pelosi. The Dems need to pull together and speak out against the minority Reps when they are divisive.
45
There are so many grievous wrongs against so many groups of people in this world that I admit to some exasperation when wrongs against the most powerful groups are trumpeted the loudest and obsessed over endlessly. And, in the end, I believe that denigrating and dismissing those whose ideas we disagree with or even abhor rather than undertaking a more nuanced and reasoned argument against the ideas themselves is counterproductive. In fact, I'd argue that's one reason Donald Trump is president.
We all need to calm down and try to honestly grapple with our own biases and emotional reactions if we are to have any hope of surviving in a world where outrage is so easily stoked and the means of battling with each other are becoming so awesomely powerful.
39
I simply don't believe that any foreign entity should be lobbying Congress, just as I don't believe that one should be involved in our elections. We have a State Department and an executive branch that is tasked, by the Constitution, for running foreign affairs. Ms. Omar is certainly right to call out the outsized influence of AIPAC. She's striking a lot of nerves, lots of PACs have outsized influence and progressives are sick of PACs usurping the will of the people. There is good reason to oppose the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians, including recent colonizing by settlers. Just like the US separation of families is an abomination.
It really is possible to have a nuanced view, to say that Israel has the right to exist in peace and be appalled by activities that undermine peace; activities supported with US taxpayer dollars. It's possible to feel for the Palestinian people while knowing that Hamas is hardly an entity that can negotiate for a just peace.
If Ms. Omar can keep the focus on the influence of the PAC and separate the government of Israel from religion, great. Yes, I hope she can refine her language to avoid the tropes, but the message she brings is important.
73
When Israel's defenders too often leave out while complaining of unfair scrutiny of Israel or compare it to other states in the region is the fact that Israel does occupy a unique position, in that it is the recipient of billions of dollars of US aid, and is represented by an extremely powerful lobbying arm in this country. We don't support any other nation in this way, especially ones that are otherwise quite wealthy. I think it's appropriate that with this relationship comes a heightened degree of scrutiny and accountability to the values that that nation professes to uphold to deserve this special relationship. There is no doubt that other nations do worse on many fronts, and should be called out for it, but name one other nation in the world which has as an ally a lobbying arm in the U.S. that aims to have contact with and influence every member of Congress. This is the dynamic that deserves scrutiny.
43
I'm just wondering, is there really anything more going on with Omar (and with AOC missteps) than enthused, passionate millennials with newly found voices getting out over their skis? I wonder if we're all just frazzled due to non-stop "breaking news" alerts and looking for hidden messages in each presidential tweet. Perhaps this is simply just an example of excited young people who should listen more than talk during their first few months at their new job. Actually, as I type that, "listen more than talk" is a good mantra no matter how long you've been on the job. And with that, I'll return to listening. Thanks for you column.
23
I prefer that the Democrats focus clear ideals that underly the ideals of this country - access to voting, health care for all - at all levels of need, and the environment with more proposed policies that have substance and realism that the Medicare for all and government-imposed proposal in support of environmental renewal. Please get all significant players at the table prior to announcing vague policy.
5
The issue raised by Representative Omar’s comments is not about whether or not her phrasing is, or is not, Anti-Semitic. It’s about European Colonialism in the Middle East and the failed US policy whereby we support that suicidal endeavor.
26
I think, were or not for the anti-Muslim bigotry so prevalent in our nation, Representative Omar's comments could be taken in context, instead of attributing them automatically to some supposed anti-semitism because so many are judging them based on HER faith. What she said about AIPAC is true. What she said about the influence of the group members' money having undue influence is true. It is also true of money in general influencing our representatives. It IS all about the Benjamins! What she said about divided loyalties is, unfortunately, also true. These are unpopular truths, though - truths we do not want to face because they might require us to rethink our relationship with a falsely idealized and overly influential ally. It's long past time to look at these issues regarding Israel, but we continue to prefer to pillory the messenger rather than deal with reality.
62
I think Omar has some reasonable foreign policy criticisms specific to Israel. She needs to be less careless with her language, inadvertently indulging in various tropes. Admittedly, having two separate instances does raise some concerns. As a newcomer, she deserves one final chance to do right, and demonstrate she is able to criticize our allies with sincerity. If she repeats the issue, the Democratic Party must sadly pull an Al Franken.
22
Regardless of Ilhan Omar's intent, political representatives (especially in 2019) need to understand their words carry weight.
Her comments can be valid - but the world will lose sight of that validity when you choose to be so flippant with a subject such as this.
"It's all about the benjamin's baby + a musical notes emoji" - time to start acting like the leader you've been elected to be for your constituents.
These subjects are serious and should not be addressed so lightly.
26
To have the expectation that whenever we condemn the actions of a country, we must therefore make that the occasion to condemn every other country's horrible actions, is absurd. To condemn Israel's behavior is not to absolve any other country's, but merely to deal with the issue that is upsetting to that speaker at the moment. And people do choose which issues bother them more than others, which they are entitled to do. Governor Inslee of WA is running for President because of climate change, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't care about other issues, etc. This ganging up on Omar is offensive. It's not because she is Muslim, I don't believe, but because she is critical of Israel, which she is entitled to be. And let me say, she is entitled to be anti-Zionist as well, which as someone who is Jewish I say is NOT the same as anti-Semitism. (See the anti-zionism for many years of Jewish orthodox sects.) And when Mr. Stephens elides Jeremy Corbyn's anti-semitic remarks (to the effect that British Jews don't get the "British" sense of humor) with Rep. Omar, he is resorting to the same moving of the red line as he is claiming she is. (The assumption that she implies that Jews - as versus America's politicians - are loyal to a foreign country is a clear misreading of the meaning of her words.)
14
If Israel doesn't own US politicians why are there bills in multiple states outlawing negative speech against Israel up to and including some public service jobs requiring people to sign pledges not to talk bad about them? How is that not blatantly against the first amendment?
Here's a novel idea: Don't let ANY foreign countries lobby here in America, let any aid to them (of which I am against) be merit based. So if they cut it out with settlement construction we'll be more than happy to support them.
21
She is conflating having an ally in which we depend to allegiance to a Foreign Country. Trump doesn't understand allies either.
10
Mr. Stephens, please read ex-president Jimmy Carter's book, "Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid."
Netanyahu is immersed in corruption, has made a deal with an extreme rightist party in Israel, has promoted the spread of settlements contrary to international law, and invited himself to speak to the US Congress without an invitation of our chief of state.
These are not democratic values.
21
I would say progressives are all about fighting for the oppressed and exploited against the power of capitalism. In that context the US is seen as being an imperialist empire and Israel is seen as the means by which this empire has been expanded into the oil-rich Middle East. So I think to progressives the Palestinians represent people oppressed by capitalism. To the progressives I think Israel is seen as part of the US war machine, which is now engaged in a seemingly endless war against jihadist terrorism. Israel uses some of the most sophisticated US weapons and shares intelligence. One reason that Israel has had such great military success is it had access to superior US weapons while the Arab states were using inferior weapons from Russia. While I don't think Ilhan Omar has articulated this view of the world it is a common view presented in progressive media. This may be the view of the world that she wants to bring into Congress. It may be seen as step to reducing spending on the US military and closing military bases around the world that progressives see as supporting US imperialism.
4
A conflation of Israel, Jews, and Judaism obtains here. It is like a sensitive three-way Ven diagram. Being precise about what part of those overlapping social entities is important. And Omar blew it somewhat. It is not hard to do: All three cultural categories impact the other. But I think that this can be a "teaching moment" to some degree in that it may allow us to discriminate more clearly what is actually being discussed. Hopefully. One additional factor here that plays into this powerfully is Christian fundamentalism, or more specifically, Christian Zionism. That underlying religious worldview and the lobbying that accompanies it is also central to this issue.
9
After reading Stephens' piece, I finally had to Google "Jewish stereotypes" because I've been at a loss over the fuss of some of Rep. Omar's remarks. (I'm a 45-year-old American-born citizen.)
"[Using] money to bend others to its will..." That's called lobbying. Big Pharma does it. Silicon Valley does it. The NRA does it. Citizens United codified it. It's no different when a religious-based state does it whatever its religion.
As for pushing "allegiance to a foreign country", I'm guessing this falls within the realm of the "lack of patriotism" canard, which sprang from the Dreyfus affair...? I've only heard the term "Dreyfus affair" but never the story, or have forgotten it.
My point is - as someone who isn't armed with a list of stereotypes against which to guard, I can simply listen to the argument, judge its merit, and debate. I don't need to know a people's history to recognize an ignorant, false, and racist premise and dismiss it out of hand.
But Omar's attackers have killed the opportunity for worthy political debate because we're debating whether she is or isn't anti-Semitic. A beautiful and ironic dovetail with the fact she's one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in our post-9/11 world.
My takeaway - there's no better nor more powerful game than victimhood.
9
Omar's claim is that some Americans push for an allegiance to a foreign country. Several of the commenters here argue that it is okay to have such an allegiance. I agree. It is only human nature to feel a bond with the country from which your ancestors came or toward the homeland of your faith. It only becomes an issue if you are a legislator and you act upon that allegiance in a way that is not in the best interest of the US.
But saying that does not refute Omar's claim. In fact it confirms it.
9
That Israel is a liberal democracy, as Mr. Stephens notes, is beside the point. The United States, a liberal democracy, has a historical record of militarism and imperialism exemplified in its wars of aggression in Vietnam and Iraq. The same is true of Israel. I fully support Ms. Omar's brave criticisms and I find Mr. Stephens attack on her unjustified. There is nothing anti-Semitic in her statements. I'm glad we have a woman, a Democrat, and a Muslim in Congress ready to speak the plain truth about Israeli and U.S. anti-Muslim aggression in the Middle East.
15
Omar can say what she wants as long as it doesn't stray into treasonous territory such as actively helping another government bring about the downfall of her country. Nothing she has said goes that far. We should treat her ideas in the same way we should be treating Trump's claims, support them as free speech but otherwise ignore them.
5
"Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion."
Democrat comes from the word democracy. So long as the Palestinians under Israeli rule do not have the right to vote then Israel is not a true democracy.
13
As a Catholic who also happens to be a Zionist, I'm still trying to process the symbiotic relationship between our Republican Party and Netanyahu's governance. It was a shameful day in America when Netanyahu appeared before our Congress and managed to lecture and talk down to President Obama accompanied by wild applause from the Republicans in the room. Was this an example of the Republicans' collusion with a foreign power that became the template for Trump's collusion with Russia; all for the purpose of delegitimizing a Democratic Party and a Democratic president? Were the Republicans using Netanyahu to promote their narrow extreme, right-wing, theocratic interests? Was Netanyahu using the us in a near perfect symmetry?
To be truly objective about events and the uses of language, one needs to look through the prism of power relations, particularly when self-described uber-religious and uber-patriotic types of people resort to borderline treasonous behavior.
7
I know many lifelong Democrats of the Jewish faith who have switched over to voting either Independent or Republican, as they feel threatened by the rise of overt antisemitism in the Democratic Party. Many Christians have done the same. I only wish that Rep. Omar would be a bit more circumspect in her inaccurate statements when calling out American Jews for having dual loyalties. particularly when her remarks can only serve to inflame and divide Democrats. A divided Democratic base will only cause Trump to be in a good position for reelection in 2020.
12
I am immensely gratified by the majority of the comments to this op-ed. The most relevant opinions repeat that opposition to Israeli policies is not equal to antisemitism. I am disappointed that Lowey, Pelosi, Engel,et al, are so insistent on this unneeded resolution. I’m an atheist who has also been Jewish for 71 years. My father’s birth certificate, under “race” is listed as “Hebrew”. I recognize that the better aspects of Israel’s culture and history - democracy,science, literature and art - are treasures. Israel is here to stay, but the illegal West Bank settlements need to go. Stories in an old book should not be the basis for stealing others’ ancestral lands.
Israel's population is less than that of NYC and yet they have one of the world’s most powerful militaries, underwritten by US dollars. I believe that some Americans, not all Jewish, ARE conflicted as to loyalties. Hyphenated Americans often have dual, though not necessarily equal, political affinities stemming from their religious beliefs, identities, “race”, etc.
I believe that Ms. Omar was correct about AIPAC. I also understand that just like the criticisms of Obama were sometimes motivated by pure racism, some of the laser- like focus on Israel’s transgressions are led by traditional anti semitic impulses. Palestinians have been mistreated by almost every entity in the Middle East and are exploited in so many ways for a variety of reasons. Balanced, rational concern would be much more productive and just.
19
Such a sad business. Democrats are barely 2 months into their first control of the House in 8 years and Omar is instigating a huge distraction campaign.
DEMs have hugely important work to be doing, facing the most serious threat to our democracy in our lifetimes, in the form of Trump. This is NOT the time for these internal squabbles. Omar needs to put her focus on the party's business, defeating Trump.
Pelosi is failing at handling this as well. She should have dragged Omar behind closed doors, out of sight of everyone, and had a face to face conversation, nothing written, castigating her for the distraction. None of this should ever had been in public view.
I'm not interested in the merits or demerits of Omar's issues. They are NOT the issues that need our laser focus at this time.
Omar, whether intentional or not, is acting as a tool of the GOP.
12
I would say that Mr. Stephens knows exactly what he is doing. Stifling any criticism of Israel. To state that "there’s rarely a social or reputational penalty for publicly criticizing Israeli policies today" is absurd on its face when the article is about punishing Representative Omar for criticizing Israel. That Israel might discriminate less than other religious states doesn't earn it a pass. And being a democracy doesn't get it a pass any more than it did for South Africa or the early US with legal slavery.
14
Its opposite. We know exactly what you are doing as pointed out by the congresswoman.
6
". . . contrary to some recent comments from Senator Elizabeth Warren, no serious person claims criticism of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic. My last column called on Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. Last I checked, the Anti-Defamation League has not denounced me."
This is disingenuous at best. There's a big difference between objecting to Zionism, or even criticizing Israel, and calling on its prime minister to resign. But in any case it misses the point.
The conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism has become reflexive of late, and finds its source in conservative champions of the Israeli state, such as the prime minister himself. This conflation is corrupt and cynical (much like the prime minister allegedly is) in that it is known to be false and trivializes antisemitism, and yet it is pursued nevertheless.
Doing so may bring short term political convenience, but it does a disservice to Israel in the long term, and to Israelis. Elizabeth Warren and others like her are right to say so.
8
We hear far harsher criticism of Schultz and other centrist candidates for daring to weaken Democrat unity than of the younger not-a-white-man Omar. It's just an observation and I think the harshness toward the former is more wrong (I'm not encouraging harshness), but it does reflect a Democrat dilemma.
2
What did Ilhar Omar say during her campaign and, assumably, her life before running for Congress, about Jews?
According to Tom Friedman (NYT), who grew up in the same district which Omar now represents, the District includes American Moslems and Jews who live in tolerance and peace. Many Jews from her district voted for her.
What's going on here? What's behind this ruckus of stupidity?
Who lacks the ability to follow the rules of civility for discourse in the House? Can they be thrown out? Why does the District from which she hails want to send a headgear wearing person to represent them in Congress.
I hate the visibility of any sign of religious piety or belief in our government institutions. I think it's against the Constitution. If her headgear is more important to her than her office, she should not be in government. The founding fathers were worried about introducing religious war into our institutions and Ms. Ilhan Omar is a self-important, pious example of why they had cause to be concerned.
Nancy Pelosi has got her hands full.
11
People to whom much harm was done, do harm in return when they get in power : the holocaust , the Israel - Palestinian struggle . This is what the representative was talking about.
The US continues to support Israel . This is one brave woman vs. AIPAC . More power to her .
11
That idea that Israel shares American values is troubling. Is apartheid an American value? Is putting non-Jews in an inferior position to Jews before the Israeli law an American value? Is starving Gaza an American value? How about welcoming American Jews to settle in Israel while denying a right of return to Palestinians who were driven from their homes in lands now occupied by Israel an American value? These are not American values--unless one goes back to the times of the subjugation and oppression of American indigenous peoples.
17
"state should have to face"
There's a missing 'not' after 'should', I believe.
1
"no serious person claims criticism of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic. "
Then there are a lot of frivolous people out there.
9
Wouldn’t it be great if people could get this ginmed up about climate change?
9
Don't let Omar fool you. If the progressive wing of the Democratic Party wants to survive, they have to scuttle this small minded bigot.
She couldn't be more destructive to the mission for positive change if she was sent by the republican department of dirty tricks.
10
This columnist exhibits views as intransigent as anyone he is criticizing. Israel is a Jewish country. While it is technically a democracy, Judaism is its base and its reason for existing. So, it exhibits characteristics of a theocracy. And, as today's news has pointed out, it is getting further right all the time. Arab candidates are getting banned, and the extreme right is being allowed to run for office. So, this Pollyanna view that the Times takes is much more about pandering to the city's large Jewish population than it is to address reality. This attack on a woman of color is going to come back to bite the Democrats. Hard.
8
The days when American Jews can live comfortably in the Democratic fold will be numbered? How so? Surely Mr. Stephens means Zionists, not Jews, for the same thing has been said of Jews supporting both Ms. Omar’s criticism of Israeli government influence in Congress and Jews opposed to Netanyahu’s government. Israeli Zionists are a subset of Jews, not synonymous with them.
There are two things to note about dual allegiances. One is that Conservative Jews like Stephens who see anti-Semitism rising from the concerns Omar shares with President George Washington (1796 Farewell to the American People) rightly see threats to them in modern anti-Semitism. But often their fear of anti-Semitism in our unofficial social caste hierarchy motivates them to attack the other victimized minority as anti-Semites.
Early immigrant Jews to the U.S. like New York newspaper publisher Mordecai Manuel Noah (1785-1851), and Confederate Sec. Of War/State Judah P. Benjamin (1811-1884) (and the first Jewish American U.S. Senator) are another example of that scapegoating by Conservative Jews.
Both men employed political and racial scapegoating of African Americans and defended slavery, even as they protested anti-Semitism. Contemporary Jewish owner of an NBA team Donald Sterling uttered views identical to the racist views of Noah. Attacks today on US Rep. Ilhan Omar align Stephens in the same historic tradition populated by racist bigots.
5
Next Bret will be calling the UN and 95% of the countries in the world "anti semitic" for the numerous resolutions condemning Israel for its policies in the occupied territories. Apparently, lobbying and massive amounts of money in politics is anti semitic too even if most of the corruption caused by those activities does not involve Jews - it's just plain old corruption. Bret and his ilk had better watch out that they are not watering down the term "anti semitic" so much so that when the real thing rears its ugly head (Nazism, for instance) people don't begin to dismiss it as just crying wolf again. Bret is doing the Jewish people no favors.
7
Anti-semitism and Islamophobia are two words used by politicallay motivated agents to color the opposing agenda. It is true, Omar is trying to bring the agenda of Anti-Semitism agenda in the main stream discussion in the Congress, which is currently a taboo. Though many Democratic and Republicans are hidden Anti-Semitic, the topic has been kept in the dark closet. Same is true of Islamophobia. I think, time has come to disinfect these ideas to open light so that truth can revel itself. To me, Anti-Semitism is an historical legacy for the Western culture and post WW II phenomena for Islamic world. On the other hand Islamophobia is the reaction to the Wahhabism spread by Saudi Arabia, a very recent phenomena in Islamic politics of Shi’a Sunni struggle. It is important that these two ideas get openly discussed and exposed - today this is not happening. Intellectually, the global culture will be enriched if we understand the subtle ness of these two concepts.
2
Stephens’ assault on Omar would conflate criticism of Israel’s actions with that of anti-Semitism. To many, this equation is inviolate.
But Omar’s position on the undue influence of a foreign nation upon our policies is neither new nor one that has not been said of Israel.
Scholars have done so. The Israel Lobby and U. S. Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Wall comes to mind. Or Leon T. Hadar’s Quagmire: America in the Middle East, wherein he writes about the 1991 Iraq war, “A new U.S. engagement therefore meant nothing more than securing Israel’s regional power, in particular its nuclear monopoly, against a local rival and supporting the local despots who rule the oil-producing states.”
Politicians have also called into question Israel’s influence. They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel’s Lobby by Paul Findley was criticized just as Omar is now. In 1973, Senator William Fulbright was slandered as being anti-Semitic when he said “The Senate is subservient to Israel, in my opinion much too much. We should be more concerned about the United States interest rather than doing the bidding of Israel This is a most unusual development.”
Omar has criticized Israeli behavior, not called for its extinction nor that of the Jews.
8
I think she's just taking a knee in this game. Your reaction is over the top.
10
What ferocious drivel (though as a Brit, fascinating to see that the spectre of “Corbynism” is affrighting the corridors of American conservatism!).
There are serious and plausible arguments against the continuation of an ethnically nationalist Jewish state, and in favour of a single multi-ethnic, multi-confessional state encompassing the entirety of Mandate Palestine. Such arguments are not driven by bigotry or hatred of Jews but by despair at the interminable bloodshed in Israel and the Occupied Territories and the brutality and manifest bad faith of successive Israeli governments. There are strong arguments against such an outcome too which also need to be considered on their merits.
What shouldn’t happen is that entirely reasonable positions are rendered taboo by being slandered as racist. Yet this is what repeatedly happens, especially in Congress where the kneejerk institutional endorsement of Israel is very marked. I think Ilhan Omar has spoken unwisely but her attempted lynching by the opportunistic and cynical GOP is a case in point.
Israel may be a democracy (albeit a highly dysfunctional one these days, more like Hungary or Turkey than the US or U.K.), but that seems no reason it should be immune from criticism or challenge, including to its constitutional essence as that informs its choices and actions. Nor should its many and well-resourced lobbyists’ efforts to curb even mild criticism be ignored, any more than that of the NRA or the tobacco industry.
8
I guess its really interesting as what is the limiting factor to democratically criticize Israel.
I think this is one on the western blunders deliberately perpetrated on the people of Israel and middle east to simmer this mistrust on the same level like they did in India Pakistan.
And it seems its ok for people of the two faiths involved in this to hold real "hateful" thoughts of the other.
But I have not found anywhere how anybody can criticize Israel's current ruling party dragging its current and future citizens towards one nation state ( albeit helped by Hamas and its monkey wrench policy towards Israel ) and making Isreal's Palestinian citizens into a second class citizens.
I have not seen any Nelson Mandela here yet to help these two neighboring family of different faith.
We cannot fix the past but we can definitely right the future!
3
I suppose you could call a country that brutally practices apartheid a democracy, and the US doesn't think the UN should tell countries how to treat citizens and captives, so maybe we should not have our own opinions. I do like their theory that if you attack first, it is "preemptive self defense."
6
Hard to take seriously a column that doesn't once mention the Palestinians.... All this stuff from Stephens about Israel being a democracy is hard to swallow when placed against the systematic oppression of Palestinians and the virtual negation of their collective rights under rule by Israel. It's like saying that apartheid South Africa was "the region's only democracy" (some did say that) and THEREFORE no criticism of systematic oppression of the black majority was countenanced. Omar's point of view is generally shared by her generation. That doesn't inoculate her from Antisemitism, but it does show that the presumptions of an older generation are no longer universally accepted without qualification. The author tries to reduce Israel's woes to official corruption or questionable foreign policy, but many of us see the issue as why Israel was reestablished upon the denial of rights to Palestinians. Omar's perspective is indeed a radical critique of the foundations for Israel's existence and the virulent reaction against her suggests that the truth hits home.
7
"...no serious person claims criticism of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic."
Then I guess very few New York Times commenters are serious persons. I usually read the lively comments that follow columns like this one, and trust me, there's plenty of explaining of how anti-Semitic even the lightest of criticisms of Israel are. I'm a very serious person and I find myself reluctant to say anything negative about anything Israel does.
While perhaps the legions of approved punditry are allowed to criticize Israel without being labeled anti-Semitic, the rest of us are not.
I, personally, believe in the absolute right of the nation of Israel to exist. That will never waver. But, events have occurred over the decades that have made me question whether what's good for Israel is necessarily good for the United States. When the Republicans invited Mr. Netanyahu here to propagandize against the Iran Nuclear Deal to undermine a foreign policy initiative of a sitting president, I stopped believing the pro-Israel lobby had only negligible influence on a good number of our Congressional officials.
I read the house resolution dated March 4th as of 5:12 PM. It's a very comprehensive statement against anti-Semitism, but the resolution would be far better if it were expanded to cover, in as exhaustive a manner, all our past sins of discrimination against all marginalized groups. Otherwise, I'm sorry, it's just more political theater.
4
The following question by Mr. Stephens is quite hilarious:
"In what Middle Eastern country other than Israel can an attorney general indict a popular and powerful prime minister on corruption charges?"
How about that in any other advanced country a through and through corrupt PM, Chancellor, President can be removed by a simple majority of a non-confidence vote of the Parliament, but not in the US of A by a simple majority of both the House and the Senate.
And what was Bibi indicted for? His self-enrichment by accepting nefarious bribes of all shapes and forms. There is no "Benjamin" on the Israeli currency, yet he most certainly has accepted millions from Americans, e.g. Sheldon Adelson.
I have opposed Bibi's arch-right wing coalition and what it stands for, as well as Donald Trump's, one who hides his overt anti-semitism behind his grandchildren.
And no, this German-American Jew will never vote for a Republican again, even if their dog-catcher is nicer than the Democrat.
9
JEWISH STATE?
One might question the legitimacy of a Jewish state without being anti-Jewish.
Britain agreed (in the Balfour Declarationn 1917) to the establishment of Jewish state in Palestine , then an Ottoman province with a small minority Jewish population which had been living there for at least ~2000 years.
The British were trying to enlist this Jewish population to fight the Ottomans.
Beyond this short-term British objective, there is no obvious reason these Jewish people should have been promised a Jewish state. Jewish people could have continued live in Palestine and practice their religion freely as they done for years.
Indeed, the liberal political tradition suggests the unifying the state with a religious or cultural tradition is genially a bad idea. that's the source of the 1st Amendment.
6
The only difference between Corbyn and Omar is that the bogus accusations of anti-Semitism--more accurately, the vile manipulation of anti-Semitism for purely political ends--have more traction in Europe, where freedom of speech is considerably less free than in the US.
5
It's always sad when the formerly oppressed become the oppressors. Isreal didn't start the 7 day war, but they won it. As far as I'm concerned the territory they took then is theirs....although I still don't see how Britan had the right to claim Palestinian as theirs to give. BUT, Israel doen't have the right for any other land. They are now the oppressors.
6
The greatest threat to the long term survival of Israel is the Netanyahu and his government. His policies to denying Palestinian rights to appease Israeli extremist have been so outrageous that he is actually losing a public relations war against terrorist organizations. Whenever anyone points out the oppression and injustices they are immediately labeled as anti Semitic hate mongers. While the extreme reaction to Ilhan Omar’s poorly worded comments may make some people feel self righteous, its intensity is also a threat to Israel. The backlash within the Democratic party in Congress against a hastily drafted anti semitism resolution is an example how the irrational and vicious attacks on Ilhan Omar are perceived by many. It is not lost on us that Ilhan Omar is a convenient target because she is a muslim who wears a hijab. I believe Israel actually loses support each time people pile on with commentary like this column. We have now reached the point where many Millennials have a very negative view of Israel. Unless supporters of Israel are willing to face up to and acknowledge the fact that Netanyahu and his government bear a great deal of responsibility for the criticism, support for Israel will continue to erode.
5
We shouldn’t have to choose between one bigotry and another. We have to be vigilant about anti-Semitism. We also have to be vigilant about anti-Islamism. And we should be able to debate the individual person or policy without automatically collapsing them into an ethnic/religious group and ethical category.
4
Mr. Stephens - I posted a version of this in response to another article, but it seems appropriate for your piece, too. Criticizing actions of the Israeli government and leaders is not anti-Semitic. Nor is the statement "it's all about the benjamins", which applies in all aspects of our bought and paid for Congress. They respond to moneyed interests, and just because, in this case, Omar was referring to AIPAC, doesn't make her comment anti-Semitic. She and others likely make the same comments about the Koch Brothers, the NRA, and dark money PACs that do the oligarchy's and other special interests' bidding. That anti-Semitism is ascribed to her statements makes the point that she was making in her latest remarks. A different standard is applied to Israel, and it fosters and reinforces the perception of dual loyalty. We have legislation pending that seeks to curtail our First Amendment rights by prohibiting boycotts against Israel. I'm not aware of any such efforts on behalf of, say, South Africa during apartheid or boycotts against any other nation or company. So, the notion that these criticisms reveal anti-Semitic animus reinforces the bases for the criticisms. Our support for Israel need not be unconditional. If they behave in ways that are abhorrent, we should be free to criticize them. Or boycott them. In addition, what's lost in all this reporting is that Ms. Omar also criticized the Saudis for their abhorrent behavior. But we don't hear calls of anti-muslim bias.
9
"Loyalty to a foreign state" seems to be a sticking point in this debate. When does "support" turn into "loyalty?" How does one even tell the difference?
When elected officials are responsive to AIPAC's persuasions, I would say that they are supporting Israel. But for state governments to pass laws sanctioning those who want to protest by economic means Israel's treatment of Palestinians, or for the US Senate to pass a bill facilitating such state laws? Now, that seems like loyalty.
7
Representative Omar is a pro-Palestinian. That’s self-evident and entirely appropriate. She was elected by her constituency. She should represent them.
Representative Omar is also an anti-Semite. That’s understandable but it’s a shame. We do much better working together to solve problems than blaming each other for it. There is an obvious problem. The Jews were murdered by the millions in Europe and sought a safe homeland. They appropriated Palestinian land. There was bound to be controversies. Similar controversies have occurred between the Normans and the Saxons in England and in many other lands. it has taken centuries to get over. I’m sure this will not be different.
I live in New Orleans. I am an eighty-two-year-old retired Jewish physician. Luckily, the Palestinian and Jewish community in New Orleans gets along fine. We try and work together to resolve our differences without animosity. But we aren’t fighting over the same land. There’s lots of room for both of us. The same thing is true of Detroit. If representative Omar could understand that and work together with the Jewish community, we have a much better chance of success. Our understanding of history suggests that that’s very unlikely to occur. But we can always try
7
Years back and like yesterday, I remember being asked if I have a tail. I had no idea what the girl meant, but believe it or not, neither did she. It's how, in upstate NY she was raised by the local anti-Semitic population. It was also my introduction to ignorance and hate.
My 2nd introduction was very different. A Palestinian girl, a colleague, at a tech company. She was highly educated in her young 20's. We got to talking about Israel, and ultimately her hatred of Israel. Most disturbingly, she felt no guilt about attacking Israeli Jews (NOT American).
It was truly shocking to hear this coming from her, remorse free. She would have been the first to condemn any terrorist act against the US, because she considered herself a US citizen. But Israel? Different story. Could she have been lying about hatred of American Jews? Of course. In the end who's right? Violence is always wrong. Easy answer – but different from upstate NY.
I don't agree with how Omar is going about her criticism, nor do I agree with Stephen's insulating himself because "he criticized Bibi ... and the anti-defamation league didn't denounce him". Neither of these come close to a policy discussion or critique of Bibi's policy. And that's what we need. Policy discussions, about Israel, without being called an anti-Semite. And what would happen if Democrats started that debate? What would Republicans say and do?
I can already see the political ads next election cycle.
4
Like SWB, I too am a constituent of Ms. Omar. I reluctantly voted for her in the general election--concerned about her inexperience and lack of judgment--after my preferred candidate lost in the primary. SWB says it all very well. Ms. Omar will continue to be haunted by her past statements--which go far beyond any sort of reasoned criticism of the failings and excesses of the Israeli government--and by her inability or, at best, reluctance to learn from her current stumbles. As Mr. Stephens says well, Ms. Omar's criticisms go well beyond what's necessary. The House of Representatives is now flailing to craft a resolution that does not single out Ms. Omar and that equally condemns all flavors of bigotry. If that is the standard that is to be applied, where is Ms. Omar's equal condemnation of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Arab states that continue to demand the abolition of the Jewish state? As a voter, I think Ms. Omar has much to learn, but I fear she is interested only in episodic damage control, not in attaining real growth or understanding.
520
Ignoring the UN report on Israeli war crimes leaves parts of this argument hollow.
This was just a week ago, "The Commission has reasonable grounds to believe that during the Great March of Return, Israeli soldiers committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Some of those violations may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, and must be immediately investigated by Israel,". These included the killing of children, journalists and medical personnel. Specifically, Israeli security shot and killed 35 children during the event.
Having a gay pride parade does not make up for the killing of children.
1016
As one of her constituents, I am very concerned about her ability to understand, learn and grow from this experience. But let’s be clear, her central point is not that Jews or Israel controls or influences the US Congress (they’ don’t), it’s that the real suffering and plight of the Palestinians under occupied Israel as well as the continued theft of their lands goes unnnoticed and unmentioned in Congress. It is clear that Netanyahu’s strategy abandoned the two state solution years ago, and he has simply been delaying and supporting his far right supporters in settlement expansion and territorial expansion. At least I hope this is where the debate will eventually get to. Omar needs to understand her messaging ought to be focused on sympathy for the Palestinians and not resort to anti-Semitic tropes.
994
@SWB There has NEVER been an independent Arab state of 'palestine', no 'palestinian' language, no 'palestinian' king. The name itself is not even Arabic. The land was occupied by non-Arabic Turks, British & Romans, but the only independent nation in the lst 3300 years - from King David, Solomon & Jesus was Israel.
Maybe if people learned their history as well as the facts of Israel the false lies & narrative would stop and peace COULD begin? An invented narrative for a state that NEVER existed, invented in the mid 20th century as a response to the FACT that the worlds only Jewish nation, Israel, has existed on that land for 3300 years, thousands of years before Islam began. The hate for Israel IS the hate for Jews. Period.
92
@SWB
This is pure propaganda. It was the Yassir Arafat and the PLO that abandoned the two state solution long ago.
When you are offered literally 98% of what you ask for in negotiations and turn it down, you are declaring unequivocally that you never negotiated in good faith.
There is one goal there and that is the destruction of Israel. Omar seems to offer implicit support at every turn.
WHY ARE YOU NOT CONCERNED?
95
@SWB Well said. Thank you.
29
It is hypocritical that no one has taken Donald Trump to task for having supported the antisemites who aroused us in Charlottesville.
10
"claims that Israel “hypnotizes” the world, or that it uses money to bend others to its will, or that its American supporters “push for allegiance to a foreign country,” repackage falsehoods commonly used against Jews for centuries."
To claim that because in the past those ideas have been spread to attack people who did NOT do these things, this kind of criticism can never ever be used against any Israeli government, is absurd.
Anti-Semitism means falsely attacking an entire people.
Omar is attacking a state, not Jews as a people. And she's attacking the policies used by the Israeli government to exploit, torture and harm the Palestinian people living on its soil. That includes the policies supported by certain American Jews (although as polls show, only a minority of US Jews support Netanyahu).
Many Jews, Christians, Muslims and other people in the world agree with her criticism.
So you cannot possibly reject it as being anti-Semitic. It isn't.
We have to strongly fight against ANY form of bigotry. But that anti-Muslim and anti-atheist GOP bigots today try to ignore Omar's arguments just because her words COULD be interpreted as anti-Semitism (after those same bigots had no problem supporting a violent white supremacist and overtly and explicitly anti-Semitic rally, moreover ...), shows how hypocritical their anti-bigotry stance actually is.
If you want to be intellectually honest here, refute her arguments, rather than turning them into "naked anti-Semitism".
8
I do not disagree with this opinion discrimination against Muslims in this country then Jews.
1
To all Jews rightly offended by Omar's despicable remarks and the Democrats' abject failure at condemning them... the party that is tolerant, progressive and liberal the truest sense is waiting with open arms! Welcome!
1
Omar has not uttered a single negative word about Jews. Her criticism is, rightly, directed at the state of Israel.
11
I wish our legislators both Republican and Democrat would give us the single payor healthcare and state of the art infrastructure that they lavish on Israel.
8
Great writing. Thank you NYT, Anti Semitism is real. Oddly MSNBC & CNN have not followed this story. And Bernie Sanders should really think about the Anti Semitism that will be in his face as he runs for prez.
10
The sinister foreign influence of Corbynism! Is he introducing local politicians to local donors? How is he washing the money?
3
Go live in Gaza
Go live in next to a settlement.
Go wait in line at a check point.
Have your land taken from you.
Israel sharing values with us? About like Maduro.
10
When the beautiful Muslim woman mentioned the Benjamins she declined the allure of money to buy the fidelity of friendship.
Certainly the killing of a Saudi journalist by her brothers of Islam according to our president is all about the Benjamins spent to buy armaments from us so why criticize? Or the Benjamins buying Egypt's friendship (a Muslim country)This world is about the money honey. When she, Bernie and her girlfriend in the House protest, ask the how far they'd get without the Benjamins. Not just the Jews, everyone loves $$
4
My concern is more with the Congressional Black Caucus than with Ms Omar herself.
If Ms Omar wants to hate Jews, that is her right, and we have outlasted those who want us dead before.
But it is sad and unsettling that leaders of the Black community, who are quick to take offense, are not sticking up for another group who feel endangered.
There are all kinds of excuses: it’s notcabout jews, it’s about Netanyahu ..,it’s about free speech....
Jews are becoming unwelcome in the Democratic Party, mostly because they have shown they have learned to improve themselves economically, socially, and politically, and they are no longer victims.
The Democratic Party has become a collection of victims, and if you are not a victim, you are the oppressor.
Note to my grandchildren: keep your assets liquid and your passport handy. You are going to need to leave here and it’s going to happen sooner than you think.
13
You are so wrong on so many levels, spouting the resistance of those in Congress who do not wish to criticize Israel. Why? Money from AIPAC. Your biases are showing.
6
Perhaps Stephens should compile a list of words and phrases that must never be used in the course of criticizing Israel, on pain of the speaker casting herself as an anti-Semite. Sort of like Carlin’s seven dirty words, though I suspect Stephens’ list would be considerably longer.
9
But why does any person need to pledge alliance to a foreign country to serve the US? I do not agree with everything she has said, but this requirement for her to pledge allegiance to Israel is indeed strange.
14
I believe that the state of Israel should exist and can co-exist with its Muslim neighbors. I donate to some Jewish charities. I also believe deeply that the foreign policies of Israel have for decades been immoral, criminal, and foolish. I have carefully examined Omar's statements, including those you cite here, and find that without exception they criticize public policies without denigrating the religion or ethnicity of people. They are not anti-Semitic. Your column, on the other hand, is a nasty exercise in superficial labelling and name-calling that serves only to heighten rather than diminish racism.
18
Sorry, Bret, if the US, in popular opinion, government policy, and economic interest, shifts suddenly about Israel, it will be nothing new. The Little Country that Could, the American footprint in the Mideast, the nuclear power that probably is, the inheritor of ancient stories about gods and homelands... that mashup may be due for substantial revision. ( Who knows, someday the ten millennium-old North American homeland may surface in our brains.) Israel, though is far closer to sudden revisions, and don’t blame younger American Jews for turning the corner. The Little Country was handed a foul task, a grim post-war structure at the onset, as was India, Pakistan, and many SA colonial hangovers. That it could result in perpetual strife was probably intended.
2
Okay, so in Israel gays and women have rights not found in any other country in the Middle East. Give them credit. But bragging about these basic rights without mentioning the bulldozing of Palestinian houses, the blockade of essential supplies including medicine, the indefinite jailing of teenagers for throwing rocks, or the harassment Palestinians endure on a daily basis seems more than a bit dishonest. I find it astounding that defenders of Israel, like Stephens, never, ever have anything at all to say about what life is like for the five million people living under the boot of the state of Israel.
21
Unbelievable, Mr. Stephens, please get down off that soapbox, and realize that what was said is not anti-Semitic, but simply the senator expressing her thinking, as she is entitled to, no different than what you do, when you express your opinions.
And I am an ardent supporter of Israel, these last 70 years, and always will be.
17
Is there a difference between Jews and Israelis? Catholics and Italians? Muslims and Saudis? Baptists and Southerners? To all - stop labeling and stop the hyper fake moral outrage on any subject that draws attention to thoughts that are not your own. This article like the Congress of the last 30 years not only misses the point but chases shadows while accomplishing nothing. As for the Congresswoman, she has an perspective. I don’t agree with it but it deserves an ear. She chose the wrong words. The Israelis do not always get it right. Bret generally you have courage in your writing and opinion. Bring it everyday.
4
Notably absent from the hysteria and condemnation of Omar is what she actually said, which leads Americans to believe that Israel’s right wing apologists are terrified of having any rational discussion.
Chris Hayes of MSNBC invited Jeremy Ben Ami of J-Street (the center-left version of AIPAC) to discuss the latest bookstore controversy and he had no problem with what Omar said. Ami believes that we must have open dialogue and stop enabling Israel if we want to save the country from a dark future.
From a Machiavellian view, those who wish to end the occupation should rejoice that powerful US leaders and pundits are feverishly scrambling to stop even a whisper of Likud criticism. It makes Americans suspicious of what they’re trying to hide, and it feels abnormal, even Orwellian, that we are criminalizing Americans right to boycott a foreign country. This will lead to resentment and distrust of Israel, and is precisely why Bret Stephens and his ilk are ultimately doing more harm than good with their clear deflections and ad hominem attacks.
Instead of letting Omar speak (she was elected, after all) and admitting that YES, lobbies are powerful in America, and OF COURSE, money influences our politicians, and then moving on to other subjects, they amplified her to the stratosphere. Well done. Now everywhere Omar goes there are twenty microphones pointed at her, and her support is growing exponentially.
13
I personally think that Israel's current political direction threatens it's own long-term existence. The far right policies of Netanyahu and the Likud party only act to isolate itself from the rest of the world. It is largely American evangelicals that push a unquestioning support of the Israeli state for their own religious agenda; they do not care about the future of Israel or the Jewish people. This is the engine that drives fear of any criticism toward Israel as it stands today, which subjugates an entire ethnic group in its current political and economic composition. Most America Jews are liberal and they question this standard.
Ilhan Omar made have made some poorly chosen statements, including the Black colloquialism 'Benjamins', but the right wing has used the hot button issue of anti-Semitism to divide the Democratic party and sway public option toward removal of Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. There should be no censorship of dissenting opinion on that committee, even as it relates to Israel. Omar has made no direct generalizations or disparaging remarks about Jews specifically and now Republicans are crying wolf to push their own agenda. There is no comparison with our President's remarks and his goal to divide Americans on an ethnic basis. How dare Republicans make this claim!
5
Bret, you write that people who support a "state" should not have to face allegations that their sympathies have been purchased or their brain hijacked or their loyalties divided. I ask you "why not"? Look at our own country with Fox/Trump. Freedom is not free, and is usually strengthened with very uncomfortable open debate, no matter which side of the debate you are on.
Right message.
Wrong words.
When the right wing, pro Israel Stephens starts speaking up for Palestinians, against Israel’s slow annexation of Palestinian lands, maybe then I’ll give him a listen. Until then let her speak. Disagree, and stop demonizing Israel’s critics.
5
"...Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion."
Shall we ask the Palestians in the West Bank being denied basic human rights about those values?
7
Bret, I bet, you are overlaying your personal context on what ever hers is, and you don't know what it is.
That said, this would be a case where The Speaker should take personal interest in providing some guidance to Congressmember Omar on this issue.
"...those who support the state should not have to face allegations that their sympathies have been purchased, or their brain hijacked, or their loyalties divided."
Why not? It actually should be an easy enough allegation to dispute, assuming you're not talking to a member of the type of conspiracy theory crowd that, for example, drinks the Trump kool-aid about the crisis at the border. I stopped basing my actions and views on how willfully ignorant people would see them, a long time ago. Life is too short.
My response to Omar about such charges is simple: name names. When biased people are forced to name names, it usually becomes obvious quickly whether or not they're speaking from bias, or fact. Next up: quote statistics. If you're implying "all", it's not enough to trot out a handful of anecdotal instances.
If Omar is indeed trying to play us, make her flesh out her arguments, and be specific. If she doesn't, then it must be she can't, and she's fully exposed as a true bigot. If she does, it will soon become obvious if there is any merit there. Or not. And she just might really learn something.
But if her criticisms are based on a concern for the Palestinians, and how they have been addressed (or not) in the particular, she just might have an argument for certain memes being narrowly valid. In that case, though, one has to wonder about her wisdom in boiling everything down to that one frame of reference. That discussion could be worthwhile, for everyone.
2
The logic of this argument is misplaced.
You can disagree with the politics of the Vatican without being anti-Catholic. In fact you can be Catholic and very much disagree with the Vatican.
Same same vis a vis Israel and Jews.
5
Why should Israel get a pass because they embrace the values that we champion? Why should we? This is a glaring example of Republican false equivalence and an error of discrimination and inconsistency.
Okay, so in Israel gays and women have rights not found in any other country in the Middle East. Give them credit. But bragging about these basic rights without mentioning the bulldozing of Palestinian houses, the blockade of essential supplies including medicine, the indefinite jailing of teenagers for throwing rocks, or the harassment Palestinians endure on a daily basis seems more than a bit dishonest. I find it astounding that defenders of Israel, like Stephens, never, ever have anything at all to say about what life is like for the five million people living under the boot of the state of Israel.
3
It does seem like hypnosis when we say all this stuff about democracy and human rights but when it comes to the Palestinian people we pretend like it is not happening. How do you brag about being a democracy when a large proportion of the people can’t vote? And how do we support a country that is illegally occupying lands? Or treating people differently based on worshipping a different god?
4
I found this article to be very disingenuous. The author seems to understand criticizing Israeli policies does not make Rep Omar anti-Semitic, but he slyly taints her with the criticism anyway. He implies her comments about American lawmaker’s support for Israel being “about the Benjamins” is an anti-Semitic trope. No, it's not, she was telling the truth. No one can deny groups like AIPAC have a great deal of pull on Capital Hill because of the money it spreads around. As for her prayers to reveal the “evil doings Israel”, I liken her comments to my thoughts on evils of our own government, such as mass incarceration of Black and Brown people, our use of torture, and taking children away from families at the border. Does this mean I am anti-American? Of course not. I think those who are quick to come down Rep. Omar need to examine their own bigotry. It appears as though they’re not listening to what she is saying and are reacting to who saying it.
7
The problem is that the Holy Land is limited in size. It's too bad that a new spot on Planet Earth couldn't be awarded a similar title, providing enough "space" to ensure that anyone wishing to live in a Most Holy Spot could, in fact, do so.
My suggestion is to give Wyoming to the Palestinians - lock, stock and barrel. I'm sure that in some Native Tribal story there is mention of Yellowstone (or the Tetons) as hallowed ground. It would thus seem reasonable that this (nearly empty) state could be used to, literally and permanently, solve the entire Middle Eastern Crisis.
Thanks for listening. Just remember that to work properly Palestine, USA, would have to embrace fully open borders - something that our President might not agree with, at least not at first.
Bret is overreacting. It should be fair game to criticize the influence of Airpac who influence politicians to vote pro-Israel even if it is not in the interest of the US. It is not fair to object to any such criticism because anti-semites accuse jews of loyalty to a foreign power. Criticizing a country's actions as Omar does is not the same as hating a country. Assuming mindset or motivations of people who disagree with you is something Trump does. Don't mimic him.
1
Why is it a problem to question a foreign agency operating in Washington with a stated goal of benefitting a foreign country?
The problem is that AIPAC does not want anyone to question their actions. They want people to "fear" it.
Stop the smear campaign. It is part of Democracy to question and investigate.
2
"It’s how anti-Zionism has abruptly become an acceptable point of view in reputable circles. It’s why anti-Semitism is just outside the frame, bidding to get in." Is that true? I had no idea it had become acceptable to question the right of Israel to exist. I guess I'm lowbrow but my response to that is an urge to reread Schwarz-Bart, Shaw and even Uris and Larson. My guess is that more and more Americans are beginning to view Israel as, essentially, a Middle Eastern state.
1
How does Bret Stephens gloss over the naked anti-Semitism practiced by Trump and Fox News, particularly leading up to the 2018 midterms? He did not mention anywhere in his column the disturbing imagery Tweeted regularly by Trump or the “very fine people on both sides” comments he made of the Charlottesville tragedy. Nor the openly White Nationalist Rep Steve King. He is quite ready to stoke division on the left and turns a blind eye to the years of Anti-Semitic vitriol on the right which has led to real violence on American soil (Pittsburgh synagogue shooting??). He’s quite quick to pile on criticism of Omar who just happens to be a Muslim woman of color. Most Americans could care less about Israel, to be honest, and their right to occupy land. I’ll take his concern more seriously when he acknowledges the much darker recent past on his side of the aisle.
Ilhan Omar might be anti-Semitic. Its definitely possible that she is using her criticism of Israel as a subtle way to insinuate old tropes about Jews. However I find that much of the criticism, though thoughtful, can also be a subtle way to stifle dissent over Israel. Illan Omar never directed her criticism at Jews but Israel. Even though this country is super-generous with its aid to Israel there is almost no debate over whether it is aligned with our interests and values to support a state that treats many of its residents as second-class citizens and continues its expansionist policies into the West Bank. Just because a state is a democracy doesn't mean it cannot oppress and discriminate. Just take a look at US History. Our democracy sidelined the native population and enforced slavery. We use our leverage all the time to get states to respect human rights but when it comes to Israel such a discussion has been almost absent. I think it is time we had a more robust debate about how our aid is used to facilitate wrongs committed by Israel.
In recent years, some American public schools have displayed posters in their classrooms to help ensure that students from groups historically subjected to prejudice feel welcome and valued.
One in particular addresses several such groups one-by-one, e.g., “Dear black students, your lives matter,” or “Dear Latino students, you will not find walls here.”
So I'm wondering, has anyone ever seen a version of this poster that includes a reassuring message for Jewish students?
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If I were as smart or as good a writer as you, Bret, this is the column I would have written...you nailed it!
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This is an extremely complex problem, and not easily subject to the presumptions that Bret makes about Omar. Yes, it is imperative for Jews “never to forget” and to give no safe harbor to the insidious subtly of anti-Semitism. But are our so called leaders in thrall of the Israeli right wing? Look at the flak taken by Obama, who was a strong military supporter of Israel, because he wanted to try to remain a so called honest broker. The NYT reported that while Trump was announcing the US Embassy move to Jerusalem , the Knesset was debating the remapping of Jerusalem to exclude Arab neighborhoods from the City borders. Israelis certainly have a right to self defense, the border wall (in part) may have legitimately provided security. But the settlements are expansionist and diminish Palestinian hopes for a homeland. Israeli policies have prevented Palestinians from living normal lives. These are political problems, separate from anti-semitism. But how does a duly elected Moslem representative advocate for a downtrodden population in the face of the overwhelming Israeli lobbying and financial support to our politicians?
Omar’s comments reflect bigoted beliefs. But her motivation may be defensiveness inherent in advocating for the underdog. Rather than condemning her comments, the Democrats would better serve their principles if they formed a committee including Omar, to formulate a coherent and progressive position and message on US-Israeli relations.
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A lot of comments seem to decry anti-semitism by saying the actions and atrocities committed by Israel against Palestine have nothing to do with the jewish religion. How can that be? I was raised Jewish (now atheist in belief and culture) and think the treatment of Palestine has everything to do with religion. The occupation is a Jew vs. Muslim situation. It's lunacy to deny it. Most conflicts have to do with religion. See nearly every war on the planet as exhibit A. We need to have a honest dialogue about the destruction caused by religion and if I can criticism Omar for anything, it's that she fails to be fully honest about the destructive nature of all religions.
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So according to this columnist, Israel has earned a privileged status in the region because it embodies "the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion", but anyone who questions its actual observance of these values is an anti-Semite.
But Ilhan Omar does indeed have something in common with Jeremy Corbyn. Both are targets of the right thanks to their resistance to the right-wing economic program, and charges of anti-Semitism are the best way to attack, since they're unanswerable.
Like many Democrats who shout "racism" because they'd prefer not to talk about corruption and distribution of wealth, Mr. Stephens and his ilk have their way to combat to the rise of the left in the U.S.
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Stephens accuses Omar of “wrapping herself in the flag” because she invokes freedom of speech in defense of her right to be heard and denigrates her for doing so, saying “ - as if the debate she wants to force is as innocuous as a dispute over a spending bill.” But that’s the point! If freedom of speech as a guiding principle applied only to innocuous matters then it wouldn’t be very important as the bed rock foundation of our democracy. It’s exactly because the intertwined but separate issues of Israel and anti-Semitism are so NOT innocuous that Omar’s right to voice controversial opinions deserves respect and not gut reaction condemnation.
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"Like many self-described progressives, Omar does not like Israel."
You lost me here already Bret.
I don't know any progressive who hates "Israel". What does that even mean?
What we reject is the right-wing Israeli government and its refusal to understand and solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
What we also reject is the absence of separation between state and church, which is the case in Israel and in many of our other regional allies.
Can you imagine that a Republican would oppose Saudi Arabia's absence of separation of state and church and would then be criticized by the left for "not liking Saudi Arabia"?
Yes, there was a gay-pride parade in Israel. As is well-known, however, Israeli law fully hands over crucial things such as divorce to religious courts, which systematically discriminate against women, when it's a woman who asks for a divorce, and her man refuses.
So no, you cannot possibly use the fact that some things that progressives like also exist in Israel, to then discard any criticism on things that progressives reject (both at home and in Israel) as being anti-Semitic.
That's simply intellectually dishonest.
But where are the GOP pundits today who still know what intellectual integrity means .. ?
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Maybe the issue is people are not articulating properly their frustrations with Israel. TBH Israel has been asked to take the peace process and 2 state solution seriously since Camp David but the end result is that more and more Palestinian land is now under Israeli occupation. Let's turn this around - imagine the angst if many of our political and media elite where members of a club called "Friends of Saud".
Look at the recent issue concerning deaths - over a few hundred killed by sniper fire why - because they protested. The level of debate was no where near where it had to be to take offence. I suspect the next bombing of Gaza will hardly get a response from the West.
It seems that so many are reading tea leaves to find hidden antisemitism. We have tropes, we have dog-whistles, all very subtle. Actually, so subtle that most of them go right over my head. Criticism of Israel seems to be a third rail in the U.S. and that doesn't seem fair. Israel is a country led by a man that I consider a bully, one that violently and illegally seizes territory from an occupied entity. Additionally, a powerful lobby ensures that overt criticism of Israel dooms politicians who dare to speak out.
Antisemitism is unacceptable. But I don't believe we need to be searching for it so assiduously, especially when we have someone like Rep. Steve King, who is truly offensive. But, of course, he's a white male. Wonder if that's a factor?
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How can we avoid the truth of history or that of current events and call ourselves civilized people?
There is one salient fact that Omar is either forgivable for being ignorant of, or unforgivable for ignoring.
The absence of a two state solution is 100% due to Yassir Arafat, the PLO, and the fact that this whole debate is nothing more than cover for espousing the destruction of Israel.
PERIOD. END IF SENTENCE.
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I seems to me that the vociferous denunciation of Rep. Omar's comments is perhaps doing more to reinforce her points about AIPAC than to to refute them.
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"Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion."
I don't know of any Democrat who "champions" military snipers shooting and killing civilians, including children, that come with in 100 yards of a border fence or shooting and killing clearly identifiable medics who come to the aid of those that have been shot. I do know of Republicans (Nikki Haley) who have defended this policy. I have my suspicions there are quite a few Republicans who would also support such a policy on our southern border. Of course there are those who would accuse those who criticize such policies as being anti-Semitic.
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It is a difficult matter. Omar errs in singling out Israel and using traditional anti-Semitic tropes, and she must correct this. Corbyn is actively anti-Semitic and a poor model to follow.
Consider the Irish Question. It is OK to support the Republic of Ireland and to be happy about the independent Irish state, but not OK to support the Irish Republican Army. Omar must make the parallel distinction clear.
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It is incredible the level of hypocrisy and vehement bias that exist towards people of color and Muslims in this country. There has been perpetual open season of bigoted comments against Muslim citizen, uncontested racial targeting of people of color including Blacks, Asian and Hispanics by members of congress and executive on both sides. However, everyone wants to rush to condemn the only one person who is both muslim and a person of color!
I have a U.S. Senator who said one of his primary duties was to support & protect Israel. No! That should not be one of his primary duties. I'm a U.S. citizen, not a citizen of Israel. I'm tired of my country's policies being based, in part, on what is best for Israel instead of what is best for the U.S.
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Having lived for nearly a decade in the UK, I think Bret Stephens is right on the money with this article. You can be critical of Israel without being antisemitic. And you can do so while believing in whatever god you wish. But there is a pervasive and insidious creep of antisemitism in Labour's ranks in the UK. It used to find purchase among the upper crust of English society, but the current iteration of British bigotry comes not from aristocrats imagining themselves to be above lesser peoples, but from a combination of British Muslims and liberal academics whose distaste for the Jewish state bleeds too often and too easily into a distaste for Jewish people.
As a graduate of both Cambridge and the London School of Economics, I know British academia better than most and saw the blending of anti-Zionist sentiments with antisemitic tropes firsthand. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party has had a problem with antisemitism that it has denied for most of the last decade. I worry the US Democratic party is heading down that same path.
As a Jew, I have no problem criticizing Israel. There is a nuanced argument to be had on the matter, but Ms. Omar makes a poor champion for that cause. Nuance is delicate and Ms. Omar is indelicate. The Islamophobic attacks against her do not excuse her behavior. As a Jew, I don't expect to be excused for my prejudices just because others are prejudiced against me. I would expect a congressman to be held to the same standard.
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As someone who majored in journalism in college, it is astounding and heartbreaking to me that Brett Stephens has a job with the paper of record wherein he provides the most ludicrous, reactionary takes possible.
All seven of his fans live in the upper west side and can't believe how mean the working class has become. Enough already.
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The end of America is in their sights.
You cannot stop what has been started.
Well, we probably could, if Democrats would stop stomping all over our 2A rights.
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One party was slow to condemn Steve King for obvious inappropriate / racist comments. At least they finally got it right. The other is slow to condemn Ihan Omar -- hopefully they will do it soon.
These actions or inactions say a lot about what we tolerate and the values of our current political parties.
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To me, the real affinity between the US and Israel is because their founding myths are so similar.
In Israel, there was advocacy to create a state in 'a land without a people for a people without a land'. The land was viewed as empty, barren, and needing to be cultivated by a cultured people.
It's also the story of the US. The US was also created with the myth of being wild, empty, and untamed. Europeans with the right background were considered honorary Americans if they cosigned the ethnic project of settlerism, while all other groups were subjugated. The native resident's land was disregarded and stolen as the natives were intentionally exterminated. Groups not fitting the imperial ethnic project, like the Chinese or Mexican peoples, were intentionally excluded.
When Israel forces Gazans to live in an open-air prison and cuts off their supply to water and medicine - when they burn their olive trees they rely on and destroy their villages - they're not doing anything unheard of. They're simply enacting their own settlerism project in a time where explicit empire-building is considered uncouth.
It was as wrong when the US did it as it is now, and at a minimum we have an obligation to stop funding it unquestioned
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absolutely right. thanks for explaining so clearly
So much commentary on Omar purports to know what she means or doesn’t mean. Rather than apologizing, she should issue a statement, not via Twitter, clarifying her position on Israel itself, and then feel free to criticize its government and AIPAC to her heart’s content. But drop the dog whistles, please. That so many people, so quick to see covert allusions everywhere else, do not or cannot see them here is a little depressing.
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You imply that many American progressives hate Israel.
You imply that Israel is an exemplar of human rights and that all of its Arab neighbors are socially backward.
The Ilhan Omar controversy is precisely about social and reputational penalties for criticism of Israel. What do you call the proposals to ban support for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) movement?
After praising gay-pride parades, women's rights marches, and an opposition press in Israel, you criticize Omar for invoking to right to free speech and debate in a democratic society.
Without addressing the content of Omar's comments, you dismiss them as being "intellectually uncouth," "morally repulsive," and equate them to anti-Zionism (which you conflate with anti-Semitism).
Omar says she has the right to represent her constituents without having to pledge allegiance to Israel. What's wrong with saying that? I just don't see the anti-semitism, or "Corbynism", or fascism that Stephens sees everywhere. I do reckon that she will not be invited to speak at AIPAC any time soon. I feel comfortable predicting that there will be some American Jews who will live a little discomfited among the Democratic fold.
I am grateful to my representative for courageously raising the political heat on Israel and vigorously defending her right to speak out against Israel's anti-Democratic practices, despite the torrent of criticism and accusations of anti-semitism that she is being subjected to.
Anti-semtiism is wrong, many of Israels actions are wrong, clumsy language is wrong but shouting people down with calls of anti-semitism is also wrong. We're going to learn nothing from each other if we just shout each other down and don't listen. The hard left are where they are as their off the shelf ideas are confirmed with whataboutism like this that doesn't acknowledge realities on all sides. Perhaps we're all a bit right and a bit wrong and perhaps we could talk about that? Not good copy I admit.
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There are shades of grey wedged between decrying the Israeli occupation and anti-semitism. To the extend Omar decries the occupation and the policies of Netanyahu she's in a protected place. The tropes she perpetuates weakens her arguments and opens her up to criticism. We shouldn't lose sight of how the US is enabling Israel to continue its heinous occupation, which is a barrier to peace in the region. (As well as Iranian, Arab and Palestinian pledges to drive Israel into the sea). Important here is not to conflate opposition to Israel's policies to anti-semitism. As a Jew I am open to free discussion of those policies....without the worn out tropes that are offensive.
The arab/israeli conflict did not start with Bibi. History shows it's been going on since the 1920s when Jewish immigration increased in British mandate palestine.
From the Israeli perspective, the conflict stems from the total rejection of ANY sovereign Jewish state on that land. The ongoing refusal to accept Israel with secure borders is central to the conflict.
The two state solution requires that both sides come to the table to negotiate. Hamas is explicitly dedicated to the destruction of Israel, and Fatah is happy with UN resolutions and boycotts that are supported by countries with much worse human rights records than Israel.
The words of Rep. Omar are taken as antisemitic because not only do that imply the canard of Jewish financial conspiracy, but they explicitly state that the problems of the middle east are Israel's fault without calling out the terrorism and rejection of the Palestinian side. This double standard of casting Israel as the villain and expecting Israel to solve the problem is seen by many Jews as fundamentally disingenuous and basically antisemitic.
The Pal/Israeli conflict didn't start because of west bank settlements. The Palestinians have rejected Israel in any shape or form since the 1947 partition which was a two state solution, and the west bank settlements didn't appear in numbers until the late 70s and early 80s.
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So why would a Moslem woman of color, herself the victim of slurs and threats, again repeat, without benefit of mistake, the lie that to be a public servant in America means having to support Israel. She would never have brought rebuke on herself had she clearly stated she thinks the anti-BDS legislation may impact her, or others, ability to criticize Israel, when Israel comes up for legislative purposes, or resolutions of support. She has clearly come out in support of BDS, so why not have mentioned that, instead of the slur against dual loyalty, etc.?
Is some organization behind her, goading her to push the limits on what is "acceptable" criticism of Israel, actually criticism of Americans, Jewish or not, who support Israel? If she is against military assistance to Israel, which surely she is, along with many commenters who tacitly would prefer Israel disappear off the world stage, she will bring that up, regardless of what her constituents back home believe. But, pushing the envelope of what can be said against Jewish Americans, and we haven't yet heard what she can say against Israelis, is part of her overarching goal. And her goal is independent of, or even against, being a member of Congress.
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In her comment that she has not retracted, Rep. Omar is referring to the demand that she, in her role as a Congresswoman, is expected to express loyalty to the state of Israel in order toarrive on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. That comment and concern are legitimate, are in no way anti-Semitic, and raise an issue that merits due diligence consideration and debate.
Brett, you're way off-target with this piece, which in the end by being wholly subjective and judgmental, erodes arguments in favor of unqualified support for the far-right government of Israel, despite its continuous oppression of Palestinians.
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I am disappointed in both the sub head of this op-ed calling what Omar is about "Corbynism" as I am about the tone of this article, which is shrill, especially in calling her out as an anti-Semite. Clearly, Bret Stephens is fomenting more angst in the hope that the liberal wing of the Democratic party will lose some standing, and even votes, to Conservatives over this issue. As the country drives toward the Left, commentators like Stephens will attempt to do anything that they can to "right" the ship, including this kind of send-up. The truth is that AIPAC, like many PACs, has undue influence over politicians. That's what the "Benjamins" are a reference to. Isn't that clear? The dollars (Benjamins) are in favor of looking the other way when atrocities occur in this continuing awful conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. Why isn't there a two-state solution? How could a corrupt politician like Netanyahu find traction and an audience in the US Congress? These are questions among others that Omar's statements, even if seen as inflammatory to Stephens and others, have raised and need answers.
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Bravo. Sensational column, brilliant and balanced.
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Dearest Friend,
You must have your hands filled with the arrival of your grandson, and hoping this latest uproar with this outspoken Minnesota Democrat is not upsetting your equilibrium and peace of mind.
As you once told me, 'We have a voice and we should use it'. Alas, Ilhan Omar appears not to know how to be effective in relaying her message, and we should invite her to join our international speakers' club.
I remember your condemnation of the terrorists, you wrote lamenting 'This is not Islam. My religion is about Love', and joining you on this day in March to say that the rest is in the Hands of God.
Its very easy to be critical of Israel from thousands of miles away. It sure seems as though the Israeli government has been brutal to the Palestinians. But even a cursory look through the history of this area shows that Israeli behavior is reactive rather than initiating.
The residents of this area have been subjected to "occupation" from others for centuries and centuries. It was the Ottomans and the Jordanians who occupied this country long before there was any State of Israel. Hatred was deeply instilled. Nation status for Palestine was offered, and offered again but rejected and rejected again. The one Palestinian export became jihad and terrorism. And the "freedom fighters" did not want a peaceful transition to two countries, but rather a single one devoid of Jews. It is in their charters and proclamations.
Ilan Omar is the latest in a long list of those who claim Israel as the aggressor. This is simply absurd. The saying that should the Palestinians lay down their arms today, there would be peace tomorrow is just as true as should Israel lay down their arms today, tomorrow there would be no Israel. Israel is in a very dangerous neighborhood and their behavior is reactive, and not anything else.
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As Gandhi said, an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
Well written and insightful. This is a well balanced, nuanced article. I fear however, that facts and nuance are no match for ingrained ideology, especially for someone raisedto hate Israel. I shudder to imagine the Middle East without a strong, albeit imperfect Israel.
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I have to agree with this somewhat. It seems rather than just come out and explicitly name the specific ‘influencers’ and Israel policies Omar does not agree with she chose to throw shade over all of Israel. Israel is all bad statements are disturbing.
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Netflix couldn’t write a better script than what is unfolding in the Democratic Party. In fact I canceled my Netflix subscription b/c the next 21 month will be pure comedy executed by the Dems. Bret has properly captured what is going on here but that’s the last you’ll hear about it b/c the media won’t touch it. Hopefully the Dems can at least get the residuals for the series called the Democratic 2020 Primary
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Mr. Stephens,
I suggest you visit Hebron, where you cannot help but observe the constant daily oppression experienced by Palestinian residents—school children interrogated and searched and sometimes detained without charge by heavily-armed guards or soldiers while cattle-herded through checkpoints on their way to and from school, people labeled not with swastikas but with specially marked license plates and ID cards indicating they are different and not welcome or even allowed in certain neighborhoods, families with legal documents showing decades-long property ownership pushed out of their homes by Israeli settlers, households with such severe militarily-controlled water restrictions that water cisterns needed for water storage are often destroyed by the IDF or Israeli settlers, Palestinian homes and businesses cut off by construction of walls and settler homes, residents arrested and placed in so-called Administrative Detention without criminal charges or legal counsel or trial, and so much more.
Mr. Stephens,
I suggest you visit and see. I suggest you listen, to others. You have obviously listened to the Israeli side. Please, listen to all sides. The rights of humanity should be our focus, not the tearing down of others for their beliefs or opinions.
Like the Nassar family of Tent of Nations, let's refuse to be enemies.
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Bret Stephens: Before you get on your high horse about gay-pride parades and women's marches, don't forget that gay pride marches have only been happening here for a couple of decades and women are STILL not treated equally right here in the US, mostly because of homophobia and misogyny on the right.
Secondly, your ending comment about American Jews not living comfortably in the Democratic fold sounds a lot like desperation and wishful thinking to me. Historically American Jews have aligned far more closely with the more humanitarian platform of the Democrats than the dog-eat-dog philosophies of the Republican party. I doubt a little criticism of Israel's influence in American politics will change that.
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You failed to mention AOC's "wonderful" 45 minute telephone call with Corbyn several weeks ago and the fact that media darling AOC is one of Omar's major backers in Congress.
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As a "good Muslim," Omar'a sole allegiance is to the UMMA, not to the Constitution of the US, not to the US, not to the American people. Talk about divided loyalties!
The self-righteous, virtue signalling Democrats have really gotten themselves into a knot they can't untie. Why is diversity in the Republican Party considered so "unfortunate" if it contains elements of racism and religious bigotry, but it is celebrated if the same attitudes are expressed by Democrats?
Is the divide in American politics to be between the party of hate and the party of hypocrisy? At least the haters are upfront; they are the devil we know.
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I often agree with Brett Stephens, but not on Israel. He, like so many of its supporters, falls prey to the sin of idolatry. Israel’s a country; most countries have much to be ashamed of. The draft resolution’s reference to “millennia of persecution” is comparable to Serbians’ obsession with their oppression during historic Ottoman occupation. The suffering of people long dead is no justification for current oppression, much less a sacred fetish.
There’s still much to admire about Israel, though less than earlier. There’s more to dislike, and, for us Americans, nothing more repugnant its obsession, along with its supporters, for muzzling criticism by expanding anti-Semitism to cover any disagreement or criticism.
America values free speech, which is why Sheldon Adelson can spend hundreds of millions to, in his words, support Israel “unequivocally always without question and irreversibly.” Which means right or wrong, by any means convenient, including by slinging around charges of anti-Semitism.
Groups don't get to dictate the rules others must follow to avoid offending that group’s sensitivities. Saying that Christ wasn't divine is fine. Calling the West Bank occupied territory, rather than Judea and Samara, is also fine. An objective rule of reason sets the boundaries for speech a group may seek to prohibit, with anti-Semitism as with everything else. Anything else insults shamefully the memory of those suffered true anti-Semitism.
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Stephens’ assault on Omar would conflate criticism of Israel’s actions with that of anti-Semitism. To many, this equation is inviolate.
But Omar’s position on the undue influence of a foreign nation upon our policies is neither new nor one that has not been said of Israel.
Scholars have done so. The Israel Lobby and U. S. Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Wall comes to mind. Or Leon T. Hadar’s Quagmire: America in the Middle East, wherein he writes about the 1991 Iraq war, “A new U.S. engagement therefore meant nothing more than securing Israel’s regional power, in particular its nuclear monopoly, against a local rival and supporting the local despots who rule the oil-producing states.”
Politicians have also called into question Israel’s influence. They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel’s Lobby by Paul Findley was criticized just as Omar is now. In 1973, Senator William Fulbright was slandered as being anti-Semitic when he said, “The Senate is subservient to Israel, in my opinion much too much. We should be more concerned about the United States interest rather than doing the bidding of Israel This is a most unusual development.”
Omar has criticized Israeli behavior, not called for its extinction nor that of the Jews.
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"... When was the last time there was a gay-pride parade in Ramallah, a women’s rights march in Gaza, or an opposition press in Tehran? In what Middle Eastern country other than Israel can an attorney general indict a popular and powerful prime minister on corruption charges? …"
Yes, Israel closely resembles a western democracy. A good thing.
Every other country in the area are run by crime syndicates, most with some kind of religious veneer (Islam in this instance as this is the middle east).
That said, Israel is supposed to be a secular state with a godless constitution. Their flag has the Star of David on it (might as well put a Crucifix on the American flag). They need to ditch this whole David mythology. There is virtually no archeological evidence supporting the existence of the Kingdom of David. Even if there was, keep the religion out of government.
The entire middle east is a textbook example of what a horrendous idea it is to mix church and state.
Also horrendous: individuals who base their worldview on the quicksand that is every religion. To subscribe to the Golden Rule does NOT require any belief in any imaginary perfect deities, perfect sacred texts, ancestral homeland claims, etc.
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Ilhan Omar has not sparked a policy debate as regards the endlessly intractable Israeli-Palestinian issue; and it was not her intention to do so. Claiming that Israel "hypnotizes" the world, and that congressional support for Israel is "all about the Benjamins" are not policy stances - they are the mirror tropes of demonization and hate unleashed by Donald Trump, and disgracefully nourished by his lackeys and minions throughout the country. The proposed democratic resolution condemning racial and religious hatred is at least an attempt to square language with fact.
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Rep Omar wisely apologized for attributing mercenary motivations to Zionists (So what: all motivations can be said to be mercenary, all can be stated otherwise). There remains in dispute only her unretracted accusation of disloyalty.
It is this later accusation that most stings conservatives, who, more than liberals, are motivated by the value of loyalty. Some conservatives, like Brett Stephens, are justly proud of their national devotion and take Rep Omar’s accusation as an insult. Yet some may also be a bit uneasy with their own consciences over their extraordinary “support” for Israel. Rep. Omar is trolling conservatives by brandishing a loyalty test upon the party of patriotism. But she also plays with fire because, plainly, it is politically incorrect to accuse anybody at all of dual “loyalty” with respect to controversies regarding the State of Israel, even if some people’s moral “support” for Israel has turned into that quintessentially conservative quality of loyalty.
My country Australia has had a mostly very peaceful with our neighbour to the north Indonesia, for centuries. When Australia went to put its embassy in Jerusalem, we had a falling out with Indonesia, a majority muslim nation.
Do you know hoe different Australia and Indonesia are? SOOOOO different. And we have lived peacefully side by side for centuries.
SORT OUT THE PROBLEMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. FOREVER.
It has outsized influence over world-wide politics.
Bret, there is a reason this needs to be unearthed and sorted out.
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How dare this woman... think she can use and say the words "I apologize"? Who does she think she is? An American U.S. Representative of Congress? Depends on what kind of American you are.
NYT Opinion Columnist Bret Stephens labels U.S Representative Ilhan Abdullahi Omar as a Somali-American politician serving as the U.S. Representative.
Overall, in America, most of the Republican elected members of U.S. Congress & Senate believe it their privilege, and their privilege as (R)eal Americans to use and say the words, "I apologize".
NOTE: These people do not care one way or the other whether or not their apology is accepted. They just say the words. Representatives of American politicians.
Israel is expropriating Palestinian land which is not a Democrat policy. It creates anguish for the Palestinians who understandingly respond with anger and protests. It's like picking an open sore making it fester with predictable results. Israel will eventually expropriate the entire West Bank. What will it do then? Allow the Arabs full citizen rights like voting? No it won't. It's a religious state. These are Democrat values?
We seem to spend all our time denouncing one another for this or that hatred. We label people as racists, anti-semites, islamophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic, and on and on. All the denunciations accomplish is our further separation into warring tribes of "people like us." Rep.Omar is undoubtedly anti-semitic as is the electoral base that sent her to Congress. Don't look for her to change. Denouncing her simply gives too much credence to her political power to change America's Israel policy or the norms of American political conversation. Her statements are deliberately offensive, but empty condemnations and denunciations simply amplify them and give them more weight in the national conversation than they merit. In fact that's a maxim in information warfare theory. Leadership should quietly sideline her career in Congress as long as she insists on being hateful and divisive within the Democratic Party and positively affirm Democratic Party support for its core constituencies.
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Why should we as Americans feel
any obligation to finance a foreign government? Why is Israel’s survival and success our concern, not Germany’s?
1
I find it interesting that the examples of oppression used by Mr. Stephens are Palestinian and of course that Israeli and Saudi bugaboo Iran. No mention of state policies that discriminate against Arab Israeli citizens and target Palestinians for collective punishment nor any mention of our allies Saudi Arabia & the UAE with their war on civilians in Yemen. As to his claim that criticism of Israel is not ipso facto antisemitism, that is a privilege reserved only for "conservative" critics like him who don't question policy only those who implement it. Bret's criticism of Netanyahu is his corruption & dance with extremists not his oppression of people both in and out of the Israeli proper. The criticism of Israel = antisemitism remains well in place.
1
One might question the legitimacy of a Jewish state without being anti-Jewish.
Britain agreed (in the Balfour Declarationn 1917) to the establishment of Jewish state in Palestine , then an Ottoman province with a small minority Jewish population which had been living there for at least ~2000 years.
The British were trying to enlist this Jewish population to fight the Ottomans.
Beyond this short-term British objective, there is no obvious reason these Jewish people should have been promised a Jewish state. Jewish people could have continued live in Palestine and practice their religion freely as they done for years.
Indeed, the liberal political tradition suggests the unifying the state with a religious or cultural tradition is genially a bad idea. that's the source of the 1st Amendment.
1
Calm down... it's time for discussion about the "right" in Israeli politics and how they may be inhibiting progress for peace. That is not anti-Israel. In many ways it could be in the best interest of Israel. Israel has nothing to fear from a discussion in America about it's actions towards others. I will always stand with Israel against any power that attempts to destroy Israel, I am white , 72, Catholic and married to a Jewish women.
1
Ms. Omar’s statements have attacked Congress’s responsiveness to AIPAC, which she has attributed to the importance of AIPAC in steering donor funds towards Israel-friendly members of Congress; they have pointed to policies of the Likud government in Israel that reinforce and deepen the plight of Palestinians; and they have strongly criticized Congressional support that shows no sensitivity to the descent of the Israeli government towards illiberalism and outright racism (see Tom Friedman’s column today). As a Jew and someone who cares deeply and personally about Israel I share those concerns.
When Ms. Omar tweeted, “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” I read it as an appeal to anti-Semitic imagery. I’ve later learned that as an older, white person, I’m out of touch: the phrase comes from rap and an action film, and has nothing to do with Jews. Knowing that, is her belief that members Congress avoid criticism of Israel to avoid losing major donors who support AIPAC anti-Semitic? No. And neither is her 2012 tweet invoking God by the name used in Islam, or her critique of prioritizing uncritical support for an increasingly illiberal Israeli government over American interests.
I think Mr. Stephens’ interpretation of Ms. Omar’s views is wrong. Instead of working to construe her statements as anti-Semitic we should be listening. She is expressing strongly a viewpoint that has been very weakly represented in our politics. It is not a majority viewpoint, but it is American.
2
Iraq, Syria, Yemen... this is the story of the Middle East today. These countries have descended into chaos and death. Their economies, and their peoples are in ruins. Saudi Arabia stands as a shining light, jail and torture for dissidents, but civic order at least. The fate of the Yahzis is another chilling reminder of what can happen. The Kurds have taken notice.
Just what would be the mechanics of the 2 state solution? We have seen how things have progressed as Gaza was turned over to the Palestinians. It is easy to sit here in America and bemoan that the Iraqi invasion didn't work out as planned. I am sure many would be just as surprised if their solution to the dilemma in Palestine didn't work out. The annihilation of a people halfway around world is an easy tragedy to endure, as the Rohingya of Myanmar illustrate. We barely hear about Tibet or the Muslim Uighur millions who are being re-educated.
There is plenty of injustice in Israel, as there is here in the United States. But trusting your survival to people who have vowed to destroy you is not an option in a region where war crimes, death and destruction are the norm today.
2
Corbynism? I hope not. He is popular among some in Britain but thus far has accomplished nothing and has never won the prize he has been after for 25 years. In addition, his strident anti-semitism and former love of Soviet-styled economic "central planning" is not what we need here. If she "knows what she is doing" and this is it, count me out as a fan.
1
I concur with another recent commenter in demurring with Mr. Stephens that the Congresswoman "knows exactly what she is doing." She surely did not set out to blow up the Democratic caucus at a crucial time. She may be certain of her own prejudices, but she is a political naif who does not yet get the impact of her casually hurled tweet-bombs. She comes at the issue of Israel from a narrow, self-absorbed vantage point. The result is the Capitol Hill version of welcome to the NFL, kid; she is not equipped for the complexity that attends this issue, which is anything but Twitter-friendly.
Rep. Omar forced one reflexive response from her own caucus that I find equally problematic: Rep. Juan Vargas tweeted Monday that “questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable”. Prohibiting criticism of an ally is as absurd and dangerous as Omar's careless commingling of Israeli policy with coded anti-Semitic slurs.
I expect Pelosi will lead the caucus to middle ground -- criticism OK, racism not OK -- while administering a brutal lesson in professional geopolitics to the neophyte Rep. Omar.
1
Good column, Mr. Stephens.
May the observation in your final sentence -- that there may soon come a time when American Jews will no longer be comfortable in the Democrat Party -- go from your lips to God's ear.
The even bigger picture is that the combination of the distorted and destructive Progressive worldview and the Democrat lust for power is actually causing the Democrat Party to implode. Naturally, the media will refuse to recognize this demise, much less report on it.
3
" . . . And contrary to some recent comments from Senator Elizabeth Warren, no serious person claims criticism of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic."
Well, there sure are a lot of "unserious" people out there making exactly that claim. Perhaps Stephens would like to tackle that bit of double-think one of these days instead of high-handedly dismissing all progressive criticism of Israel, as has been his long habit?
1
Maybe just maybe if the Palestinian state didn't advocate the total destruction of Isreal they wouldn't be a non-state.
Who has Isreal attacked first? no one! It's funny how when the Palestinian's attack civilians no one has much to say no real outcry of any kind, How many innocent civilians have the Palestinians killed? but if Isreal kills one civilian by mistake ohhh the horror and they are evil. Really???
Maybe if the Palestinian state said enough is enough and no longer supported the attacks and made serious efforts to stop them maybe there would be a more serious effort to create a two state soultion.
1
Can we talk about Israel's apparent decision to transition to an apartheid state? Or is that anti-Semitic? Illegal housing settlements continue to spread further into Palestinian held areas. Can we talk about the UN resolution that Israel's killing of innocent Palestinian protesters is a war crime? Or is that anti-Semitic? The UK is considering a measure to stop selling arms to Israel. Is AIPAC untouchable? Or is that anti-Semitic? Our capitalistic economy is all about money and money is the tool PACs use to influence politicians. The hypocrisy on the right is rich...they never complained about Trump's anti-Semitic tropes.
3
I can hardly wait to read Stephens' apologia for Sheldon Adelson.
2
Another instance of conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. When governing authorities are actually criminalizing the BDS movement without any regard for the 1st Amendment, it would seem to be time to be reexamine our unwavering support for Israel, which has proven to be a political liability for the U.S. I believe that we should continue to support Israel and its right to exist, but there needs to be some give from Israel with respect to the Palestineans. We should not support any apartheid states.
Amidst the din of racist comments and tweets, a few subtle slurs seem to have drowned out all the others, at least for the moment. Isn't it interesting that they happen to have been uttered by an Islamic woman? Anti-Zionism is not anti-semitism, but remarks about Jews, money, and international conspiracies are, at least in my opinion. Good, that's settled. Now let's move on to the din!
It is articles like this that disappoint me. Israel is a terrorist state, fighting terrorists. That should be easy to comprehend, but nobody seems to want to admit it on the pro-Israeli side. Having an anti-zion opinion is not remotely equivalent to anti-Semitic. We need to be more honest withourselves.
3
First two paragraphs:
".....someone who hates Jews ...."
"... Ilhan Omar, the freshman representative from Minnesota, more than meets the progressive American version of that standard."
".....Omar does not like Israel....."
Mr. Stephens - you don't see the difference?
Moreover, it simply is not true that "...no serious person claims criticism of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic." That is exactly what happens every day - from both Dems and Repubs - just read the comments and tweets.
Will Jewish voters abandon the Democratic Party in 2020 and vote for Donald Trump? And you, Mr Stephens, will you support Donald Trump? Hard to believe.
Funny that when you mention are “shared values” you left out ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.
2
There was a time when may "good" people defended South Africa. Claiming the left had overstepped the bounds of civility. Just how many UN resolutions is Israel in violation of?
1
Mr. Stephens' comment that one can criticize Israel in the U.S. without being considered anti-semitic is preposterous.
1
Since declaring that he's "agnostic" on climate change, I have problems knowing Brett's motivations in terms of his opinions, especially where it concerns Israel, AIPAC, or any other right wing hobby horse. On the other hand, if you look on the left at who voted against the Iran deal, and now supports it, you'll find the same people that are now towing the AIPAC/Bibi line on Omar, even though they now disingenuously say they oppose ripping up the Iran deal. I'm looking at you Chuck Schumer & Eliot Engel, among others!
Brett knows exactly what he is doing.
Fascism is doing well with The Leader.
It’s ugliness is showing.
Time for another racial distraction temper tantrum fraud m what is going on in America and the ugliness of false conservatism.
Go Brett go. Power power power without any principle at all.
Diversity has its limits. One must not be so open-minded, as to lose the very principles of a nation.
Omar's thinking and statements are utterly alien to our nation and way of life. She needs to be thrown out of the Democratic Party. Her gleeful hate of the Jewish people is entirely at odds with all that is good, noble, just, true and beautiful in America.
If Omar is not thrown out of the Democratic Party, Democrats of virtue, Democrats of sound reason, Democrats of good-will, Democrats of courage, Democrats which respect all that Our Founders held dear to their hearts while sacrificing all they had to establish this great nation in the most impossible circumstances, must leave the Democrat Party and found a new Party, an Independent Party.
We need to unify this nation. We need to heal this nation. We need to come together, as a citizenry, to value sound reason, and civil discourse, and virtue and noble high-mindedness. People of reason, strength, and compassion.
This American nation our fore-bearers suffered for in Valley Forge, and died defending in Europe while liberating the Holocaust camps, is being attacked by the madness of the new Democratic Party. A Party of hate in Omar, Party of Madness in AOC and Bernie Sanders, and a Party of Hen-Pecked Thought Control (See Cynthia Nixon's attack on Biden).
We must come together to form a new Party, a yet to be named Independent Party, founded by moderate Democrats and Republicans of sound mind, good will and virtue.
3
How is it that the rest of the world can see with absolute clarity the inordinate influence that the Zionist lobby has had on US politics - for decades? Yet Americans from both major political parties are blinded to this fact?
Rep. Ilhan Omar's "crime" is actually confronting this US-Israel taken-for-granted BFF relationship. Of course, the past 60 years of American unwavering support for Israel's policies as regards illegal settlements, disproportionate use of force against the Palestinians and apartheid-like policies towards them will be totally ignored.
Instead the canard of antisemitism will be raised and anyone who dares challenge Israel's policies will be smeared.
2
I’m no holocaust denier, but I can’t see why anyone has to walk on eggshells to criticize Israeli policies. Is one ethnic group exempt from being criticized for buying political influence when any group should be availed such criticism? A Benjamin is a Benjamin. (There is the confusion about a Benjamin Netanyahu) ( There is also your nonsensical sentence: “...people who supports the state should have to face allegations that their sympathies have been purchased...”)
"People can debate the case for Israel on the merits, but those who support the state should not have to face allegations that their sympathies have been purchased, or their brain hijacked, or their loyalties divided."
Why not?
Well said!
1
“Shocking” that Brett Stephens has never written a column about the ubiquitous trump/GOP anti-semitism, but a brown woman says she won’t pledge allegiance to a foreign country and all of a sudden Stephens sounds the alarms about the “insidious cunning and latent power of anti-Jewish bigotry.” Wonder what difference Stephens “sees” between the behavior of Omar versus that of Trump and Stephens’ GOP clan that would cause such concern now...?
3
Sadly, this (anti-Semitism) and "Socialism," along with a healthy dose of Trump name-calling, will find the Democrats losing in 2020.
2
This whole piece is hysterical nonsense.... the type of mendacious overreaction we must sadly expect whenever ANY criticism of the human rights-violating state of Israel is discussed.
5
Awesome editorial.
As Bret Stephens noted the Democratic party seems to be going down the slippery slope of the Labor Party in the UK under the leadership of the hatemonger Corbyn.
That is, it is becoming more "progressive" and overtly anti-Semitic....er, excuse me, anti-Zionist.
Omar is free to bash Israel all she wants but the silence from some of the leading Democratic politicians is deafening.
This is a disgrace.
2
Sorry, you have it all wrong. I did not see anything anti-Semitic in what she said. Here is an example of when anyone criticizes Israel they are called out as anti-Semitic. You are losing the political argument.
4
Our government, and our constitution, are in crisis. That should be the focus of the Democrats. Omar's obvious antisemitism should be condemned for what it is.
1
"Omar, however, isn’t just a critic of Israel. As the joke has it, her objections to the Jewish state go well beyond what’s strictly necessary."
She is a VERY dangerous person.
1
Comparing Muslim Ramallah to an "enlightened" western city that may or may not embrace gay pride is a weak argument. Sure, the Palestinians are hide-bound religious conservative and Muslim treatment of women is as disgusting as any slavery.
But to say that Israel embraces the "sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion" is false. Israel runs an apartheid, religious state, currently as corrupt as corrupt can be under that archest of arch conservatives cum crook, Netanyahu.
Progressive Israelis find the right, the war hawks and corrupt Netanyahu as distasteful as progressives here find what has become the GOP and its leadership and especially its president.
To perpetuate the myth that Israel is a beacon of hope in a benighted middle east is wrong. To owe the Israelis an unending debt is wrong. To take the side of Israel no matter what is simply blind and wrong.
1
If you were Muslim Mr Stephens and “called for Netanyahu to resign”.
You can be sure the Anti-Defamation League would denounce you.
Your reaction to the comment is more bigoted than the comment itself.
1
I look forward to the two columns in tomorrow's NYTimes on Steve King, and what his impact on the GOP has been during his two terms in Congress.
1
"People can debate the case for Israel on the merits, but those who support the state should not have to face allegations that their sympathies have been purchased, or their brain hijacked, or their loyalties divided."
People who oppose some of the policies of the current government of Israel - and U.S. support of those policies - should not have to face allegations that they are, by definition, anti-semitic.
I get it that sometimes bigotry tries to hide itself, but the constant search for "code words" and "tropes" in order to find offense is sometimes nothing more than finding a way to ignore a message we don't want to hear.
2
I can't stand trump but unless the Democrats deal with this woman I'll consider it a betrayal and vote for him in 2020.
16
when religion becomes entangled with politics, ex., islam in the middle east and africa, and israel, it becomes a mess. the problem is not the criticism, the problem is the politicization of religion which even here in the usa is a serious danger.
2
She's pointing out the special treatment that Is real gets from us (America) & it's not sitting well because no one is used to it. It's refreshing but she shouldn't overplay her hand as a newcomer either.
5
"That’s a shame, not least because Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion."
Bret,
You fail to mention that Israel also bulldozes homes on the West Bank with actual people, always of Muslim background, still inside, sometimes killing them.
You fail to mention that, based on NY Times reporting, Israel uses assassination as part of its foreign policy.
You fail to mention that Israel has, as Omar has pointed out, a very heavy and aggressive lobby effort within the US Congress. This effort does include funding campaigns.
I am not anti-semitic. Any reasonable evaluation of my life would conclude that.
But, I am able to step back and be objective.
Which, as you are aware, your column here is not objective.
9
The current American Congress nor the current President shouldn't be lecturing anybody over values.
3
This column missing the point of identifying ways that Israel can improve.
It is not that neighboring countries have fewer democratic values than Israel. It is that Israel has fewer democratic values than it could have.
We point out the opportunities for out friends to improve precisely because we care what they do.
Israel is going down a dark path. We owe it to peace in the middle east, as well as ourselves, to point this out. Israel embracing apartheid-like values is bad for everyone... no matter what the neighbors do.
4
There is no saving the left, anywhere, from making visible the deep Judophobia that already pervades it and is now bubbling to the surface.
I have asked these questions numerous times in various forums and received no response:
Why is there no BDS against China for decimating the Tibetans and persecuting the Uighurs, or against Saudi Arabia and several African countries for legally murdering homosexuals? Why is it all right to be a Chinese nationalist (or a nationalist in most other countries) but not a Zionist, although Zionism just means Israeli nationalism?
11
Mr. Stephens falsely equates opposition to Israeli policy and anti-Semitism. One can be opposed to Israeli policy and even undue influence on American politics, without being an anti-Semite. I have long been opposed to Israeli policy, based on thorough research and an objective looks at the facts. I also believe that a strong pro-Israeli bias exists in the American body politic, that is based largely on influence and money. By the same token, I am also opposed to many American policies, and I believe that our political process has been corrupted by influence-peddling and money. Does that make anti-American? No. I continue to respect and admire both the Jewish and American people, separately from my opinions about Israeli or American policy. Yet, over the past several years, when I have revealed my opposition to Israeli policy and the mistreatment of the Palestinian people, I have been called an anti-Semite, a Fascist and a Nazi.
There is a disturbing tendency in our society (as evidenced by this article) to conflate opposition to Israeli policy and influence with prejudice against the Jewish people. If you criticize Israeli policy, express concern over the plight of the Palestinian people, or lament the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in congress, you are branded as a racist and a bigot. This intolerance and prejudice is every bit as objectionable as the more common forms anti-Muslim, anti-gay, and racist slurs being perpetrated by the right wing these days.
8
Anyone who knows college progressives knew, years ago, that this was inevitable. Too bad for the Jews, but the color of their skin is all wrong and they're just lower on the Minority Totem Pole (much much lower). My own Jewish relatives are annoyed, but hold out hope for centrist Dems to rein in the Reverse Tea Party. I'd like that myself... but I'm not sure. It seems to be the nature of our system that the extremes have outsize influence. Would that we had anything but FPTP and Big Tent politics. But Big Tents are the parties we have, and all it takes is one loony waving around a lighter to hold the whole thing hostage.
7
Should read “People who support the state should not. . .”
1
There is anti-Semitism on the Left and anti-Semitism on the Right. Both are deplorable and I agree we shouldn’t be apologists for one version just because it comes from our side of the political divide. That said, in our country at least, I am much more frightened by the anti-Semitism of the Right, which seems so much more murderous and tied into the gun-loving subculture. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the recent massacre of Jews in Pittsburgh was carried out by a hater from the Right.
5
I notice that accusations of antisemitism directed at Ms. Omar generally come with an aside like this article's, "For those who don’t get it, claims that Israel ...uses money to bend others to its will... repackage falsehoods commonly used against Jews for centuries. "
The accusers don't expect everyone to necessarily see the slander against Jews supposedly lurking in the offending statement. Using ancient falsehoods that aren't commonly recognized is perhaps not the most effective of smears, is it? On the other hand no American could fail to understand the suggestion that Congress is controlled by big money donors...including members of AIPAC. Let voices in support of the Palestinians speak, even if it means hearing ill spoken of their tormentors.
5
Bret, I’m not sure why the reference to the ‘Benjamins’ is viewed as anti-Semitic or offensive. Taken on face value it’s certainly not offensive - many have said that our alliance with the Saudis is about the Benjis (whether it’s because of oil, our arms exports to them and finally their large lobbying footprint in DC- these are simple and clear facts) but does that mean we are anti-Saudi or anti-Arab? Nobody has ever said that. It’s undeniable that, for better or worse, American Jews-as a sector of the population- are disproportionately wealthy in the US and I have no doubt this has been accomplished through hard work and one could argue that this played a large role in creating the nation we live in today. They occupy the upper echelon of Wall Street, Hollywood, advertising, academia, Silicon Valley, corporate America etc... and of course government. These are simple facts. And when you are in a position to wield power and wealth to influence government policy in your favor - be that in support of Israel or for Jews in general- you will act on that. Adelson and AIPAC are exhibit A. Another example are expat Cubans - our policy towards Cuba is highly impacted by whatever senator/president/rep is being funded by the Cuban diaspora. This is the world we live in and it’s undeniable so please stop making this an ant-Semite issue! You’re propagating pre-existing myths and just playing into the hands of those who really are anti-Semitic.
4
There is anti-Semitism on the Left and anti-Semitism on the Right. Both are deplorable and I agree we shouldn’t be apologists for any version of it just because it comes from our side of the political divide. That said, in our country at least, I am much more frightened by the anti-Semitism on the Right, which seems so much more murderous and tied into the gun-loving subculture. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the recent massacre of Jews in Pittsburgh was carried out by a hater from the Right.
1
Please read this from the Guardian and compare it to the quality to Mr Stephens’ OpEd. It will be worth your time, Dear Reader.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/mar/07/debunking-myth-that-anti-zionism-is-antisemitic?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
1
Why do the Jews and Israel monopolize most of the news print? Omar's real point is wrt the Palestinians and Israel's constant expansion onto their land. Trump's moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem after taking Jared Kushner's advice only exacerbates the situation. Whatever the spin here let's remember that Israel is the conqueror and Palestinians are the vanquished.
2
"...Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion."
Democrats do not support oppressing minorities.
And, by the way, Bret, Palestinians are Semites too. Uncritical support of Israel is anti-Semitism.
2
If a Republican had been attacked making this sort of statement about African-Americans or Hispanics, Stephens would have criticized these attacks as Political Correctness run amok. So no one is ever allowed to use the word "hypnotize" when talking about Israel because it reminds some people of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? OK, Lets put that in the rule book of political correctness, and accept her apology for not having read that book from cover to cover. After all, nobody has ever actually written that book, and nobody agrees what's in it.
And why in the world does using the word "Benjamins" count as anti-Semitic? It's a just a reference to that fact that Benjamin Franklin is on the 100 dollar bill. All she is saying is that AIPAC is very well funded, and their lobbying is why Israel gets so much money from the US government. Thomas Friedman says the same thing on this page. The fact that she says this using colloquial language does not automatically make her bigot.
3
Lost in Mr. Stephens' high-minded indignation is this fact: AIPAC does in fact work its networks to raise money to lobby Congress on behalf of Israel. Nothing wrong, nothing illegal. It's proudly stated on AIPAC's website. So why is it a crime of bigotry if someone like Ms. Omar says so? Of course all congresspersons are "all about the Benjamins": do we have to pretend this isn't true of Israel's supporters?
Here's another fact: Israel's 50-year occupation of the West Bank, an instance of "Zionism" gone wrong, is universally recognized as illegal and wrong. Yet Mr. Stephens, like so many other "reasonable" Israeli apologists, deftly turns "anti-Zionism" into a synonym for "anti-Semitism." Is Zionism, even its renegade and hateful forms, beyond the reach of criticism? "Anti-semitism" is an important word, Mr. Stephens. If you use it to denigrate legitimate debate, you take away much of its force. Be careful.
4
If you truly believe any gesture pointing out the politics of Israel is now anti semetic, I suggest you agree to cancel their 5 billion a year entitlement
3
When Bret Stephens bewails the fact that the Democrats have no problem screaming racism when a Republican so much as crosses the street, but is having a tough time identifying anti-semitism when it is in their face, it may now be the moment for JEXIT . . .
1
It is amazing how so many comments mention the way Israel has treated the Palestinians since 1949. What about how the Palestinians and other Arabs have treated Israel's? How about how they have been teaching their hatred of Jews since Israel became the Jewish State? How is it that the UN seems to have no problem crowning Israel the number one "pariah" nation when they fail to even given Arab Countries who slaughter their own minorities honorable mention. The Arabs have spent billions of dollars weaponizing the Palestinians since their own wars against Israel failed. They could have spent those Billions upgrading the lives of the people in Gaza and the West Bank. If Palestinian children had been taught love instead of hate, there would have been no need for walls and probably far fewer people willing to expand settlements.
Representative Omar was brought up with a victim's mentality. Always lash out but never look inward.
The Israeli stance towards Palestinians is the direct result of the Arab stance towards Jews.
5
I am not anti-Israel, they have proven over and over that they can take care of themselves. But since their deliberate attack on the USS Liberty in 1967 (anybody else remember that?), I think that the US doesn’t need to give them as much money in that the form of aid and hat we do year in and year out. Mr. Stephens seems to think that ANY criticism of Israel must mean that the speaker is an anti-Semite which is laughable.
5
Is Omar an anti-Zionist? From her public comments, I would assume so. She clearly opposes Israel's take-over of the West Bank. So does just about everyone who still believes in a two state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Does Omar hope for the destruction of the state of Israel? Her public comments do not provide an answer to this question. She is intensely critical of Israel, but that in itself does not allow us to conclude that she wishes it would disappear.
Is Omar an anti-Semite? Stephens and other of her critics take Omar's remarks and Tweets to indicate that she is, or at the very least that she dances perilously close to the line. But, of course, pro-Zionists like Stephens have an incentive to discredit anti-Zionists like Omar, and there's no more effective way to discredit her than to label her an anti-Semite.
Omar's choice of words has not served her well in this respect. She has made it all too easy for her critics to find anti-Semitic tropes in her complaints about Israel and the influence of Israel's supporters in the US. Is she consciously invoking these tropes? The answer to that question is a Rorschach test for determining where you stand on the Israel-Palestine question.
Omar would be well advised to choose her words more carefully to avoid giving more ammunition to her political opponents.
6
Spot on. It is only a matter of time before it becomes clear to any American Jew with eyes that the current Democratic party drive by identity politics is becoming an increasingly unfriendly place. Just look at the issues with the leaders of the women's march and some of the things said to the jewish women involved. At a gay march in California a group was told they couldn't carry a banner with a star of david on it as it might make some people feel unsafe. Omar is an anti-semitic for sure and a gift that will keep on giving until she is actual called out. But she just the tip of the iceberg in the new Democratic party.
9
Not surprisingly, these sentences encapsulate the current problem with political commentary
"The goal is not to win the argument, at least not anytime soon. Yet merely by refusing to fold, _______ stands to shift the range of acceptable discussion — the so-called Overton window — sharply in (his/her) direction. Ideas once thought of as intellectually uncouth and morally repulsive have suddenly become merely controversial. It’s how _________ has abruptly become an acceptable point of view in reputable circles."
I don't find the line between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism to be carefully curated by the protectors of Zionism and Judaism. I get lost in the twists and turns of who can say what when or to whom.
When did the entire fate of the Democratic party come down to the actions of a first term Representative in the first two months in office? That, standing alone, seems to be an effort to shift the "acceptable discussion" to a point of extremism.
3
Cries of anti-Semitism by watchdogs with eagle eyes and highly sensitive antennae to "tropes" that have been dragged forward from the past are a way to shut down conversation and maintain an "Overton window" that has seen it's day. Accusations land so easily those who can walk into this territory unknowingly. Those who dare, perhaps wanting to expand the conversation out of their own sense of injustice, get hammered down by a swarm of stinging bees.
Anti-Israel and anti- Zionism (not the same) can be legitimate and morally based positions especially when it's about Israel's behavior for decades and/or what the term Zionism has come to mean. Consider 52 years of occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. Zionism has come to mean a right to claim all the land between the Jordan and the sea. Has it not? Is this itself not the real and ultimate threat to the Zionism and the legitimacy of Israel? Omar is not a threat.
3
This editorial couldn’t be more off base. Republicans have had little or no rebuke for the alarmingly racist comments they have made and when Omar talks about Israel’s policies, we are told she is anti Semetic.
What this editorial does is fan the flames of conflict, and in this case it sounds a bit anti Muslim. I am a lifelong Democrat (76) years who has seen too many smear campaigns that use “Are you with us or against us” to cow people into agreement with an unseemly cause. I am a supporter of the Jewish community AND a supporter of Omar and her right to voice legitimate concerns about any country’s policies.
If there is dangerous rhetoric in play, this editorial is an example of it.
8
Like many self-described conservatives, Stephens does not like Liberals. That’s a shame, not least because conservatives are mostly traitors and criminals only in it for the money but also because the Party of No has abandoned any claims to values to champion.
1
"...the days of American Jews can live comfortably in the Democratic fold are numbered". That may very well be so. But a higher ideal will be a Democratic Party that is willing to speak up for and on behalf of oppressed minorities with the expressed ideal of upholding human rights across the globe. This ideal includes protecting Israelis from terrorist attacks. That is a Party I can affiliate with.
1
In feel like sides that don’t exist, shouldn’t exist, are on full display.
I don't know about Omar but Corbyn is certainly no anti-semite, he has fought his whole life against racism and bigotry.
What we are seeing in Britain and around the world is a concerted attack on any one who dares to show solidarity with the indigenous Palestinian people of whatever religion they are.
In Florida and Texas AirbnB is being attacked for refusing to list homes in the illegally occupied territories. Companies are being banned from refusing to accept goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements, universities are being sanctioned and countries supporting the Palestinian cause are having embargoes and sanctions inflicted upon them.
We are seeing the weaponising of anti-semitism to be used against any criticism of Israel.
As a Jew I and many more of us are absolutely horrified and ashamed to be associated with this politicised movement that is quite frankly shaming us and the memory of the 6m.
How did we end up becoming such an extremist racist people.
4
Please report on ALL of her speeches, with context, before you fall into lock step with hypocrites whose only goal is to sow dissent on the left, and who don't actually care about the issue.
4
Minnesotan here - this argument lacks some critical context for Omar's most recent statements. I agree that the 2012 tweet had clear anti-semetic undertones, but I fail to understand the outrage over Omar complaining about having to support Israel to serve on a House committee. Shouldn't the outrage be in the other direction? To quote an excellent WaPo article: "Ilhan Omar certainly didn’t say that Jews have dual loyalty. For instance, in one of the tweets that got people so worked up, Omar said, “I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee.” You’ll notice she didn’t say or even imply anything at all about Jews. She said that she was being asked to support Israel in order to have the privilege of serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which was true." Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/05/dishonest-smearing-ilhan-omar/?tid=ss_fb&utm_term=.94b839e967f7
6
We are losing our way. It is one thing to condemn AIPAC or to condemn Netanyahu's Likud party. It is quite another to use antisemitic trope over and over again in order to personify an entire race of people, a people as diverse as any other in our modern world. I am a liberal and I am Jewish. I cringe, even as a young girl, hearing people demonize Blacks, Asians, Native Americans, Muslims, Jews and Palestinians. Rep. Omar has made crude, snide remarks aimed at Jewish people, not at the current Israeli government. Her remarks have been hurtful to the core and for society not to recognize that Jewish people are as different and complex as any other human being is disturbing. I am disturbed that those defending Rep. Omar don't understand that her remarks were ignorant and yes, even hateful because she struck to the very core of what it means to be a Jew and to always feel an outsider.
3
This outrage about purportedly offensive comments reliant on deep readings imputing centuries-old innuendo to rushed off tweets feels overly forced, and all the more so because Trump is in office saying immediately and obviously offensive things (some blatantly anti-Semitic) all the time.
3
So, Mr. Stephens, have you ever talked to Ilhan Omar?
4
Rep. Omar and her colleague Rep. Tlaib are the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, where, for decades, blatantly anti-Muslim rhetoric has been commonplace. If Mr. Stephens’ were to exercise a shred of the subtly of analysis he uses here to unpack the bigoted utterances and policies of Rep. Omar’s Republican (and some Democratic) colleagues, he would have a tome worth of opinion pieces to publish. But Mr. Stephens’ project here is not to defend fairness and justice; it is to discredit and silence the most marginalized voices in Congress.
7
The writer may be correct that the Representative is advancing an anti-Semitic agenda that should be resisted. But, as Jewish Americans while we should fight real anti-Semitism, that does not mean that criticism of Israel is necessarily anti-Semitic. Many Israeli and American Jews look at the Netanyahu policies as counter-productive and harmful to Israel and U.S. interests in the long run.
2
Jewish people have punched way above their weight in terms of the progress of humanity. I have honored those murdered in WW2 by independently visiting some of the more popular sites such as Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau as well as some of the more remote sites such as Sobibor and Belzec (a truly horrifying memorial). What the Jewish people have gone through over time is completely heartbreaking and unprecedented. Have traveled extensively through the Middle East and can attest that Israel is easily the most progressive and open country in the region.
The problem, as I see it, is that Israel’s political policies and actions today are becoming more like the countries in the Middle East, not less. The ideas of democracy and human rights are slipping away.
4
I’m very happy to see light at the end of this tunnel. Bret Stephens and his Israel first cronies are on the wrong side of history. Ms. Omar has bravely stepped out and called into question our government’s blind support for a nation that as a matter of policy violates international law and Palestinian human rights on a daily basis.
4
Far as I am concerned, Israel does not deserve U.S. support unless, and until it ceases to build new settlements on disputed territory.
3
Cries of anti-Semitism by watchdogs with eagle eyes and highly sensitive antennae to "tropes" that have been dragged forward from the past are a way to shut down conversation and maintain an "Overton window" that has seen it's day. Accusations land so easily those who can walk into this territory unknowingly. Those who dare, perhaps wanting to expand the conversation out of their own sense of injustice, get hammered down by a swarm of stinging bees.
Anti-Israel and anti- Zionism (not the same) can be legitimate and morally based positions especially when it's about Israel's behavior for decades and/or what the term Zionism has come to mean. Consider 52 years of occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. Zionism has come to mean a right to claim all the land between the Jordan and the sea. Has it not? Is this itself not the real and ultimate threat to the Zionism and the legitimacy of Israel? Omar is not a threat.
Not a word about the Palestinians in this screed. Does Bret not realize that we oppose Israel because it was founded on the displacement of Palestinians, because it continues to treat Palestinian citizens of Israel as second class citizens, and because it runs the Palestinian territories it occupies as martial law colonies? And that we oppose AIPAC because it encourages a continuation of that status quo?
2
The left has legitimized hate.
Identity politics prejudges individuals based on their identity group and therefore is bigoted.
There are many "identity groups", with differing interests, within the Democratic party which inevitably results in divisiveness and animosity which damages all Americans.
2
It's a fair play to say we'd like to be able to disagree with any given Israeli policy without being called anti-semitic. Omar is against Israel based on religious grounds, so it's disingenuous to claim otherwise. Where we go from these two rather irreconcilable positions is a good question.
2
Amazing how many respondents have missed the point. It is not Israel at all. That is for another column. The point is accusations leveled at American Jews: dual loyalty, an openly anti-Semitic trope of serious vintage. That trope, as Stephens hints, is really a secularization of the ages-old claim that Jewish disloyalty to Christianity condemns all Jews to perdition. Jewish loyalty is misplaced.
Representative Omar is also serving her American Muslim hinterland poorly, providing an excuse for Islamophobia. Nor, in the end, is she using her potential powers of persuasion to bring people in the US and Israel to see the need for real negotiation rather than slogans.
4
There is one major similarity between the USA and Israel. Both of these countries were created, based on domination, termination and relocation. The Natives of this country were terminated and those who survived were forcibly relocated from their ancestral land. Israel essentially took over land occupied by Palestinians and were forcibly removed. Rep. Omar has a human right to speak as she does......whether people agree with her or not. If we look closely, clearly.....the influence of some members of the USA Jewish community DO have an extraordinary influence in American public policy. Rep. Omar is simply speaking a truth that needs to be acknowledged.
2
There is a fundamental asymmetry between Western and Islamic countries that will help clarify the issues Stephens has raised: Muslims in the West demand all their rights. Westerners in Islamic countries have no rights.
2
Unfortunate that the failed neocons of the last decade (exhibit A, this author) get this perch to sing their increasingly unpopular positions on Israel. I have news for this author. The horse is out of the barn, and it's all but over except for the complaining. Trying to "blame Omar" is misleading. Omar's sentiments have been building for decades within the antiwar wings of both parties, and the Democratic Party more generally. These sentiments are trending at record speed, as well, perhaps catching up with London.
Instead of blaming everyone for things that are popular, perhaps you should meditate over why you and your ideas are so unpopular.
2
That is exactly right.
1
This is QUESTIONING zionism, not anti-semitism.
Don't be so radicalised, Bret.
There are a lot of reasons people question zionism - not throwing it out - simply question it.
eg
- why evangelicals blindly support Israel for religion - and illogical reasons. The point is that they are illogical.
- Israel has settlements where it should not.
There are valid reasons to question the unquestionable support for Israel. Don't be blind. Don't be rash either and abandon Israel.
It is about adjustment.
With Israel, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. I don’t believe Israel has a right to exist, any more than any country does. Countries come and go. They get eaten. They fall apart. Boundaries and names change. The map of the world this year looks very different from a map of it made in 1900, and that wasn’t very long ago. When we say a country has a right to exist, it simply means we support it politically. And such support is always provisional, always temporary—like everything else. Let’s stop blathering on about rights to exist.
1
It's a little bit like what anti-Catholic bigots used to say about following the pope's orders would transcend a politician's loyalty to his own country. It wasn't true about the Catholics, and it's not true about the Jews. We need to reject this kind of slanderous attack.
That being said, it is also true that the Netanyahu government and Bibi himself have as their clear agenda the annexation of the West Bank and the eventual pushing out of as much of the Arab population as it can manage. The U.S. policy has been that this creeping annexation is against international law and numerous UN Resolutions. But we have no intention of putting effective pressure on the Israeli right wing fundamentalists in order to make them stop this process. The U.S. is thus implicated in a policy which we have long considered illegal as well as ill-advised.
As for Omar, the Democrats should treat her the way the Republicans treated Steve King. If her constituents want to re-elect her in two years, the House can decide at that time whether she should be seated. Why are so many people in Minnesota willing to vote for this woman? I have not seen any discussion of this question.
2
I look forward to the election of more Muslim members of Congress. For too long attitudes towards Israel have been colored by anti-Muslim bias. Israel is a FOREIGN country and should be treated as any other foreign country should be treated - with respect, with courtesy and as we should like Israel to treat us. That being the case Israel's anti-Palestinian bias should be adequately reported and condemned by the US. To automatically attribute any criticism of Israel as being anti-semitic, to my mind, is both wrong and reprehensible. Both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian troubles have said and done things neither one of them can be proud of.
Cue the comments that repeat the platitude "criticism of Israel is not anti-semitism".
Stephens concedes that, and then details how criticism of Jews when discussing U.S. policy toward Israel often shades into bigotry.
I would question Stephen's concession. I do think some criticisms of Israel are in fact anti-Semitic ipso facto.
For instance, leftists argue Israel is an extension of Western colonialism, equating a state born out of an exodus of Jewish refugees and a war of independence with say the British exploitation of Burma.
As we know, these Jewish refugees came from pre-War Europe (fleeing centuries of persecution, ghettoization and pogroms), post-War Europe (following industrial genocide perpetuated across Europe), neighboring Arab states (where Jews were subject to amped up persecution after centuries of apartheid) and later, the Soviet Union (again following about 70 years of discrimination which itself followed centuries of pogroms). Then of course there is the fact that Israel's Arab neighbors rejected the UN plan and declared war simultaneously and the Jews won their independence.
Ignoring this context and equating Israel as an extension of colonialism is so trivializing to the Jewish experience that it is indeed anti-semitic. It brushes away all context and concludes something along the lines of "because Jews came from Europe, they had relative power, and so they were colonialists not refugees".
And that is anti-semitic revisionist history.
7
I've never thought that my strong criticism of the American government over the Vietnam war or of George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq, made me anti-American.Nor did it mean I didn't favor a strong military.I don't think that because I want the "Dreamers" to be allowed to become citizens ,I am against the so-called "working man" in middle America.
The Jewish people have much.much more to fear from the religious bigots marching in Charlottesville or Viktor Orban in Hungary than from Ilhan Omar.I'm betting that openly debating the extremist policies of Netanyahu will ultimately lead to greater support for Israel in this country.
1
Ms Omar is being informed about Israel by the politics of her faith. Having lived in Minnesota for 38 years I am sad about it.
1
It is ironic that my Democratic Party is debating how to punish an elected Representative for impolitic comments regarding Israel. Only a few short years ago, the Israeli Prime Minister figuratively spit in the face of President Obama by appearing before Congress without even advising the Administration. Israel is not the friend some of my Democratic colleagues believe it is. It has for years ignored our pleas for Mideastern peace as it annexed property and acted as an occupying power. It is not anti-Semitic to act in our country's self interest.
1
Omar is reasonably and compassionately changing the discussion such that people can have a rational discussion about Israel and Israeli policies, atrocities, and US funding for such atrocities, as well as the US decades long protective umbrella at the UN and other Int’l bodies. Most progressives say it’s about time.
Ilhan Omar and her holier-than-thou, breast-thumping reminds me of me during the Vietnam anti-War. demonstrations. Only, then Vietnamese and US soldiers and US airmen were dying for a whole lot of wrong reasons, and a lot of friends and a few did not return, and if they did, they were always somehow different. As for Lyndon, whose mournful hound-dog visage always forced me to reconsider whether he was a truly bad guy or just a posturing equivalent of me and my fellow street bangers.
Who could not like that grandfatherly face? Why, I actually LIKED the guy...then, a few moments later I could not shake the feeling that he was one bad dude. It was just that he seemed so inept...just as were my parents and a whole lot of others.
I still haven't sorted it all out, though I was thankful to discover a few years into it all that, when I impregnated my fiancee -- quite unintentionally -- it so moved a young doctor at my college to declare me unfit for battle when I happened to mention I'd just been called up.
Talk about scrambling the eggs of truth, justice and the American way!
All I'd done was stand awkwardly by her as she rested her hands upon her swollen belly, within which was waiting to be born the sweetest young baby girl in the whole world...and she lives yet today, having subsequently birthed us a granddaughter. And darn if our first born's not a professor, too...
We need some new terms here. I mean, I’m constantly talking about how Big Pharma uses money to influence lawmakers to permit their continued victimization of Americans. So I should be chastised for .... what would be the Pharmaceutical equivalent of anti-Semitism?
Here it is, the first time a woman in power in the USA is speaking as a Muslim about Muslims, as one who truly identifies with the Palestinians. Bret Stephens too speaks from a deeply personal perspective, as a Jew who is truly in love with the existence and the principles embodied in the state of Israel.
The difference is, we are used to hearing the heartfelt, sometimes tearful, sometimes rageful personal messages from men and women who identify personally with the historic suffering and fabulous successes of the Jewish people. To hear the same fervor from a Muslim congresswoman is new, startling, even unnerving. No one in national government ever puts the pain, suffering, and aspirations of Palestinians first and then views Israel in that light. It is always the other way around.
That Stephens is so quick to dismiss and demolish Omar as just one more in a 5,000 year-long train of clever anti-Semites shilling for the destruction of the Jewish state despite her protestations to the contrary is evidence of (1) his fervor, anguish, and fear as a Jew in these troubled times and (2) his extreme unease at continuing a discussion with anyone equally fervent, anguished, and fearful on the Arab front.
As a journalist, it is amazing that you have just foreclosed on debate itself as an act of anti-Semitism. That alone explains the intractability of this conflict.
2
After reading Ms. Omar's words and a plethora of op-eds explaining why her words are anti-Semitic and denouncing her, to include both this and Tom Friedman's column yesterday...I'm just not seeing the issue. This sounds like wild hysteria to me; perhaps I'm just not understanding the issues, or b/c we're so un-accustomed to anyone in Congress calling out either Israeli actions or AIPAC, that some of us don't know how to respond. Sad to say, but the debate on Israeli actions in this country seems more constrained by politics than debate on Israeli actions in Israel.
1
Excusing Israel’s behavior based on the fact that it is surrounded by autocratic, authoritarian, or even worse behaving neighbors has become a trope, see Messrs. Friedman and Stephens, NYT, March 7, 2019. A nation’s behavior toward its asymmetric advisories should be measured against well-established international standards for human rights, not by a sliding scale based on its propinquity to unsavory neighboring states.
1
Ilhan Omar and her holier-than-thou, breast-thumping reminds me of me during the Vietnam anti-War. demonstrations. Only, then Vietnamese and US soldiers and US airmen were dying for a whole lot of wrong reasons, and a lot of friends and a few did not return, and if they did, they were always somehow different. As for Lyndon, whose mournful hound-dog visage always forced me to reconsider whether he was a truly bad guy or just a posturing equivalent of me and my fellow street bangers.
Who could not like that grandfatherly face? Why, I actually LIKED the guy...then, a few moments later I could not shake the feeling that he was one bad dude. It was just that he seemed so inept...just as were my parents and a whole lot of others.
I still haven't sorted it all out, though I was thankful to discover a few years into it all that, when I impregnated my fiancee -- quite unintentionally -- it so moved a young doctor at my college to declare me unfit for battle when I happened to mention I'd just been called up.
Talk about scrambling the eggs of truth, justice and the American way!
All I'd done was stand by her, staring mindlessly as she rested her hands upon her swollen belly, within which was waiting to be born the sweetest young baby girl in the whole world...and she lives yet today, having subsequently birthed us a granddaughter. And darn if our first born's not a professor, too...
Even if the very first words of this statement aren't a slanderous distortion of the reality of a single human being, it is whistling past the graveyard to think that putting this woman down is going to make the issues she raises go away. Exactly the reverse is the case. Whatever else she does, she is at least bringing forward a view of the truth about ourselves that the world sees but which we mostly don't. And that is simple: our mindless support of Israel no matter what isn't helping resolve Israel's many internal and external conflicts and it is certainly doing nothing to help extricate the American people from the isolation we inhabit on this issue in our whole diplomatic posture around the world. Above all, Israel is exposing more clearly than ever before that she clings to a semi-religious eschatology about herself which the world just doesn't share with her. This is wretchedly tragic, but it is the core of reality, the sine qua non of a sober view of America's relationship with what is so euphemistically called "the Jewish state." The immense, momentous character of Israel's historical priority in the three religions of the book is being squandered, with such needless, reckless, mindless abandon. This is a giant tragedy, fellow readers of the NYT.
1
A week ago a report was issued by a U.N. Commission of Inquiry which stated that Israeli security forces may have committed war crimes by using snipers to shoot at Palestinian civilians participating in protests along the Israel/Gaza border fence. The people shot at included children, health workers, journalists, and the disabled. 129 people were killed and the number of wounded may be as high as 6,000. The report concluded that the use of lethal force was completely unjustified.
Why don't you write about that Mr. Stephens?
3
I'm jewish by nationality, not religious after all I came from former USSR. Jews were identified in a Russian passport as a nationality.
We have to distinguish between our jewish roots and Israel as a country, that over decades, very unfortunately almost morphed into apartheid.
Also, the country that now ruled by crooked PM, just like us here.
It did changed a lot from what I see, not for the best.
Nevertheless, I think it was a big mistake on her part, especially because she is a muslim, and as we know there's no love lost between muslims and jews.
I hope she learns the ropes, and the ways to communicate much better.
Anti-Semitism had strong hold on cultures through many centuries in most corners of the globe, and it probably will continue to be a tactic of scapegoating and hate in our time...white nationalists, death shooting in synagogues, chants, that are clearly hateful "jews will not replace us" it all came back with the vengeance and fury.
We're destined to combat these manifestations as long as we exist on this planet.
In such non-enlightened society people have to think much deeply how they express themselves, especially in political positions.
“All about the Benjamins baby.”
Wrong stereotyping doesn't help, instead it creates more problem.
1
Criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic! Fine, but what Ms. Omar has been saying is not even criticism of Israel. Where's her condemnation of Netanyahu's embrace of the right-wing Otzma Yehudit in his coalition? Even AIPAC saw fit to criticize that! Instead, she chose to repeatedly question the motives of Israel's supporters here, and moreover with imagery widely used by anti-Semites.
Its disturbing so many people are allowing her to play the victim. She seems solely focused on destroying the U.S. relationship with the only democratic nation in the middle east. I think we should also note she seems to be more concerned with issues and people in the middle east than the U.S. it leaves one to ask is she resenting the middle east or America. She doesn't seem to have a problem with governments in the Middle east killing gays or women in the name of religion and other atrocities. She doesn't blink an eye. She only calls out 2 countries the United States and Israel both democracies both countries Iran and other middle eastern countries have an agenda against and criticize her words are the same as many of the U.S. enemies in in the middle east yet no one questions it. If Democrats stand a chance on winning future elections I think they need to call out this and weed people like this out of the party . There is no place for her hate in the house . Or are Democrats now going to embrace her beliefs and hate as their own and this is the new Democrats party ?
Omar will be instrumental In re-electing Trump. Her anti Semitic words will further divide the Democratic voters, some of whom will leave the party over the words of the left wing of the party. I can only imagine what Pelosi is struggling with while trying to unite the Dems in the House.
Questionable. Stephens' opening argument is that Omar shouldn't criticize Israel because Israel is more liberal than Iran. That's a pretty low bar. Stephens should raise his standards a lot.
Next questionable assertion: "no serious person claims criticism of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic." I guess that depends what Stephens' definition of "serious" is. It must not be very inclusive, or he's never spent any time in the comments section of any serious online publication. Maybe not for Stephens' "serious" people, but for a huge portion of the public, any criticism of Israel equates to anti-semitism.
3rd questionable assertion: Stephens says that Omar's statement that she should not be expected to pledge support to a foreign country" is a "case study" of how criticism of Israel morphs into anti-semitism. Yet you see she said nothing about the Jewish faith nor the Jewish people. She's talking about Israel. And she's right. Blanket support for Israel is all but a litmus test for American politicians. This is true, everyone knows it. Let's stop pretending that saying so has anything to do with the Jewish religion.
Finally, does anyone find it ironic that this all started with Omar saying that AIPAC is too influential, and we're here a month later still talking about it and arguing about resolutions in congress, all because AIPAC has been lobbying reps hard ever since they were criticized?
1
Simply the casual manner with which "oppression and occupation of the Palestianian people" and "Isareli war crimes" are assumed as truths in modern political discourse is proof of how pervasive anti-semitism is. Those are simply not true. The West Bank is disputed, not "occupied" and was overtaken by Israel via self-defense and cannot simply be vacated by Israel due to security concerns that are fairly obvious (missiles? tunnels? suicide bombings?). And, please, don't try to say that Palestinian aggression is a response to the "occupation" because it is not - remote and very recent history is quite clear as to the chronology of aggression and response. The history of modern Israel and its Jews is one of being constantly attacked and de-legitimized (Arab riots, wars, dehumanization of Jews in modern textbooks, bombings, etc, etc) while trying to navigate all that with a balance of aggression and compassion. How much land has Israel given back to try to forge peace? A lot. Look at a map. Try comparing the quantity and proportionality of negative coverage of "civilian deaths" or "protesters" (usually neither) when Israel executes self-defense vs America's bombings in Iraq, Saudis in Yemen, India heavy-handedness in Kashmir. Come on. No reasonable person with a grasp of some basic history and common sense can ignore the obvious and blatant antisemitism woven through decades of Israeli political/press coverage and its related place in progressive talking points.
2
Anyone who expects self-respecting Muslims to "like" the Israeli state has not been paying attention for the last 70-odd years. Try consulting a real history of 20th-century conflict in the region, paying particular attention to non-com body counts on both sides. Were Irish Catholics (my people) expected to "like" the situation in Northern Ireland during The Troubles? And does this mean that I hate all Presbyterians? Should African-Americans have enjoyed Jim Crow? Or black South Africans for apartheid!? I guess that depends on who we ask. For crying out loud, folks are folks. Get a grip.
I respectfully suggest many commenters to Brett Stephens' excellent column intentionally or otherwise miss the point.
The issue is not whether one thinks Israel ought adopt a two-state solution, or whether Israel's other policies respecting the Palestinians are desirable or acceptable. The issue is the propriety of inserting into that discussion the suggestion of divided loyalty,-- that if you are in favor our current policy of supporting Israel, then that is a scar on your patriotism, i.e., you are to some degree less than 100% American. In other words, the Jews are a Fifth Column. That is a standard antisemitic trope. It was an argument used by Hitler. and he wasn't the first. That Jews constitute a "nation within a nation" is a centuries-old anti-jewish calumny. As is the suggestion that rich jews are the source of government policy.
What, Congresswoman Omar didn't know that? And those
Congresspersons on the Democratic left who support her in this conflict didn't know it either?
It has been suggested they are simply "uneducated" or "unsophisticated." One could only hope so, but it would he a triumph of hope over reasoned judgment.
2
People, be honest with yourselves an answering these two question. 1) If all the territory currently occupied by Israelis and Palestinians were merged into one country how long would it take for all the Jewish people to be "removed" one way or another? 2) How long would it take for revenge to be enacted upon the apprx. 20% of Israel's population that is Arabic?
You've got to be kidding me. We have open and unbridled bigotry of all sorts coming from the GOP and their president, and here we have softy conservatives trying to contort criticism of the state of Israel into anti-Semitism. Of course this is also wrapped up in the right wing obsession with money in politics, another perfidious force working against the good of everyday Americans.
And to think they call us lefties the snowflakes.
2
This woman is a bigot. Her hatred for the Jews of Israel, her hatred for the United States is undeniable. Shame on the voters who elected her—but more shame on Democrat politicians who cover for her, excuse her—when we all know they would instantly call for censureship and resignation if she were a Republican.
This is the sort of shameless double standard that makes most citizens sour on our political process—and why the favorability ratings of Congress are lower than that of used car dealers.
3
Why is it OK to hate Muslims but if I disagree with an Israeli policy such as the settlements I’m considered anti-sematic?
3
Is Rep. Omar Antisemitic? Probably, but I'm not sure that it's what's driving her. Without doubt, like so many immature, inexperienced uninformed back-benchers, she is enjoying and reveling in all the attention and notoriety. It will come back to bite her big-time. I'm sure that her constituents did not elect her to Congress for the purpose of Jew-baiting. Ah well, even bad publicity is better than none.
2
Mr Stephen has cherry picked few good
things about Israel to paint a picture
of embodiment of justice and fairness.
He totally skipped the bull dozing of
the houses, arrests, land grab for
settlement based on mythology of
"Judea and Samara", disproportionate
use of force, check points galore to
humiliate Palestinians. Unfortunately
these are far from Mr. Stephen's mind.
I am uncomfortable about the columnists
of Jewish heritage coming down hard
on Ms Omar to shut up the debate
on Israel's running rough shod on
Palestinians' rights. Ms Omar's claim
about money largely being the basis
of support for Israel is somewhat true.
Mr Sheldon Edelson gives money to
republicans demanding support for
Israel. He gave $5mil to Newt Gingrich
running for nomination. Mr. Gingrich
got so vociferous in his criticism of
Muslims. Is there a co-relation? It
has the appearance of his dancing to
Mr. Edelson's tune.
4
Racist polemicists such as this have no room at all to discuss so-called "anti-Semitism." Jews are 0.2% of the world's population, while Muslims are 24.1% of the world's population. Which is the worst problem, "anti-Semitism" (a racist misnomer in itself) or Islamophobia, as evidenced in this screed? Real anti-Semitism is largely a thing of the past. The anti-Semitism in the Dreyfuss Affair got Jews their "homeland" in Palestine, and the Holocaust enabled them to claim the entire area without any real dissent from the international community. Islamophobia found its real start with Benjamin Netanyahu's "Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism" in 1979, and the flames burn hot to this very day, by design. Rep. Ilhan and others have done the country an enormous service by bringing these issues into the public spotlight. They should be commended not only for their efforts, but also for enduring the vehemence which has been liberally poured upon them in recent days.
3
This article, which do not mention the massacres of innocent palestinians and the apartheid-like regime that Israel has put in place and its closeness with the para-fascist regimes of Europe, is the exact prove that the policy toward Israel must be drastically changed.
I am Jewish and American. I don't have dual loyalty. This is my home. It's where I was born and raised. I was born in the Bronx and also think of myself as a native New Yorker. I love NY but I like my nice quiet, retired life in Florida. No dual loyalty there either.
Now along comes Ilhan Omar and I'm concerned about what it means to be Jewish in America. Ilhan Omar asserts I would betray America to help Israel. She and others believe I am motivated in my support of Israel because I am Jewish. And she believes, wrongly that I support everything Israel does and that I also have no empathy for the Palestinians. Ilhan Omar is greatly misinformed and terribly ignorant of Jews, Israel, and the conflict in the Mideast.
Ms. Omar needs to visit Israel. She also needs to read more about the founding of Israel and how 5 Arab armies invaded the fledgling state with the intent to drive the Jews out of their homeland and slaughter all of them in the process to finish what the Nazis started. Ms. Omar needs to visit Yad Vashem and Auschwitz too.
But most importantly Ms. Omar must understand the damage she has done to American Jews.
American Jews have the right to support or deny support to Israel and not be accused of dual loyalty regardless of our views. Ms. Omar has attacked the Jewish community in America and questioned our loyalty to America. That is what she fails to grasp at any level. The Jews of America are loyal, patriotic citizens. Our allegiance is here.
7
A full reading of Ms Omar's statements over the years leaves little doubt of her fundamental and deep hatred of the Jews. A good indicator of how insidiously antisemitism has found a home on the left and now in the democrat party is to see the high level of support among the "progressive" wing of the democrats that will block any real criticism of the execrable statements MS Omar has made.
Take a look at the most popular comments on this eminently reasonable column and you will see how deeply this antisemitism has penetrated in the rank and file of the party!
4
It is good to see Bret Stephens refer to anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli bigotry rather than the catch all anti-semitism. The widespread use the unfocused vague invented term anti-semitism only diverts the focus from anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli rhetoric.
Lets be completely honest here. She was raised in country, in a religion that spouts hatred for Jews.
She did a good job of hiding that fact from the voters, she will no longer be able to.
The MSM, including this paper gave her the Barack treatment and treated her with kid gloves, and didnt vet her all in the name of diversity and PCness. Just look at how the MSM including this paper rushed to judgement and "Pounced" on the Covington Catholic School Boy,
The Freshman Class includes at least 3 members that have a frightening hatred of Israel, and in at least one case Jews themselves.
One can only imagine the response from the media if this was a Republican and/0r a Catholic spouting these same words, There would be mulitple investigations and hearings taking place fully broadcast on LIVE TV
4
As an American Jew I do not see eye to eye with the views expressed in this article. I support Rep Omar and anyone who draws attention to the catastrophic human rights abuses of the israeli state. As another commentator said, I identify more with Palestinians than the Jews in this situation.
Why are we singling out this particular representative? I do not like the judgemental and subtly shaming article title.
Holding up the state of Israel as a bastion of Democratic values in the middle east is just wrong. Dear fellow Jews: I know our people are traumatized by our experience of and memory of genocide. However that does not give us permission to act out this trauma on others, Palestinian or otherwise. We need to heal, not to perpetuate our trauma. We definitely do not need to create false enemies of Blacks, Muslims, and other oppressed groups to seek a sense of safety.
Love,
A psychotherapist
1576
I pledge allegiance to the United States, not Israel.
Also wanted to thank the NYT for caring for its readers by allowing an open forum unlike much of the main stream media.
2
The display of force being mustered against Omar will confirm to many the idea of a powerful Jewish lobby in American politics; it does more damage than anything Ilhan Omar has said.
3
First, to compare Omar to Corbynism is simplistic rubbish. You are comparing a young US rep to a major UK political party.. a waste of paper.
Having a gay pride parade in a country hemmed in by Israel is probably not a major priority for Palestinians.
Nancy Pelosi and all the senior Dems have come down like a ton of bricks on Omar’s comments.
Is there anything useful about this article?
1
Jonathan Ben Artzi is a nephew to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who went to prison for 18 months for refusing to serve in the IDF because, “Sometimes it takes a good friend to tell you when enough is enough. As they did with South Africa two decades ago, concerned citizens across the US can make a difference by encouraging Washington to get the message to Israel that this cannot continue. If Americans truly are our friends, they should shake us up and take away the keys, because right now we are driving drunk, and without this wake-up call, we will soon find ourselves in the ditch of an undemocratic, doomed state.”
In the 28 May 1993 edition of "Yedioth Ahronoth" Ariel Sharon explained: "The terms 'democracy' or 'democratic' are totally absent from the Declaration of Independence. This is not an accident. The intention of Zionism was not to bring democracy, needless to say. It was solely motivated by the creation in Eretz-Isrel of a Jewish state belonging to all the Jewish people and to the Jewish people alone. This is why any Jew of the Diaspora has the right to immigrate to Israel and to become a citizen of Israel."
American Israeli Jeff Halper wrote: "An ethnocracy is the opposite of a democracy... Ethnocracy, or ethno-nationalism, privileges ethnos over demos, whereby one’s ethnic affiliation, be it defined by race, descent, religion, language or national origin, takes precedence over citizenship in determining to whom a county actually 'belongs.'"
1
Racist polemicists such as Bret Stephens have no room at all to discuss so-called "anti-Semitism." Jews are 0.2% of the world's population, while Muslims are 24.1% of the world's population. Which is the worst problem, "anti-Semitism" (a racist misnomer in itself) or Islamophobia, as evidenced in this screed? Real anti-Semitism is largely a thing of the past. The anti-Semitism in the Dreyfuss Affair got Jews their "homeland" in Palestine, and the Holocaust enabled them to claim the entire area without any real dissent from the international community. Islamophobia found its real start with Benjamin Netanyahu's "Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism" in 1979, and the flames burn hot to this very day, by design. Rep. Ilhan and others have done the country an enormous service by bringing these issues into the public spotlight. They should be commended not only for their efforts, but also for enduring the vehemence which has been liberally poured upon them in recent days.
There are two types of fascism: Fascism and anti-fascism.
2
Bret’s column makes perfect sense if you pretend Israel is a religion and not a country.
You can’t ignore the language Omar uses to talk about this subject. Or I guess these Dems can. Netanyahu is a thug and a crook. You don’t need to speak using thinly veiled statements insulting to Jews to say that. Not a good idea to insult one of your largest reliable voting groups. But the Dems are great at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This is just the beginning. Everyone has their special axe to grind so they refuse to cooperate and form a united party. There is a middle place between identity determining everything and identity counting for nothing. Can the Democratic Party find that place? Do enough of its disparate members even want to? Can’t beat the trumpsters and GOP without unity. It’s math.
2
This is a perfect example of a tempest in a tea pot.
The disproportionate response though is telling us something about those that support Israeli actions no matter how vile they are.
They see a younger generation across western Europe and America not really hostile to Israel but more indifferent and wondering why the fate of Israel seems to matter more to older politicians than problems here at home. And of course the reason is in politics today money talks and we all know what walks.
And where will Jews go when they leave the Democratic fold? To the Trump Party that encourages neo Nazis? I think not.
Stephens is having another fever dream if he thinks that is going to happen.
This column is beyond pathetic. First, the Palestinians are forced from their land without reparations. Then when they attempt to exercise their rights and get their land back they are murdered with American supplied weapons and their houses destroyed. Take a look at how many innocent Palestinians have been murdered by Netanyahu and his murderous thugs, versus Israelis killed. Have any of these murderers been punished? No. Why is it that anyone that says even a single sentence against Isreal is instantly condemned even as they speak the truth.
It’s sad that most respondents to this article missed the point. Did they even read it? Racism and all forms of bigotry should be condemned. However, progressives leave out antisemitism and segue into denounciations of Israel. Instead of defending a representative who rehashes antisemetic diatribes progressives need to become more inclusive and admit that their Russian-American friend is not responsible for Russia’s invasions of Ukraine, your Chinese neighbor is not responsible for committing cultural genocide on one million Muslims in China, your Congolese neighbor is not responsible for the slaughter of 3-5 million people in the Congo, your Mexican and Central American neighbor is not responsible for gang warfare in their home countries... All American jews ask is to stop repeating blood libels, elder of Zion lies, banker lies... but I kid. Antisemitism will never disappear. The real sadness is that the Democratic Party is, in fact, turning into Corbyns antisemetic Labour Party. All for votes. I guess trumps voters will feel at home in either party.
3
Bret Stephens is right on the mark as relates to Ilhan Omar. It's a shame he didn't also mention her comrade antisemite, Rashida Tlaib. Antisemitism has been a growing problem for many years with the Democratic Left and, in fact, is a much larger problem than anything on the Right.
It's beyond shameful that Pelosi and other Democratic leaders appear to have caved in to such vile hatred.
4
If Israel wants to silence the apartheid accusations by its critics... well, its leaders could start by ending their apartheid-like policies! A gay pride parade does not an open society make, Bret. (Especially when the party leading that supposedly open society torpedoed a same-sex civil union bill just last year.)
1
What crock! Ms Omar speaks her mind and adds a different perspective to one of the most difficult of issues in the Middle East. We are falling all over ourselves in distress over this.
Conservatives gotta conserve something, and in this case it sounds more like a white's gotta be white. She is a woman of color. The GOP will beat this one to death.
Give us a break please! I hope D's don't allow this kind of talk create an internal schism. We need unity.
What a horrendous article. It’s unethical and irresponsible for someone as intelligent as you to try and convince people that criticizing Israel is the same as anti-semitism. The UN human rights commission just found credible evidence of War Crimes by Israel. The current Israeli government needs censure and criticism.
3
And our so-called POTUS knew EXACTLY what HE was doing when he was somehow able to acknowledge "fine people on BOTH sides" of the neo-nazi/"Jews Will Never Replace Us" tiki-torched rally in Charlottesville two Augusts ago, Bret!
1
“anti-Zionism has abruptly become an acceptable point of view in reputable circles,” says Stephens as if the political decision to be a Zionist should never be questioned. What if you’re not a Zionist and disagree with its political view that anyone with Jewish dna has the right to displace people from Palestine. Is that a religious, cultural, national or inherent right? Israel is a mostly democratic country when compared to what exists in the Middle East. But it has its problems and does many inhumaiarian things. It is ripe for criticism. AIPAC has been described by the NYT as requiring “allegiance”:to Israel from US lawmakers in order to reap the benefits of its lobbying and fund raising prowess. It is clear that all of this brouhaha is in defense of Israel not people with Jewish dna. Pelosi is right to gag the NYC reps who chair committees by virtue of their longevity in office. New blood is being infused into the Democratic Party and if Bret Stephens wants to stand with his GOP bigots and enablers of bigots then good riddance to bad rubbish. He’s not a Democrat nor does he espouse Democrats’ principles.
2
Bret - Your opening line implies that IIhan hates Jews:
1. How can you be sure that IIhan hates Jews?
2. Have you interviewed her, or even thought about it?
3. Does being critical of Israel's behavior mean hatred of Israel?
4. Would you accuse Jews who criticize Israel as Jew haters?
5. Do you not think there is merit in her position that any one who criticizes Israel risks being accused of anti-semitism?
The truth is, AIPAC has succeeded in having an out-sized influence on our political leaders and having them, the press and Americans mute criticism of Israel and some of its "evil" doings (a.k.a. settlements). It's a form of hypnosis.
Should Ms. Omar and we sit by while the tyrant Netanyahu (with US dollars and approval) undermines Israel democracy, violates human rights, engages in corruption and subjects the Palestinians into forced homelessness? I may add, when is the last time Arabs protested in the streets of Tel Aviv?
Ilhan was cumbersome and should surely choose her words better. But she should be given credit for provoking a debate about why we too frequently "tip-toe" around Israeli leaders' serious abuses of power.
6
As the author states, it's a free country. Omar obviously has issues with Israel's Palestinian policies and would rather not be seen as supporting them. Too many times people conflate racist hatred for Jews as displayed by large swaths of the GOP with hate for Israel's policies. Oddly enough Republican anti-semites are usually huge supporters of Israel. I'm not sure why Omar's statements are quite so newsworthy.
1
Not a single word here about the Israeli outrages against the Palestinians. But that's no surprise from Stephens.
5
And you know exactly what you're doing, Brett. This tired trope of equating any criticism of the state of Israel with anti-Semitism isn't working anymore. The younger generation is on to you.
8
Assuming that it is acceptable somewhere in America to criticizes Israel’s incestuous relationship with the American government, it is quite obvious that any hint of such criticism about the most owned body of all, Congress, gives rise to an immediate wave of the “anti Semite” banner.
1
Ilhan Omar recanting her “May Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel” is like the wolf apologizing for howling.
2
The anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party is not new. Delegates at the last Democratic convention booed when party leaders reinstated support for moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem which had been removed from the party platform. They only reinstated it after its removal was noted by conservatives. The Democratic Party is also the most racist and bigoted party, now judging people first and foremost by skin color, genetics and age, i.e. old white men whose views are to be ignored and whose presence should be at best tolerated. What's amazing is that any Jew would still support this group of hateful, hypocritical zealots. The rest of the party is just plain mad with hatred and bile toward the president and the Republican party that it is blinded and impotent, incapable of focusing on anything other than whether Trump may have asked for Russian dressing on a pastrami sandwich that indicates another reason why articles of impeachment must be drawn up immediately. If Democrats weren't so dangerous they would just be a bad joke. Pity the nation.
3
Bret's a Republican, so having a Muslim woman to beat up on in Trump's white nationalism America is so wonderfully convenient. Bird nest on the ground, baby.
1
What a load of nonsense....Omar may be an anti-semite, but that is not ALL she is, and I will take Tom Friedman's much more nuanced opinion of her views any day over a refugee from The Wall Street Journal. Israel has battled for its survival against overwhelming odds, and we all admire its heroic creation and struggle to survive. But that glorious past is no excuse for the current muscular repression of both Palestinians and dissent within its borders. Omar, as a muslim and an African and a woman has seen her share of bigotry, I'm sure, and she may have started to develop her own, but lets get out the tar and feathers just yet...or you will be essentially proving her point.
1
Conflating all Jews with the state of Israel is anti-Semitic. There’s a lot of that going on in this discussion but it ain’t coming from Ilhan Omar.
2
Suggesting that critism is unwarranted on Israel because it's neighbors are "worse" is pretty ridiculous. That kind of rhetoric is what is leading all of us into a race to the bottom. "Less worse than the other guy" is a pretty pathetic standard.
1
I am a liberal Trump hating Jew in NYC
If Tlaib and Omar and OSC are the New Democratic Party, I will not only vote for Trump, I will donate money to his campaign and actively campaign for him. The Democratic Party will suffer a landslide defeat like never seen before - and that’s not a stupid Trump quote, it’s the real news.
3
Let me get this straight. No criticism of Israel if you are a Democrat and no criticism of Russia if you are a Trump Republican. Got it!
Bret,
I have to applaud you, honestly I do.
The way you stretched her comments like you did in this article is almost as good as Donald Trump when he lies to the country almost every time he speaks.
Shameful article, shameful.
3
Bret, you acknowledge that she retracted the first two tweets, but you didn't mention that she "unequivocally apologize[d]" for them. Sort of interesting that you don't mention that, isn't it? The fact that she is taking steps to remedy this insult to the Jewish people? The fact that she is clearly trying to concentrate her criticism on Israel itself, rather than making obviously-racist and disgusting comments like "Jews are greedy" or whatever.
She's focusing on Israel. Not the Jews. She slipped up, sure--the "hypnotism" tweet was particularly poor. But she then apologized. Anti-Semites tend to not apologize for those sorts of slip-ups. She's not an Anti-Semite.
7
I love how Republicans lecture Democrats. Very ironic, given the utter moral depravity of their current leadership. First of all, Bibi Netanyahu's government is anything but democratic toward the Palestinian people. His treatment of them on a par with our Republican president's separating children and infants from their parents and then caging them as prisoners.
What's more galling is a non-Jew like Stephens lecturing Jews on anti-semitism like me who has endured a range of antisemitic experiences far more egregious than the ill-tempered, uninformed comments of Rep Omar, for which she apologized as soon as she understood their import.
Jeremy Corby is an anti-semite, as is a great number of the European left. They hate Jews; they hate me because why? Who the heck knows.
Rep. Omar is far from Jeremy Corby. Mr. Stephens would do himself a kindness by reading what Jews have to say about her. For the most part, they agree with her thesis about money in politics and the disgusting Netanyahu regime.
4
"For those who don’t get it, claims that Israel “hypnotizes” the world, or that it uses money to bend others to its will, or that its American supporters “push for allegiance to a foreign country,” repackage falsehoods commonly used against Jews for centuries."
From wikipedia.
"On 14 May 1948, the day before the expiration of the British Mandate, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel."
The Jewish state of Israel started in 1948. The claim of centuries is a bit off. Calm down Bret. Why don't you take it easy and get back to Climate Change denying.
5
Brad Stephens, like the rest of his oh-so-concerned Republican, white, Christian brethren, "never-Trump" or otherwise, had absolutely nothing to say when Trump was tweeting out "Sheriff's Stars," re-tweeting messages by neo-Nazi sympathizers who also tweeted absolutely disgusting Holocaust-related cartoons imagining Bernie Sanders in a gas chamber, etc. etc. But now he has found some moral fiber to speak out against the supposed anti-Semitism of the Left.
As a Jew, let me just say: Mr. Stephen's absolute hypocrisy here is simply grotesque.
6
Words matter.
I wish Israel would grab more land...lots more land..to turn it into productive..educational..industrial and cultural centers of the middle east. Most people are over the century old tit for tat. Let Israel move forward and leave the rest behind.
2
Great column. American Jews who are Democrats a have a very import choice to make.
2
The simple fact that no one wants to voice is that the values of Islam are not the values of America. Omar is simple a leopard displaying her spots. The Democratic Party should denounce her anti-Semitism in the strongest terms.
1948: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
1956: Egypt
1967: Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq
1973: Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia
Not one of these wars against Israel was to create a “Palestinian” state.
4
She said nothing about American Jews but specifically about the congresspeople with specific relationships with AIPAC having some dual loyalty. Many of those people are NOT even Jewish!!!! So it is not anti-Semitic if the people are not even Jewish!
Let’s use our hard earn taxes here at home and if we are giving away 40 billion we deserve to ask if it is being used in an ethical way.
5
Not sure what to make about Omar. Maybe she is too inexperienced? antisemitic? maybe a bit of both. I think she is trying hard to play the progressive cliches without much understanding.
When I see a spade, I call it a spade.
How dare Ms. Omar suggest that I am a traitor to my country because I am a Jew? That is the essence of her statement. There is nothing to debate. She is not talking about the politics of Israel. She is talking about Jews.
Ms. Omar is an anti-Semite. Full stop.
3
You start from the premise that Israel is untouchable and anyone who is not a Jew and who criticizes her is ipso facto an "anti semite." You consider Israel as an extension of the US. You reveal your perspective of the world as a Jew in a Jewish bubble. Ilhan Omar may be in her own bubble, but so are you.
1
Israel has been around since 1948. The West Bank is essentially Palestine.’ Israel is a modern society, clean etc. The Jews turned that area into a thriving country. The Arabs in the area did not turn The West Bank into something similar. Arafat was corrupted by money, as most are. Why don’t the Arabs turn their space into something that thrives? Jordan is also nice. Stop complaining and get on with life.
If she made the same comments about Saudi Arabia, no one would bat an eye.
6
Please do not blame all members of the Democratic Party for Omar Comments. Just like we should not blame All republicans for Steve King and Donald Trump comments.
2
I totally agree with Stephens' assessment, although I find it disingenuous that Republicans who lead the howling "condemn her remarks" mob stand noticeably silent when the president condones the behavior of the brown shirts in Charlottesville who chanted "Jews will not replace us."
3
Oh please. Rep. Omar is no Jeremy Corbyn. And while you're at it, could you then also please comment on the anti-Semitic tropes spouted by her Republican colleagues in the House, as well as Republicans in the Senate and the White House? Who was that again who said "fine people on both sides" after a torch-lit march where people shouted "Jews will not replace us"?
1
I understand that support for the Palestinians is the latest liberal trend, representing a defense of 'the underdog'. I also understand the 'new' anti-semitism as a condemnation of perceived Jewish capitalist world domination. But to say that "Israel has hypnotized the world" is to cast a terrible aspersion on a country which literally built itself up from sand, while under constant military and terrorist attack. The only thing that can come out of Omar and her ilk, as far as Israel is concerned, is that she takes her place in the ranks of the rest of the Israel haters, which destroys her credibility as a force for any kind of good. What a shame.
3
..“Israel has hypnotized the world,” she tweeted in 2012. “May Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”...
Change the name and it would sound like ISIS rebuking the US and calling upon infidels to repent.
Do I think Omar is a terrorist, no. But her words invoke the same intolerance that we abhor in others. There is room to criticize Israeli but her statements run over into cultural bigotry. It matters not who else has engaged in anti-semite behavior. This class of congress was supposed to be above such things.
Let's not exchange our current hate-filled situation with more hate from the other side of the Bell curve. But this is what happens when voters elect officials for the wrong reason. This past election was all about getting people into office because of 'him' more often than electing good candidates who could bring about even handed debate and find the path forward. These are backlash freshman who, while motivated to change, lack the maturity to do it well. They are riding a wave of anger just as surely as the fool in the oval did.
The incoming freshman class is a malcontented rabble who thinks they are all that. These freshwomen would do well to listen to Pelosi's plea about eschewing Twiddle (sic) as an outlet for stream of consciousness. We already have enough of that, thank you very much.
3
You will not convince the progressive readers of the Times of this view. But anyone raised by Jewish immigrants or had Holocaust survivors in their family has seen or heard about this sort of anti-Semitism before. Jews are cunning, control the flow of money, own the banks and media, etc etc. I agree this is a woman who is virulently anti-Semitic, and is being protected by the Democratic Party. They are allowing her to cloak herself as a “victim,” all the while she is actually controlling the dialog, as Sanders, Harris, AOC et al rushing to her defense clearly demonstrate.
7
AIPAC knows exactly what it’s doing, as does the GOP. I recommend Paul Waldman’s recent Washington Post defense of Rep. Omar.
2
To criticize Ms. Omar's tweets by calling them "naked anti-Semitism" (when if they are anti-Semitic it certainly isn't "naked" even on your own account) is itself a kind of Overton-window moving or adjusting behavior.
I wish Mr. Stephens that you would spend a little more time worrying about the actions of Christian Zionists in AIPAC (whose core doctrines and occasional rhetoric are nakedly anti-Semitic); they are busy promoting maximalist policies and tactical philo-Zionism and philo-Semitism in the interests of hastening the time of the mass conversion or killing of Jews.
Perhaps you think their crazy anti-Semitic intentions are evil but their unequivocal support of Israel is good. I would ask you only to think again.
1
This is wrong on so many levels and reflects the Newspeak of so-called "Democratic moderates" that undermines legitimate dialog about national and international politics today. The corruption that Netanyahu has been indicted for is nothing compared to the moral corruption he (and a willing majority) have perpetuated on the region for more than 20 years (in various capacities). Israeli concentration camps have morphed into multi-generational pseudo villages with limited rights and completely at the whim of Israeli political winds - in terms of safety, receiving goods, work, etc. There is an apartheid system in place between Israel and the occupied territories that the world should (and most of it does) find abhorrent. This is not the result of anti-Semitism, but of a clear-eyed, humanist view of the situation. What is frightening is the Orwellian process in place that calls out any criticism of Israeli policy or action as immediately anti-Semitic, and how much more quickly this is the case if those doing the criticizing are Muslim (as in the case with Representative Omar). It is the duty of Americans and their representatives to call out the undemocratic influences of money in politics, whether it's the NRA, Big Pharma, the insurance Companies, Big Oil, or foreign countries, such as Israel and their supporters. This is not anti-Jewish bias, but honest and open democratic politics (so it's understandable that we might not recognize it).
4
I get that the "dual allegiance" comment is inflammatory and should be toned down and that Omar could be an anti semite. However, I wonder how many Jewish Americans (I'm sure a minority) voted for Trump simply because they thought he would "be better for Israel" - ignoring his multiple flaws, lack of qualifications and corrupt past? In other words, how do you throw your own country under the bus in favor of another?
3
When the argument starts with "When was the last time there was a gay-pride parade in Ramallah, a women’s rights march in Gaza, or an opposition press in Tehran?..." then you know the writer is off track and biased. The fact that Israel is a democracy and ahead of its neighbors does not mean it is innocent in its treatment of the Palestinians. Those facts speak for themselves.
2
Not one mention in this column of AIPAC, the pro-Israel pressure group that has become a lobbying arm of the Likud government. The 'Benjamins' come to members of Congress through AIPAC from right wing American Christians, who are now Netanyahu's biggest boosters. This is legitimate grounds for criticism, not anti-Semitism.
2
Instead of using a microscope to unearth Antisemitism in Omar's comments, why don't you just address her grievances?
Most Palestinians are deprived of their natural rights (like consent of the governed...) What's being done about that? Does it have to be this way? What's the US doing to change the narrative?
Focus on these questions.
2
Bret Stephens completely loses credibility on this issue by not acknowledging the blatant racist and anti-Muslim undercurrents of this whole Omar controversy. In fact, he adds to those undercurrents by (not so) subtly painting Israel as a bastion of civilization under siege by the morally corrupt peoples (savages?) of Iran, Palestine, and Islam at large.
Criticism of Israel is not criticism of Jews. Period. Cloaking the actions of a modern military empire in the guise of religious expression is cynical in the extreme. So is crying anti-semitism (and by extension invoking the Holocaust) in an effort to insulate a contemporary act of ethnic cleansing from criticism.
2
So "Corbynism" is just liberal anti-Semtism? If that is all it is then why the assignation of "ism" to it? It is odd that I have never heard this term and yet the author makes no attempt to define it.
This is the beginning of the split in the Democratic Party that will insure Trumps re-election. Good work Ilhan
4
Unfortunately, Mr. Stephens' essay outlines the problem exactly: the pervasive mindset that falsely conflates criticism of Israeli-American policies with anti-Semitism.
It is no more accurate than conflating anti-Netanyahu statements with anti-Semitism.
Not being Jewish, in fact a Muslim, Omar is given no latitude, and her motives are described as suspect and sinister. Listen to yourself!
For a more complete and intelligent examination of this issue, without the name-calling, see the last fifth of this transcript: http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/all-in/2019-03-05, which is a discussion between Cris Hayes of MSNBC and Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, and columnist Mehdi Hassan.
It includes comments congresswoman Omar made that put into context her so-called anti-Semitic ones.
1
The real issue here is that it has somehow become un-PC to call Palestinianism what it, or at least as it is practiced on the leadership level, an annhilationist movement with no interest in ANY Jewish state in the Levant or any non-dhimmi Jews. The true progressive position should be to press for free elections in Area A - controlled by the PLO - and support candidates that would press for peace, police honor killings, respect the LGBTQ community, have full rights for the Jews and other minorities that will live in a Palestinian State. This is class big L Liberalism that is somehow lost on this issue. I don't get it.
Meanwhile... the PLO continues to pay stipends for terrorists and Hamas uses its citizens as human shields in stages riots at the border. From the left.... crickets.
2
Unfortunately, Trump's policy generates sympathy and space even for Omar's antisemitism: pure hate against jewishness with the excuse of criticism of Israel. Without Trump's policies Omar's agenda would never find a way for the central stage. Yet, since her level would make proud Julius Streicher and Amin al-Husseini, it is time for N. Pelosi to, finally, close the door on her.
What makes Israel and its policies such a priority right now for Omar? Is Omar able to debate Israel's policies? Of course not; she was never interested to do so. For Omar Israel should never exist. We must remain alert and without illusions.
1
"At that point, the days when American Jews can live comfortably within the Democratic fold will be numbered."
I don't know why anyone thinks American Jews would be "comfortable" in the Democratic party. The Democrats on the whole are as anti-Israel and anti-Semite as the Republicans.
Perhaps American Jews in the past felt some kinship with racial minorities during the Civil Rights movement, as they were a big part of it. But that time has long passed, with racial minorities currently not being particularly pro-Israel or pro-Jew.
Perhaps they have suspicion of the Christian Right and their belief that Jews need to be in control of Jerusalem for the sole purpose of bringing about the Rapture, and therefore stick with the Democrats.
If American Jews approve of specific policies that are more typical of the Democrats, like being pro-life or pro-union, then that's one thing. But that shouldn't make them "comfortable". They should evaluate every policy position and candidate on their own merits, and continuously decide whether to continue supporting the Democrats. They should never be beholden to a political party. They should never be "comfortable".
2
Omar wouldn't be picking this fight if Jews were economically struggling. The progressive democratic caucus is committed to socialism, which means the groups that receive their sympathy are those that are economically depressed: blacks, hispanics, muslims, LGBTQ. But when it comes to asians and jews? forget about it!
3
this is a staggeringly offensive article. To posit that Omar is anti-semitic because she pointed out the ridiculous influence AIPAC has on lawmakers on both sides of the aisle is not only intellectually dishonest, but dangerous rhetoric. How can we criticize the very real human rights abuses Israel has perpetrated in the Palestinian territories? To continue to use "anti-semitism" as a shield for any criticism of the state of Israel is insane.
1
Star of David and dollar bills on the background of a presidential candidate was twitted by Trump did not raise eyebrow as it is happening now. I never heard from Rep Ingel cry out loud on congress for any resolution?
Then why Ilhan?
Because she is visibly a minority?
Because she is visibly a Muslim?
Because she is too weak to defend her?
Why no one can openly discuss subtle role AIPAC plays in our politics? Why it's a taboo to talk about Israel oppression and illegal settlement ?
Why Ilhan is a easy target?
1
This is a fantastic Stephens' column. "Fantastic" in the sense of being an other-worldly, over-the-top assault on the new face of a movement wishing to re-examine America's knee-jerk support of Israel. Why is it that any serious effort to debate unhelpful Israeli policies receives little to no serious push-back in the US congress, but are widely criticized in Europe and elsewhere in the world? Why is any attempt to do so is instinctively labeled "anti-Semitic"? Anti-Israeli government policy is not anti-Jew. But the defense that it is, usually camouflaged in opinion pieces like this, is one reason we don't have a coherent US Middle East policy, other than, yes, full-throated support of Israel. Let's let this lady continue rubbing her burr in the saddle of our Israeli support, and let's have an honest debate about how much is too much, and when to say "NO".
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Apart from disparaging Israel, Is Omar actually doing anything to help the Minnesota constituency that elected her, or is she just using her position to grandstand for Islam? So far, I have only seen the latter.
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In service to his Party, loyal professional member of the Republican Commentariat Stephens has finally shed all decency and honesty as he slides into the sewer of Fox-style editorializing. With not just anti-semitism, but sexism, racism, anti-immigrant and anti LBGTQism on the rise among Republicans, particularly among strong supporters of his President Trump, Stephens tries to rewrite reality to paint all Democrats as the problem. Using standard issue Fox tactics, he hangs an entire alternate reality on a few statements by one person. If Omar’s statments can be used to tar all on the Left, then all on the Right are sexually assaulting sociopaths with narcissistic personality disorder, zero concern for the fate of America, and have autocratic tendencies. And no, Stephens, criticizing Israel for the things it does that are wrong does not equal anti-semitism. The things it does that are right do not give the entire country immunity from legitimate criticism. That is the lazy, lying response of people with no rational argument to put forward, or, as in your case, a false narrative to promote. That is straight out of the Fox playbook. Where is your column condemning your Republican Party for standing behind Trump after he had to be forced to make any statement about a mass killing of Jews, and later made a joke about it to the raucous laughter of your fellow right-wingers? Want to see the true face of the mindless evil that is taking over America? Look in a mirror.
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Hey Bret, Imagine you are an Israeli soldier and you are instructed to shoot protesters (and try not to kill too many) who are protesting on their own side of the border. I wouldn't and I would get a court martial. What would you do? If I refused, would you consider me Anti-Semitic? From the above, I would think yes.
Why not throw in abortion and disrespecting the flag.
Cheap. Bogus. Republican. Stephens.
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Nonsense, Brett. The issue is the unique, unquestioned influence of AIPAC on US foreign policy. it is not about antisemitism.
Democrats should be banned...it’s no longer the US Democratic Party.
Omar, along with her BDS cohorts, certainly are dishing out anti-semitism.
They cloak it in references like, “Oh, we’re just criticizing Netanyahu.”
But the agenda is clear. They’re questioning Israel’s right to exist, ginning up its “illegitimacy.”
Omar’s most laughable defenders are the ones who provide the imprimatur, “I’m a Jew too,” as if that provides some special insight.
These days, no one dares to question the black community, the gay community, or any other marginalized group. But the Jews, especially Israeli Jews, are open targets. And it’s welcomed by the New Left.
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Perhaps we could take a moment here and look at where deadly anti-Semitic attacks have originated here in the US. The massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue was perpetrated by a creature of the right. A young woman in Charlotte, VA was murdered by another violent right wing creature, part of a group chanting 'Jews will not replace us' and about which our president said 'there are good people on both sides'.
Let's recall that the allegations of anti-Semitism originated on the right. Apparently tropes, a very slippery idea if ever there was one, are far, far more damning than massacre and murder.
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There may not be "social or reputational penalty" for speaking against Israel in America, but the punishment in Washington is making the speaker a pariah and make him/her lose next election. Israel is a sacred cow cow in our capital, and not only you can't eat beef but you have to worship her.
Let's be very clear and frank about Ilhan Omar: she supports terrorist regimes and the destruction of the only middle east democracy & US ally, Israel. Grounds to be suspect in her loyalty to the US. And, since Israel is a Jewish state just as Sauid Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, etc. are Muslim states, and the UK is a Christian state her clear anti-Israel statements reflect also a deeply abiding anti-semitism.
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What is happening to Palestinians is genocide in slow motion.Redaing Bret Stephens' piece gives me an idea of what it was like in Germany in the '30s, when the call for horror on such a large scale was normalized.
We live in an era of Islamophobia. The suspicion of divided loyalty among its believers, even those in America, is pervasive. Omar has amplified those fears.
The impact of Omar's comments is magnified precisely because she is a Muslim. It pushes their weight from the realm of insensitive, anti-Semitic and policy difference to the domain of threatening. I suspect that were she not Muslim, they would be regarded at least as somewhat less dangerous, more political than anything, and the utterances of a whack-job.
Rather than toeing the preferred and politically correct line that Islam is a tolerant and peaceful religion, she has verbalized the less savory anti-Israel political views of Islam's presumed extremists. In doing so, she is allowing herself to be viewed as precisely what she excoriates among American Jews who support Israel: yes, as an American, but in her case, a Member of Congress with divided loyalties. Can you spell hypocrite?
This is a bit overblown and hysterical. Israeli treatment of the Palestinians which is odious, but as Stephens says commonplace in the Middle East is doubly bad because Israel is much more a democracy than other Middle Eastern Countries. Israel unlike most of the other gets 3.2 billion American dollars/yr so we are not wrong to hold them to a higher standard, we pay for it. It is clear Omar dislikes Israel. Her criticism may be beyond the pale. Rather than hysterically denounce a first term Congressman from Minnesota, Stephens could think about how the U.S. could use its billions of dollars aide to foster a non apartheid state. This in fact is in Israeli interest as American support for Israel among liberals is falling through the floor.
At some point following the turn of the century, I woke up in an alternative universe in which the Republicans saw the Russians as our true allies and the Democrats were the anti-Semites. Watch all the usual nonsense follow, this time from Democrats, about the difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. It is true that not all anti-Zionists are anti-Semites, but 100% of anti-Semites are anti-Zionists, so if you want to know where to find the influential enemies of the Jewish people, just look among the self-proclaimed anti-Zionists and prune the list from there.
Ms. Omar may be intemperate at times, but she is giving a badly needed voice to those of us who are fed up with AIPAC and the countless politicians from both parties who line up at the trough and then bury their heads in it. After getting a belly full from AIPAC, they then proceed to denounce each and every effort to have a meaningful discussion about Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the apartheid treatment of Palestinians as "anti-semetic".
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As an American I still have the right not to believe in Zionism, or any other ism. Why should a US representative not have that right?
It seems like she likes to recite lines from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion on Twitter. I respect the fact that this woman was duly and legally elected. So was Trump. So was David Duke. Racist voices don’t belong in government!
As an Israeli American, I agree with Ilhan Omar much more than the US politicians weaponising antisemitism, Zonszein 2019.03.06 (https://tinyurl.com/yy4fwzcv)
“much of the attacks and condemnations [Omar] is facing originate in talking points and policies created by the Israeli right, specifically under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the last decade.
As this has been going on, Omar has been facing death threats and Islamophobic attacks herself, including a poster last week at a Republican Party event which likened her to 9/11 terrorists.
Omar is one of only two Muslim women ever elected to Congress, along with Rep. Rashida Tlaib from Michigan, and they are both the first members of Congress to openly support the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. This has made them the targets of an incomparable onslaught of scrutiny and attacks.
The Israeli government has invested millions of dollars in its campaign to combat BDS around the world, and has worked hard (and largely succeeded) to equate BDS – a non-violent tactic to secure Palestinian rights — with antisemitism, arguing that it denies Israel the right to exist. As an Israeli and a Jew, I do not challenge Israel’s right to exist, but I do challenge its right to exist as the Jewish supremacist, undemocratic, violent state that it is. That does not make me an antisemite, and neither does solidarity with the call for BDS.”
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I am having a difficult time trying to get excited about Representative Ilhan Omar's so-called anti-semetic comments, especially with Trump and his cult-like followers blatantly spouting anti-Semitic and racist insults at every opportunity.
Most Palestinian gay people live in Israel for fear of being persecuted, as in murdered in the West Bank and Gaza. Now, who is oppressing the Palestinians?
Sorry, I don’t think that she’s anything like an anti-Semite.
Sheldon Adelson contributed $20 million to Trump’s campaign. Sheldon Adelson wanted the capital of Israel moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: done. Sheldon Adelson gave Republican candidates $100 million. The Republican Party supports the most right wing parties in Israel and Netanyahu uncritically. These areincovenient facts.
American Jews supported Hillary Clinton and Democratic candidates: 77% of them voted for the Democrats. More inconvenient facts. Why? That’s the question the Times ought to examine, as well as why many American Jews support the Republicans. I wonder what percentage of Jewish voters in Congresswoman Omar’s district voted forher.
At this point, it is now accepted by all of the MSM that Omar is an Anti-Semite. “It’s all about the Benjamins” can be tortured into an Anti-Semitic trope by applying a rigor for politically correct speech that Brett Stephens routinely condemns , but that the Republicans cynically apply when it suits them.
“Jews will not replace us” wasn’t really anti-Semitic at all, just the reflection of alienated White Males fearful of change, and resentful of the lack of economic opportunities, right? I’m sure Steve Bannon would interpret it that way. Fortunately, our free press has reported the facts about them.
They ought to do the same for Omar,and let the public decide—not self serving pundits like Brett, or Bill Maher or S.E.Cupp.
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We know as US citizens why Omar was elected, and whether or not it was to verbally condemn Israel or not it's the Muslim Michigan people living here in the US that are responsible. The case that a US legislature would openly support a terrorist group like Hamas make me think of Obama's support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran. It is very unfortunate indeed that the media has succumbed to this anti- American rhetoric. There is little that will push Trump to be reelected more than this kind of event. Lets just imagine that the US is being bombed and the imaginary you has the option of getting on one of 2 jets to leave and survive. One is flying to Israel and the other to Iran. Which one will you board?
Omar is following a long tradition of holding Jews to a different standard than she does others. AIPAC is no different from other lobbying groups. The Council on American and Islamic Relations (CAIR) is similar. Why not hold them to account similarly, they were founded by two members of the Hamas sponsored organization that later became known as the Muslim Brotherhood. Attributing divided loyalties and unfair power and control to only Jews is a trope that has justified killing or otherwise eliminating Jews for centuries.
Since the first century, Jews throughout the world have alternated between seeking a place to live in either predominantly Christian or Islamic cultures, depending upon who was treating them less badly at the time. The world Jewish population around the start of Christianity was 4.5 million. The peak population of Jews in the world occurred prior to the Nazi's at 16-17 million. During the post Nazi period, world-wide it has been steady at about 14 million. For contrast, Chinese population in the first century: 60 million. If the Jews are so powerful, how do you account for this difference? How does less than 2% of the world population become the source of all problems?
She is repeating the basis for hate and justification for elimination of Jews that appears to be timeless. She apologized the first two times, I am pleased that she hasn't this time because she reveals herself to be what she is.The democratic party weakens itself by not condemning her.
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If you think that Benjamin Netanyahu is worried about Rep. Omar's supposed anti-semitic comments and tendancies, then I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. This is all about undermining the moral standing of the opposition, especially anyone connected to the BDS movement. Bibi is laughing heartily right now, not cowering.
Many of the NYT Picks for comments condemn Israel. The point of the column was Rep. Omar's recent words regarding Allegiance to a Foreign Power. Is the hatred for Israel so strong that people cannot see the difference between hatred of Israel and hatred of American's that support Israel. Rep. Omar complains that she is being silenced? How? She can take a microphone any day she wishes and speak on the floor of the U.S. Congress. I, on the other hand, have been pushed aside and silenced by Rep. Omar because I've been accused of having Allegiance to a Foreign Power. My words, my beliefs have been declared by Rep. Omar to be Treasonous and be in Allegiance not with America, but with a Foreign Power. So Yes, I am offended by Rep. Omar and bewildered by the inability of the NYT Picks to understand the difference between criticism of Israel and the silencing of American Citizens by a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Bret Stephens apparently doesn’t know the definition of anti-semitism. Because, as many Jews will tell you, it doesn’t mean disliking Israel.
"Dual loyalties" has as much of a history, as an anti-Semetic slur or at least an Anti-semetic dog whistle, as does the N word for racists. AOC reluctance to condemn its use is food for the fascist narrative of we all do it so its ok.
I don't remember her "hating Jews" or not "liking Israel." I don't "hate" Christians or Jews, but I can criticize them. I don't hate the US or Israel, but I can criticize them. I don't even hate Trump or Netanyahu but I can criticize them. and I don't hate Mr. Stephens or the NYT, but I can criticize them as well---so far.
“If Pelosi can’t muster a powerful and unequivocal resolution condemning anti-Semitism, then Omar will have secured her political future and won a critical battle for the soul of the Democratic Party. At that point, the days when American Jews can live comfortably within the Democratic fold will be numbered.“
Democrats do discipline their own for anti Semitism, sexual abuse etc. Republicans elect their anti semites, racists and sexual predators to the presidency. Yet Jews live comfortably within that party. It feels like Republicans spend a lot of time warning Dems about their demise for small sins while Trump gets away with murder.
Bret Stephens knows just what he is doing.
And that is using the blood libel of anti-Semitism to silence critics of Israel. Brett must be especially incensed that polls show a drop in support for Israel by the American public, including even younger American Jews. Stop her now, or else Israel will become just another foreign nation, getting no special treatment. Just like every other foreign nation, save Israel. That explains the hysteria of those attacking her.
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel was also attacked by the likes of Brett for attacking the pressure from the Israel Lobby to blindly support Israel. When pressed to toe the party line, he retorted “The Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here...I’m not an Israeli senator. I’m a United States senator.”
Rep. Omar represents the Minnesota 5th Congressional district, not Israel. Now she is being savaged, as was Hagel.
Brett, you can rebut Omar very simply. Just say you put America ahead of Israel. Can you do it? Or will you hem and haw, say there's no distinction, that what's good for Israel is good for America?
I agree with Gideon Levy of Haaretz, the leading Israeli newspaper, in his column in today's issue. His title says it all: "Keep it up, Ilhan Omar."
Omar frequently speaks of all her Jewish constituents. It sounds suspiciously like “some of my best friends are Jewish.”
Not a single mention of her grandmother who lives in the West Bank. What about her and the rest of the Arabs living their in occupied lands? How can one denounce the monstrous acts taking place there without being called anti-semitic?
Just another liberal generator of hate and division. Funny how conservatives are held to such a high standard while libernazis can say and do anything.
Legitimate discourse considering Israel’s shortcomings need not include the tropes and canards used by Rep. Omar. Legitimate discussion is welcomed.
The singling out of Israel, while ignoring the unspeakable actions of Muslim to Muslim violence throughout the Middle East and Africa leads one to question her motivation. Surely, as one whose family has emigrated from Somalia, she is more than most knowledgeable about that dire problem.
Yet on that, and other Muslim to Muslim conflict, she is silent! The only problem is the Jews.
Speaker Pelosi needs to get her House in order, and quickly.
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Omar hasn't said anything offensive in my book . The President of United States attacked the peace loving country of Montenegro and insulted its people and no one is complaining.
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But what's a concerned person to do? I love the idea and the state of Israel, but I hate their confiscation of land and their building of settlements. Of course the Palestinians are not helping as they keep making stupid, violent choices. But as a country Israel is in control and headed toward being labelled a pariah.
They're willing to "indict a popular and powerful prime minister on corruption charges" but not take their boots from the necks of Palestinians (as the Palestinians are not willing to accept Israel, the 2 State solution, and condemn violence). What's one to do? What leverage do we have over the Palestinians? They're harder to "target".
Divesting is something. Condemning and speaking out against AIPAC is something. We seem to have a very hard time forcing Israel to be the grownups in this mess. Is there something that can be done (by Congress) to force the Palestinians to behave? What's a person to do?
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No doubt she is anti Semitic. At same time she’ll call people out at any hint of Islamophobia. Personally, I’ve grown tired of all three 2000 year old religions.
Hating Israel is a trendy issue for progressives and she probably sees this as a way to make her mark as a freshman congressperson.
I really cannot image this is an important issue for the people of Minnesota over issues that really affect Americans. Such as: health care, cost of college tuition, affordable housing, LGBQT rights, beating trump, immigration.
It might be good if the Democrats can stay focused on issues that Americans care about.
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What is both alarming and pitiful is that the Democrats (just like the endless list of Republicans who connive at the President's overt white nationalism and subliminal anti-Semitism) could not bring themselves to commit to a simple, risk-free, even ho-hum declaration against anti-Semitism on the order of "people should be kind to their neighbors" and "crime does not pay." That they made a spectacle of not making the declaration because of the identity politics on display by reactionary elements among those Democrats who style themselves progressives is akin to Mel Gibson's failure to take an easy out whereby he was to condemn intolerance during an interview following one of his anti-Semitic rants...but didn't. This sickness in contemporary American politics is not limited to the new generation of Democrats. Blatant, open, virulent anti-Semitism is on display by both the white nationalists who style themselves Republicans and the identitarian reactionaries who call themselves progressive Democrats. Words, reflecting the thought processes that generate them, have consequences. One consequence we may not wish to imagine, but that now seems closer than we care to admit, is the implication in Benjamin Franklin's reply to an inquisitive citizen who asked him what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had come up with. "A Republic, if you can keep it." With this dereliction of duty by the Democrats, we are at the point of having to ask whether in fact we will keep it.
There is a significant difference between anti-Semitism and disagreeing or criticizing Israel and USA policy. Everytime someone says anything disagreeing with Israel or criticizes it, out comes the anti-Semitism card. This is not fair. One of the cornerstones of a vibrant democracy holding elected officials and government accountable.. something both nations have seemed to forget.
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Ms Omar wears the red, white and blue often, and with flair. She represents the Muslim-American community at large, as well as her constituents. If she believes the existence of Israel -- is misbegotten and wrong, she can just say so.
Apparently she has adopted some stale anti-Semitic expressions. That is a mistake in her means of expression, and she is likely to learn to be more sophisticated as she becomes more familiar with her leadership role. She certainly can attack Netanyahu without making any remarks about Jews in general, or about who supports Israel and why they do it.
The "only Mideast democracy" argument is itself a little stale. Where are the Palestinian voters at this point? It's very complex, who votes and doesn't, who owns property or doesn't -- for the average American, the Israeli system of government appears to be a tangle of dozens of contrasting interests. This isn't to say it's not a democracy, just that it can be confusing to an outsider looking in.
If we want to know where Omar stands, we need to ask her if she believes Israel has a right to exist and, if so, does she impose conditions on that right to existence? We need to ask how she feels about Al-Shabaab, what she thinks of ISIS and Iran and Hamas.
Rather than subject her to the same criticism we would appropriately direct to a Bush or Clinton if they said the same things as she, let's interrogate her on her own grounds. Then attack her if she deserves it.
I think we should all think a lot more carefully about anti-semitism. I also think Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians are fundamentally racist. One wrong does not justify another. Omar is not helping the Progressive wing of the Democratic party. She is a distraction. The real battle should be laser focused on the climate. Linking various causes together, like linking Omar and AOC is a recipe for Republican victory in 2020.
I’ve always been, pro-Israel until the last 10 years. While I agree, for the most part, they are a democratic nation, there is an undercurrent coming from government, especially the right wing, that is purely vile.
Most Israelis want peace and to allow a Palestinian state next door.
It is time for Palestine to be recognized.
The author here starts out with a fallaciously weak premise: “That’s a shame, not least because Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion.” What the author is admitting in his roundabout disingenuous way is that Israel is not a democracy. Arab citizens of Israel cannot vote. Imagine if official government policy was that blacks cannot vote or Jews cannot vote in the US. Imagine if we had a state church that decided who could get married or who could be truly a member of that church. Israel is not the shining beacon of democracy and tolerance its defenders claim. And it’s not anti-Semitic to point that out.
I was raised Muslim in a ME country. Gowing up I was exposed to a tremendous amount of anti-semitism, most of it driven or inflamed by Israel's treatment of Palestinians. It took me several years to develop a more balanced view and now I see Israel's continued existence as a Jewish state absolutely essential. There is so much overt and latent anti-semitism in nearly every society that under the right circumstances (say, another world war or some type of global catastrophe) it can potentially lead to another genocide. After thousands of years of suffering, I think Jews deserve to have a state that can prevent this from happening again. Therefore, I find Omar's anti-semitic tone extremely problematic and feel she deserves all the criticism she got for her tweets. However, it is also true that the pro-Israel lobby has an enormous influence on US policy that resulted in, among other things, over 220 billion US tax payer dollars given to Israel since its foundation. To put this number in perspective, it represents 9% of all U.S. foreign aid between 1946-2016. There is not a single country that comes even close to how much we gave Israel (GDP per capita is $40K) and continue to do so every year. Thus, the disproportionate amount of political influence AIPAC has on US politics is not a fiction. If we do not come up with a more balanced approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict, I am afraid people like Omar will only gain more influence in the long-term.
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An American Jew, my views on Israel are closer to Representative Omar's than to Stevens'. So don't be so certain about the allegiance of Jews to the Democratic party. The actions of the Israeli government are moving a lot of US Jews in the opposite direction. And we refuse to fall for the line that forceful opposition to the Israeli government is antisemitism. That's the so called NEW antisemitism, a construction of the Israeli foreign ministry.
Israel, literally, gets away with murder. Their policies on Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank if pursued by any other country would, if pursued by any other country would bring forth condemnation, not a $4B per year subsidy. They and their supporters in the US had a good deal to say about our disaster in Iraq. They would like to lead us into war with Iran.
Why are they blindly followed by our political leadership? The influence of AIPAC and their money and political influence is not news. I'm happy to finally have someone in Congress talking about it.
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Omar can criticize Israeli policies. My question is does she support Israel’s right to exist?
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It's instructive that this column makes not a single reference to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), the powerful lobby that is arguably the main target of Omar's comments. For a knowledgable writer like Mr. Stephens to omit AIPAC from this discussion is disingenuous, and clearly self-serving in the context of the argument he is trying to make here. Using "money to bend others to its will" is one good definition of lobbying, which a wide range of special interests practice. There is nothing anti-Semitic about accusing AIPAC of lobbying, which it has long done with great success.
Branding Rep. Omar an anti-Semite is a stretch. And getting wrapped around the axle about whether she is or isn’t is a convenient diversion from much more pressing issues facing this country.
Americans have elevated the art of standing in front of a glass house and casting stones to a fine science. There’s a lot at stake in 2020. Maybe we should keep our eye on the ball.
Obviously the remarks of Representative Omar are supported by Minneapolis, MN and its suburbs or else she wouldn't be there. So her anti-Semitic remarks don't just orbit around her, they also include the 708 thousand people of the 5th congressional district which she represents.
It wasn't too long ago that people were up in arms over President Trump's remarks regarding of the white nationalist march in Charlottesville, VA; the Democrats in particular. They were warranted. Omar has made some fairly strong statements against Jews within the first 30 days of her freshman term yet the Democratic caucus seems to be having trouble finding its footing on just exactly how to handle this type of bigoted and inflammatory rhetoric within the House Chambers. This has to have the DNC all up in flames as half of their funding come from Jews and the Jewish State.
What is really confounding about all this is that former Senator Al Franken of Minnesota is a Jew. Minnesotans couldn't get enough of this guy, they loved him. Stewart Smalley made good; but then Representative Omar gets elected and the party's over. I doubt that even former Governor and WWF superstar Jessie "the body" Ventura could make sense of this. All the while we thought the political head cases were limited to the coasts.
Bigotry and racial hatred is alive and well in MN as well as in the House of Representatives. Democrats, what are you going to do about this?
Mr Stephens can’t draw lines between Judaism, Israel, and Netanyahu. He has no problem denigrating all Muslims in his support of Netanyahu. He can’t distinguish between a corrupt leader and a wide faith.
One can have problems with the Israeli government without being an anti Semite. But to be blind to the existence of Palestinians and Arab Israelis is a bigotry that Mr Stephens has no problem with.
Hate and bigotry should be called out. I believe Rep Omar did cross the same line Donald Trump and Republicans often do when talking about George Soros. (But Mr Stephens only sees it when it comes from a Muslim woman, why is that?) Mr Stephens problem is he only sees it as a problem when it politically advantageous to do so.
It isn’t about a Moral stand for Mr Stephens or the Republican Party. Let’s be clear- it never is.
Just another reason for remaining a loyal member of the GOP.
Stephens' point here, that Representative Omar knows that she is dealing in anti-Semitic tropes, doesn't make any sense. Why would she do that? What would she have to gain? Like Stephens' earlier piece about Israel, this op-ed chooses to ignore whole swaths of history and engages in the kind of double-speak common among Israeli mouthpieces that seek to defend the indefensible. For the sake of our country, let us engage in an honest dialogue about our unconditional support of Israel. Representative Omar is ready for that, most American Jews are, and so am I.
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I think it’s worth mentioning that Representative Omar has the full backing of David Duke on her comments. (check his twitter feed)
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I gave Omar a pass the first time, but now I think she is deliberately insulting and provoking the American Jewish community as part of a strategy to demonize Jews which is so widespread in the Islamic world she inhabits. No doubt she hopes the Jewish community will over-react creating its own backlash.
Its ironic that it can be argued that its her allegiance that can seem to be to foreign Palestine over the US as she is needlessly dividing the opposition to the Trump regime whose policies of winking at hate and sexual violence threaten both Muslims and Jews (and other minorities.)
I think this division poison can be contained because there are very few districts in the US where Omar's strategy plays well, but I wouldn't want the US to be swamped with immigrants/refugees from Islamic countries, as in parts of Europe where it seems that could lead to not just wider anti-Semitism but also increased risk of terrorism, riots over cartoons that suppress free speech, intimidation of criticism of Islamic extremism, honor killings, and harassment of women not "modestly" dressed, homophobic attacks....
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The real question in this, as we can all pretty much agree, I hope, that it is possible to criticize the policies of the Israeli government and not at the same time be anti-Semitic, is just HOW ones goes about doing that--and whether Representative Omar can thread that needle.
Admittedly, the identity and group affiliation of the critic enters into our judgment of this, and we can debate how much it should. If a Jewish person says the same things Omar does (and some do), how much denouncing around anti-Semitism do they get? Are you allowed to hit your own gang, as the comedians say? Or are you then tarred as a self-hater (as some have been)? How appropriate is any of this?
I think it's entirely possible that given the circles she's been part of, Omar may not know that some of the specific language details she's uttered fall into long standing anti-Semitic tropes. (Perhaps her Jewish constituents need to educate her to a more "woke" state.) On the other hand, she may very well know that and be speaking cagily.
In conversations about this, I like to put the shoe on the other person's foot, and talk about group affiliations they may have. If one criticizes the monarchy of Saudi Arabia, does that make one anti-Islamic? Not necessarily, I suspect. So therefore it's possible to be an Israel or AIPAC critic and not be anti-Semitic.
But can religion be criticized, as an identity, without one being considered a bigot . . .?
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And look at these comments. Mr. Stephens wrote a nuanced column and all we have are knee-jerk reactions.
Few people if any are looking at the words which demonstrate clearly the line that is crossed.
And yet the hate continues.
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According to Brett the original Dem response was “intended as a condemnation of anti-Semitism, with Omar as its implicit target”
The first of these objectives is fine; the second is not. Brett is eager to advance the second objective by confounding Israel and Netanyahu with Judaism.
Unfortunately, Netanyahu is turning Israel in the wrong direction, abandoning its principles and supporting fanatical elements. The USA should not assist him with those aims.
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"...Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion."
That statement simply doesn't jibe with the fact that over 4 million people in the Occupied Territories don't have the right to vote in Israeli elections.
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As one of the first Muslim women in Congress, this Rep could bring to bear first-person credibility in holding Islam accountable for its medieval treatment of women and minorities, it’s insular politics, and its failure to promote cultures around the world that foster scientific and humanistic advancement. But instead, she uses her newfound platform to condemn Israel. Welcome aboard the bandwagon.
And if she doesn’t want to be anything other than critical against Israel for the sake of expiating her own cultural resentment, cant we at least get some unique and creative vitriol and discrimination instead of the constant intellectual laziness of relying on time-worn tropes?
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My revision to Mr. Stephen’s comment:
People can debate the case for Israel on the merits, but people who support the state should NOT have to face allegations that their sympathies have been purchased, or their brain hijacked, or their loyalties divided.
I my opinion, people can not support Israel or criticize Israel; however, it is the words used and how it is said that makes it anti-Semitic. That is my issue with Representative Ilhan Omar.
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I agree with a lot of what he says about the significance of Omar. But I have noticed that the furore is helping our politicians to show sympathies to other group identities as well as emphasizing anti-Semitism. They are noting two things 1] there are other '-isms' as well as antisemitism, towards muslims, blacks, gays, racism etc. 2] millions off others suffered or were killed as well as jews and they deserve our attention too. All of this is a positive development and will influence Congress to show more compassion and sensitivity towards other nations.
Solve the Palestinian problem and Corbynism will go away.
Be it a one state or two equal state (not a state and a colony) solution but some solution which satisfies the Palestinians.
With the retraction by Pelosi, Ilhan Omar has already secured her political future.
I don’t see bombing hospitals and schools as part of our values.
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"If Pelosi can’t muster a powerful and unequivocal resolution condemning anti-Semitism, then . . . the days when American Jews can live comfortably within the Democratic fold will be numbered."
Hyperbole much?
The congressional black caucus and the progressive wing are not opposed to this resolution because they are anti-Semitic. They are opposed to the silencing of women of color who have just gained a tiny foothold in American public life.
Where, pray tell, are American Jews going to go? To support Trump and the "very fine people" in Charlottesville? Lets keep the focus on the very real and very dangerous anti-semitism on the far right.
The bald over reach of the Israel Anti-Boycott Act has badly damaged the pro-Israel cause. Clearly unconstitutional and opposed by the ACLU among others, it has made common cause for principled supporters of civil liberties and anti-semites looking for cover. Mr. Stephens should careful not to paint with such a broad brush.
Rep Omar, critics of the Israel Anti Boycott Act, and critics of Israeli policies are not carrying tiki torches. They are looking to have a conversation about America's policy on Israel, including the more than $3 billion dollars slated for Israel this year. This may be unsettling for strong supporters of Israel, but it is not anti-semitism.
She has a First Amendment right to say what she thinks.
Apparently, ‘progressives’ imagine that there should be no consequences in response to 70+ years of Arab-perpetrated terror wars waged against a sovereign nation. Meanwhile, there’s not a country on earth that would tolerate for even 1 year what Israel has had to put up with for over 7 decades. The United States certainly wouldn’t....and didn’t.
Is it ok to say that the Israeli government's policy toward the Palestinians in the settlements is akin to South Africa Apartheid and should be treated as such? Therefore boycotts are clearly an acceptable and potentially powerful tool to support the cause. But conservatives have claimed that boycotts are "antisemitic." Oh, yea, they were also against doing anything about South African Apartheid as well.
I strongly support Israel's right to exist. I know some absolutely great people who are Israelis. There is much to admire about Israel and what they have been able to accomplish. Nonetheless, their policy toward the Palestinians is horrible and wrong. They continue to build settlements. They bulldoze Palestinian Olive groves. They have made life for Palestinians almost impossible, solely because they are Palestinians.
I expect better from them, and I believe that the U.S. should exert pressure on them to do better.
As someone who is a non-Jewish Israeli and fought and argued with my Jewish freinds for years over these issues. Ihan has no right to muddy the waters of such an important debate while thousands, nay, millions still reside in refugee camps.
Not once in all my years have I been accused by my Jewish freinds of being anti-semitic. You can express cogent views without resorting to yuck from the bottom of the Minnesotian barrel.
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A useless proclamation is failing because the left wing treats anti-Israel views as worthy of equal consideration at the intersection of Omar’ black and Muslim identities. And now the Old White Democratic establishment has to confront anti-Israel identity politics while considering the feelings of all the other identities.
This is obnoxious. Do these people not see the urgency of the Donald Trump catastrophe? Or global warming or any of the imminent catastrophes we face as a country? As an individual I can’t do anything about it (other than voting). I rely on my members of Congress who are really the only people in our society who can act as individuals and have an impact.
Omar, Democrats, Republicans - you have real power and real responsibilities. You’re wasting time. Do your jobs.
Stephens is right about the rhetoric. Important message here.
Rahm Emmanuel’s excellent editorial says the same thing, basically.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/03/ilhan-omars-dual-loyalty-charge-was-anti-semitic/584314/
Saying, "it's all about the Benjamins, baby" is
provocative, not professional.
She's in Congress, not college.
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AS I watch Mr Stephens attempts to justify his unjustifiable social and political philosophies I can only think back to early 19th century Nova Scotia where Benjamin Franklin's conservative son was the Governor General and Thomas Chandler Haliburton was the best selling author in the English speaking world.
Haliburton's Sam Slick the Yankee clockmaker and the master of wise saws said "When a man is wrong and won't admit it he always gets angry."
Yesterday I watched Mr Stephens and Professor Eddie Glaude in conversation on MSNBC. Mr Stephen's uncalled interruption of Professor Glaude was beyond the Pale it was more than disrespectful it revealed that Mr Stephens needs to examine his political and social beliefs and acknowledge a need to listen to those who do not share his prejudices.
As a member of the tribe he should understand the need for atonement and that the first step is the acknowledgement of our mistakes.
The world is not a just place and instead of making truth and justice our quest Mr Stephens demands that we acknowledge the injustice by seeking out injustice and countering it with further injustice. I am simply perplexed that anyone as educated, erudite and a self professed Jew can adopt such a totally contrary philosophy as American Conservatism.
Congresswoman Omar seems eager to learn and Mr Stephens not so much. America has too many Bret Stephens and not nearly enough Ilhan Omars be they Jew Moslem, Christian or Atheist.
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"That’s a shame, not least because Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion."
Then why did…
Israel passed a controversial new “nation-state law” last week that’s sparking both celebration and fierce debate over the very nature of Israel itself.
The law does three big things:
1. It states that “the right to exercise national self-determination” in Israel is “unique to the Jewish people.”
2. It establishes Hebrew as Israel’s official language, and downgrades Arabic — a language widely spoken by Arab Israelis — to a “special status.”
3. It establishes “Jewish settlement as a national value” and mandates that the state “will labor to encourage and promote its establishment and development.”
Doesn't sound like the values of the Democratic party.
You bet she does. She is working for the Trump re-election campaign .
Thanks for the tent.
I agree fully with the article, but I doubt Omar acts and speaks alone, she is her own dispenser or prejudice but she is also surrounded by a cadre of anti Israelis. If AIPAC has too much power so do these hidden voices who feed her the lines.
Omar isn't about advancing legitimate criticism of Israel, which there's no lack of. As a civil rights and federal appellate attorney I've heard powerful people openly criticize Israel forever and no one batted an eyelash. With other legal scholars, I attended a college campus event to discuss civil rights violations in American prisons. It was hijacked by students who exploited it to attack Israel.
This is what Omar does. It is not legitimate criticism, but how every evil in the world is directly traceable to Israel. For Omar, if someone heavily criticizes Israel, yet offers even qualified support, they've been bought by Jews and are foreign operatives.
Omar began by invoking "Allah" against those she considered her enemies and she hasn't stopped. I’m sickened by American politicians of any religion doing the same in the name of their god. Fundamentalists already subvert our constitution. Democrats rightfully resist Republicans undermining the separation between religion and state, or injecting religious dogma into civil society, but suddenly it isn't a problem when a Muslim Congresswoman does it.
Democrats like Harris, Sanders, and Warren fail to even mention that Omar, a remarkably powerful Congresswomen, not some victim, is undermining the Establishment Clause.
Finally, it's mystifying how someone with a clear political agenda based in radical Islam has the gall to accuse anyone else of being anti-American and beholden to a foreign power or un-American ideology.
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Dear Mr. Stephens,
I would like to avoid the trap set in your piece. I refuse to comment on the nature of anti-Semitism, and as a Jew, this is particularly difficult for me. In passing, who are the Semites? Children of Abraham? Is Israel currently an Apartheid state? Does Israel follow the laws of Moses?
Perhaps, you could help me understand why U.S. foreign policy is broken down in the Middle East? Why do we focus on Iran so much? Why are we fighting two wars in the region? While in our Hemisphere, Venezuela is falling apart. All one has to do examine America's choices internationally, to see the influence of other countries in our Policy process.
Without discussing our policies, and where we have gone wrong, it is easy to focus on calling names. Yet this approach does nothing to propel the arguments for change, and lacks wisdom and understanding.
Stephens might have had me until his last line:
At that point, the days when American Jews can live comfortably within the Democratic fold will be numbered.
I am a Jew born in Tom Friedman's Frozen Chosen region, progressive of nature, not sure what to think of Omar, but will remain 'comfortably within the Democratic fold' no matter what she says as I continue to keep Stephens and his neocon views at arm's length.
If Democrats have actually embraced some of the values which the government of Israel follows, millions of Democrats will be appalled.
I was not aware that the Democratic Party had embraced religious bigotry, extralegal murder of opponents, and corruption at the highest levels. They must if they embrace the Israeli government.
It is a favorite ploy of the GOP to constantly conflate any criticism of Israel with blatant anti-Semitism. It is useful, but generally invalid, as it is in this case if one reads Rep. Omar's complete remarks.
Mr. Stephens may be #NeverTrump, but he can distort facts as well as any GOP politician.
I'm a pro Israel liberal. The Republicans are awful, and I now feel much the same way about the Progressive Dems, who are hopelessly naive, at best. We need a third political party, not that I'm holding my breath.
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There are all sorts of folks who've accused certain American politicians of being beholden to money. It can also be fairly pointed out that money plays a key role in American politics. Finally, there are folks on both sides of our political spectrum who who think and have said that their fellow citizens on the opposite side are unthinking, ignorant, etc.
If I say all those things, am I anti-American? Personally, I wouldn't think so, much less say that. But now we have a president who often says that those who disagree with him "hate our country." Seriously, this whole the about Ilhan Omar is just blown out of proportion. Also, what would people be saying if she was an older white male politician?
"Ilhan Omar Knows Exactly What She Is Doing
The Minnesota Democrat is bringing Corbynism to the Democratic Party."
Omar (D-Minn.) suggested last week that Israel’s supporters have an “allegiance to a foreign country,”"
By the same token, doesn't Ilhan Omar show by those words her “allegiance to a foreign country,”, namely Saudi Arabia, the home of the Muslim religion and for that matter, all of the Middle Eastern countries that have the Muslim religion as it's state religion?
This young woman has a lot to learn about politics and being an effective politician.
The Democrats should make that statement and leave it at that."
It's acceptable to criticize the influence that big pharma buys through lobbying in DC, right? Shouldn't Omar be able to do the same thing regarding Aipac? Labeling such criticism de facto anti-Semitism feels like an attempt to shield Aipac, and its supporters in Congress, from accountability.
When we suspect congressmen and senators of being heavily influenced by the NRA to explain why effective gun control laws are never passed, aren't we saying that these lawmakers are, in a way, "hypnotized" and "benjamined" but the the NRA? Yet that is acceptable. But noting that Jewish organizations spend a lot of money and effort to persuade these same lawmakers to favor Israel, now that's "anti-semitic" ? Personally I think Ilhan Omar is wrong: the reasons why America finds it so difficult to put real pressure on Israel have not much to do with what she says. But her point is debatable and can be discussed without accusing her of hating all Jews.
Methinks thou protesteth too much, Mr. Stephens. Those who live and die by labeling and judging others by their labels do exactly that in rather obvious knee-jerk fashion even as they decry the same in others. In the case of Israel and Judaism it's so easy to conflate religion with politics that to not do so is the exception to the rule -- but then, given the origin and purpose of the State of Israel and your own heritage, it's certainly understandable that you do so.
And understandable that you accuse the representative of doing so, too.
Omar is a mote...Netenyahu is a beam. Doesn't Judaism have that parable?
We have a President who tormented Barack Obama as "Muslim" (bad) and not American-born for years while the Republicans stayed silent. We all know the list of other groups he has insulted while, again, the Republicans didn't take action. Democrats were weak in their response.
The Democrats have one Muslim freshman who criticizes Israel in a way that might be anti-Semitic and the world falls apart. Donald Trump gets away with calling her comment "shameful"! The Democrats rally to take action against her. Could they not have simply taken her aside and explained how she has to be careful in the future?
"If Pelosi can’t muster a powerful and unequivocal resolution condemning anti-Semitism, then Omar will have secured her political future and won a critical battle for the soul of the Democratic Party. At that point, the days when American Jews can live comfortably within the Democratic fold will be numbered."
Wow, alarmist much, Mr. Stephens? So two Democratic women, newly elected Rep. Omar and old salt, Pelosi, based on the release or failure to release an unequivocal resolution condemning anti-Semitism over this one incident 2 months into this Democrat controlled House, have the potential to turn Jewish Americans Republican in droves? Not sure if conservative Bret Stephens is playing Republican gender politics here or just looking to spin some minor Democratic political fractures into catastrophic chasms or perhaps a combination of both. Either way, this is the type of column that will secure him a lucrative offer from FOX News.
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Ilhan Omar does not surprise me in the least. In fact, one the persistent delusions of humans in general and progressives in particular is the belief that certain people should be singled out as morally better or worse than others. It’s natural, in fact, downright weird, that people believe in the moral superiority of the oppressed. And this has become the “expected” strategy of the current progressive movement and sadly, the Democratic Party. They defame, detest, and deride anything not “victim” all the while portraying the great triumphant of those “wronged” peoples in our world. I’m sure Ilhan Omar is no more sentimental about Muslims as she is hateful about Israel. It’s just, well; it suits a strategy of oppression, doesn’t it? I mean, I’d use it if I could. If it would get me out of real work, I’d say, “May Allah, awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel,” all the time believing neither in Allah or the evil doings of Israel, but just seeing it as a effective strategy to tear down that which I don’t like and replace it with that I do. In the end, who can say? Is she good for the future of the United States? Well, that depends on what people want. But if she’s, as I think, nothing but an effective progressive strategy designed “against” something. I think then, she’s a big, BIG error...
What can I do? Tell me. What can I do?
I'm a Dem living in NJ. Any protests planned? Petitions I can sign?
Thanks in advance for suggestions.
The United States experienced a horrible anti-Semitic attack last year when a gunman, driven by hate, murdered Jews in Temple. Trump's initial reaction? That they should have had an armed guard. It was only later, under the coaching of Jared and Ivanka, that Trump addythe bigotry behind the massacre. And yet, Trump didn't begin to get the same criticism that Ms. Omar did.
Bret Stephens wrote: "Contrary to a self-serving myth among Israel’s detractors, there’s rarely a social or reputational penalty for publicly criticizing Israeli policies today. "
He should think again. There are currently, in over 20 states, laws that prohibit support for BDS--the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, intended to pressure Israel to stop oppressing the Palestinians. In Texas, there has even been a case of a school administrator losing her job because she refused to sign a contract renewal provision, requiring her not to boycott Israel or Israeli companies.
These anti-BDS laws do not apply to any other country. They are most certainly unconstitutional. That we already have so many states with these laws on the books speaks to the current political atmosphere regarding Israel in the U.S.
Bret Stephens is also perpetrating a smear when he tries to bring Jeremy Corbyn into the conversation. There is no evidence that Mr. Corbyn is an anti-semite. Rather, he is one of the few prominent British politicians to actually acknowledge that Israel has been violating the rights of Palestinians. Those in Britain who attack him for being an anti-semite are in fact supporters of the Israeli government. As we have seen, Netanyahu and company accuse those who disagree with them of being anti-semites, almost as a matter of course.
Mr. Stephens, you are right in writing that some of us don't get it. We get that jewish people are hypersensitive about criticism due to their terrible history and we will stand by them so that anything like pogroms and holocausts are never replicated, but we also were outraged by Bibi's appearance criticizing our president in our congress. Have leaders of other countries ever been invited to congress to criticize a sitting president? We wonder what made the Republicans do it. Was is hatred of Obama or was it the Israeli lobby contributions? We have the right to wonder. I remember when french fries became liberty fries because France wouldn't jump off the bridge with us to start the Iraq war. Israeli policies deserve to be criticized, and splitting hairs about how this criticism should be voiced has little merit.
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I have listened to Jews calling Arabs animals and, in particular, Palestinians, cockroaches. As I listened, I thought of how unhealthy it is to both de-humanize individuals you have not met and elevate yourself as someone superior without some sort of test.
Perhaps Omar's push-back is a good thing. Perhaps it's even about time. I have listened to Jews complain about Zionism; the government of Israel bears little resemblance to the refuge of a persecuted people. Today, it has all the makings of an oppressive oligarchy: one that oppresses Jews as well as those who the alt-right in their country consider sub-human.
And, then, there is the larger matter the author doesn't mention: the influence of foreign governments in the very halls of our government. It's not just Israel that seems to have more control of our government than the voters: it's China, Russia, Great Britain, Germany, and others. Omar and others in the progressive wing have tried to bring this to the attention of the leadership of the People's House. Instead, the republicans are attacking someone who is exposing their vulnerability as pawns of foreign powers.
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The writer seems all too willing to fall into a republican party sucker play. He may be willing to forget, but I sure won't, how Netanyahu, i.e., Israel, and the Capitol Hill republican leaders backstabbed Obama in 2015, not only breaking protocol and decency, but outright sneering at the office of President and thus our system of government, and thus the American people. Also, Netanyahu has been a violent voice in opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, a model of diplomatic accomplishment necessitated in large part by his government's betrayal of Presidents Bush and Obama vis-a-vis the "Stuxnet" debacle. Israel may be an ally, but like unfettered capitalism, it tends toward rampant irresponsibility, i.e., a danger to the USA and the world, if not held in constant check.
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@Benoit Roux asks
"What do you mean by Egypt and Jordan "created" the Palestinian problem?"
Apparently you are totally unaware of the history of the region.
For starters, who do you think controlled Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem for the two decades prior to 1967? Egypt controlled Gaza, and Jordan controlled the West Bank and E Jerusalem.
Jordan, in fact, had given Jordanian citizenship to all the Arabs of the West Bank. In any other situation, this would have ended the refugee status of those Palestinians. But the UN has contributed to this mess by declaring Palestinians "refugees" to the last generation.
If these Arab countries believed in an independent Arab nation of Palestine, why didn't they create it during those two decades?
Ans: Prior to 1967, all the existing Arab nations denied the existence of such a thing as "Palestine." Their intention was to divide what had been the British Mandate of Palestine among themselves. Only after the catastrophic loss in 1967 did the Arab nations declare support for "Palestine"
Moreover, Egypt and Jordan do not share all the blame. Recognizing the possible "blunder" by Jordan in awarding citizenship to WB Arabs/Palestinians, in 1957 the Arab League passed resolution 1547, forbidding ALL Arab countries from offering citizenship to Palestinians.
And thats why 70 years on, Palestinians in Lebanon are denied citizenship,forbidden to own land, or be doctors, lawyers, engineers etc.
Thanks, Bret, for point no out the truth about what people want to avoid or deny.
I think the situation is also a sign of greater underlying problems right here. It’s typical. When the going gets rough, point out why people should be afraid and who they should blame. Throughout history, whether it was the plague, economic problems, or even just a distraction, Jews have been singled out for punishment.
Hopefully this will not turn out to be the case this time. I can’t imagine that Jewish people will sit still and take it.
I'm not sure if Ilhan Omar is anti-semitic or not. I am sure that an invitation by Republicans in Congress to Netanyahu to speak in opposition to President Obama's Iran Nuclear Deal was an act of disloyalty to a sitting president. But watching House Republicans on the Oversight Committee confirmed they have no interest in the truth or the rule of law.
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Man, after reading Friedman's piece yesterday and this one today, I have to speak out. I disagreed with portion's of Friedman's opinion, but I really do not agree with Stephen's opinion. Maybe I am ignorant, but I never equated Jews and Israel. Just like I never equated being Catholic with being Italian or Hindu with Indians, etc. Yes, Israel is a Jewish state, but my I don't think of my fellow Pittsburghers in Squirrel Hill as Israelis.
Money is being used to influence US policy on our treatment of Israel, but you can't criticize, because over history, money hungry and other slanderous terms to describe Jewish people of power and means, were used to persecute them. Many want Ilhan to denounce Palestinian terrorists and government, before she can criticize Israel. You criticize Isreal, The barriers to criticizing Israel are pretty high.
Yes, I think the US should support Israel. However, we should be able to be critical of undo influence for polices that subjugate a minority population. I believe many of the those screaming condemnations at Ilahn Omar are doing so to obscure the problems being aired by Omar. They get a 2 for when they can also slander a Muslim.
It is a complex problem and one that needs many voices and opinions in order to resolve. All bigotry and racism should be stamped out, but the reaction against Omar seems to overkill. I didn't quite see the same reaction when several House and Senate members have said worse regarding people of color.
Stephens writes "If Pelosi can’t muster a powerful and unequivocal resolution condemning anti-Semitism..." but the very fact that anti-Semitism is on the menu for Democrats has already sent a powerful signal.
Imagine how differently people would feel about Muslim immigrants if those who made it into Congress made a clean break from the anti-Semitism of their countries of origin.
This is why the separation of church and state, religion and nation is so essential.
People who defend human rights and liberal democracy are also typically the same who criticize Israel for human rights violation and and for segregation.
But they are then too easily accused of ant-semitism.
The Israeli government and mostly right wing American politicians have used that as a convenient shield for baseless counterattacks.
The author of the op-Ed piece does the same.
It’s cheap, it’s inflammatory, hypocritical and it’s fundamentally wrong.
Sealing off the Gaza Strip and building settlements in the West Bank are imperialistic and oppressive tactics that need to be called out. This can’t be tolerated, the same as anti-semitism, racism and any form of discrimination.
I'm so glad this piece was written because it hits exactly all the right notes. The Labour party is being torn apart by the consequences of the tolerance of intolerance and the Democratic party is following right down the same path, led by the queen pied-pipers of intolerance themselves, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. It's never been verboten to have a debate over support for Israel in the United States, many organizations and periodicals exist specifically to encourage that debate. But Tlaib and Ilhan have poisoned the subject with their deliberate and repeated use of anti-Semitic sterotypes. We can't let this slide, morally and politically it's wrong and it needs to be stopped before we end up in the sad place Corbyn's Labour is in today.
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Omar is a bigot, either through her essential ethical make-up or via the cartoonishly oversimplified view of Middle East history and politics that characterizes so many of the young left.
I’ve been a Democrat my whole life, but if this kind of racism-redefined-as-boldness becomes a main feature of the party, they will lose me, and the center, and the election.
I speak only for myself, but any article about the state of Israel that does not include the word Palestine, does not address my convictions about Israeli policies and actions at this point in my lifetime. And I believe that anyone who writes such an article is deliberately avoiding that elephant in the room--the increasingly horrific treatment of the Palestinians by the Israeli state. I have always believed in Israel's right to exist, but to save the soul of Israel, as well as the soul of its staunch supporter the US, Americans need to do everything they can to stop Israel's crimes against the Palestinians. If we truly care about the state of Israel, we will protest its atrocities.
I miss the days when the biggest issue was crafting a two-state solution!
I am Jewish. I do not agree with everything Israel has done in the last 25-30 years. I would very much like to see some progress when it comes to the Palestinians. However, what most people fail to understand is that all the unrest surrounding the Palestinians serves the remaining countries in the Middle East quite well. Whenever they want to demonize Israel or the Jews all their leaders have to do is point to the Palestinians and they score big on the political front.
The Democrats should censure her. She is not an ignorant child. She is an adult in a responsible position who, if she is incapable of controlling herself, ought to be removed. The GOP will use this as a wedge issue with voters to demonstrate that Democrats are not interested in dealing with uncomfortable issues. What is uncomfortable for me as a Jewish woman who is well aware of how people see Jews, is the insinuation that all Jews expect their representatives to support Israel without reserve. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Omar is feeding the fears some have about Muslims. Perhaps that fact needs to be pointed out to her. Does she want to perpetuate the stereotype that the GOP and Donald Trump have used to deny Muslims from Arab countries entry as immigrants to America? And, in case she hasn't noticed, there are times when adults do support things that are humane and right.
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What I would like to hear from Rep. Omar:
'I am sincerely sorry for my insensitive remarks, which crossed the line between constructive criticism of Israeli policy and destructive anti-Semitic bigotry.'
What I would like to hear from Speaker Pelosi:
'The Democratic caucus recognizes Israel as an indispensible ally, and a beacon of Western values in a troubled region. Unlike our Republican colleagues, we will not hesitate to challenge the Israeli government where its actions run counter to our shared interests. Likewise, we will also not hesitate to challenge members of our own caucus, when their words and deeds fall short of our standards for decency, tolerance, and respect.'
But, I've read about laws in Texas and Arkansas (there may be other states) that require public employees and contractors working on government jobs (before they can be hired or bid) to sign a 'pledge' not to criticize or boycott or do economic harm to Israel? Isn't this a kind of forced declaration of allegiance to a foreign state? And are these laws a result of the general will of the people of Texas an Arkansas, or where do they come from?
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But, I've read about laws in Texas and Arkansas (there may be other states) that require public employees and contractors working on government jobs (before they can be hired or bid) to sign a 'pledge' not to criticize or boycott or do economic harm to Israel? Isn't this a kind of forced declaration of allegiance to a foreign state? And are these laws a result of the general will of the people of Texas an Arkansas, or where do they come from?
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Bret, you write: "there’s rarely a social or reputational penalty for publicly criticizing Israeli policies today."
Unfortunately, this is dead wrong. For most Americans who are not opinion columnists or college students, criticism of the policies of the Israeli government can be a one-way ticket to a quiet firing, since there is often the incorrect conflation of criticism of Israel's policies with criticism of the Jewish people. Although I love Jewish culture, have contributed greatly to Jewish charities, and want to see a prosperous and just Israel that thrives into the far future, I cannot even risk putting out my real name here.
That is a problem. I loathe the land grabs, the illegal occupation of territories, and the casual racism of the Israeli government's current policies, especially because these shameful acts erode Israel's own moral authority. But how can any of us peons do anything when we can't even risk putting our real names to paper (or pixels) without risking our careers from those who would twist our words and cry anti-semitism where none truly exists?
What is a concerned citizen, who loves the Jewish people and Israel, to do?
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Congresswoman Omar is the easy target in this: female, muslim, and progressive. What is not part of the discussion here is the huge pot of money thrown to members of the U.S. Congress by pro-Israel lobbying PAC's. The 2018 election cycle saw $22 million given out to members of Congress. And of course that doesn't count the $25 million given to the Trump campaign in 2016 by Sheldon Adelson, and $100 million to the Republican Party in 2018. Adelson's investment paid off big-time, as we saw when the U.S. embassy in Israel was moved to Jerusalem, and when the U.S. government bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Mrs. Adelson. So let's have a full accounting of what's really happening here, and just follow the money.....
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Has AIPAC used money and political influence to help shape U.S. Foreign policy in the Middle East in ways that benefit Israel?
Has Israel used brutal and often oppressive tactics against Palestinians?
You may not agree with IIhan Omar's choice of words to describe the situation, but basically she's right. We need to review our policies in the Middle East and Israel needs to challenged about how they treat the Palestinian people.
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The first thing that happens is we tear down the borders and barriers that keep minority groups from participating in our political system. The second thing that happens, once they're allowed in, is we start rebuilding the borders and barriers. In both cases the goal is to design and then maintain some homogeneous form of participation --- you can say this, but not that; you can criticize in these words, but not those; and here is the list of things which, if you express them, will be equated with this list of things you will be excoriated for.
"And still she persisted" was just the beginning. More recently we have the apoplectic Mr Meadows, the gentleman from North Carolina and former birther, demanding that Ms Tlaib, the gentlewoman from Michigan and current Muslim, have her words struck from the record for insinuating that using a black woman as a prop is racist. Mr Stephens, in this column, makes no such calls, but is unabashed in calling Ms Omar an anti-Semite and challenging Nancy Pelosi to enforce the borders. Perhaps we need a wall.
I don't know if Omar is an anti-Semite any more than I know if Meadows is a racist, although both seem to work overtime trying to prove they're not in spite of their ill-advised words and actions. It seems as though we're fully engaged, however, in making sure all the borders and barriers are firmly in place, so we can tell which team everybody is on without having to use a scorecard.
I admire and respect everything that America has done to help create the state of Israel. I admire the Israeli people. It is truly miracle what they have done since 1948. But at what expense?
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A pyrrhic victory. It weakens Pelosi and forces the presidential candidates to take loose-loose positions on the eve of an elections.
It also does the impossible of giving Trump the moral high ground.
Criticism of Israel in isolation is dishonest. Per the article, can we look at Rights and practices in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iran Saudi Arabia? . Countries that are terrorizing 200M Muslims?
I do not hear about the Turkish occupation of Cyprus. But that is Muslim on Christian violence and that is AOK in the new intersectional world of these hypocrites.
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Anti-Semitism in America should be condemned. But Stephen's goes well beyond that and Like Omar, he knows exactly what he's doing.
With deft slight of hand Stephens puts " offensive language" socialism, Jeremy Corbyn, the Labor Party, the 'progressive' Democrats all in the same basket.
Implicitly they either are, or support or fail to condemn anti-semitism and that's proof that they hate Jews, Israel or both.
Stephens claims the mantle of balance by pronouncing his call for Netanyahu to resign. But he hasn't called for Likud to reverse its policies of ethnic cleansing.
But I don't write to condemn Stephens, even though I disagree with him. What we see unfolding before our very eyes is the same process happening within Israel.
The failure to address the reality of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians has plunged us all into a place where innuendo, including anti-semitic tropes, replaces honest dialogue.
Many Jewish writers are alarmed by the religious polarization within Israel and it's impact on policy toward the Palestinians. Here, our congress can't even have an honest discussion of the issue.
Instead, Democrats and the GOP alike stampede to the podium with blanket 'we support' declarations while the president plans for war with Iran and sales of nuclear reactors to the Saudi's.
AIPAC's funding recomendations hover in the background saying 'speak at your peril.'
We are all being pulled into a polarized vortex and must find a way out, before it's too late.
I agree with Ms Omar that it is alarming is members of Congress or other branches of government pledge some form of allegiance to Israel through AIPAC. Their proposed rebuke of her is proof!!
Imagine the furor that would rise if we found out that members of Congress were influenced by Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, even Canada??? All our allies, but foreign nations nonetheless. We certainly couldn’t pledge allegiance to a religion either, as that would be against one of the very foundations of this country, separation of church and state.
And oh yeah, this is a law:
“A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily performing any of the following acts with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality:
Taking an oath or making an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after having attained the age of eighteen years.”
Somehow we have arrived at a place where Israel has such influence over our Congress that its members are not allowed to criticize it. This is un-American.
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Absolutely spot-on. Thank you.
“I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee.”
Bret Stephens seems to have trouble comprehending the word "I".
The old "trope" as people keep describing it is basically saying that Jews in the United States should be suspect because they might have dual allegiance to the US and Israel, because of their religion.
The important thing here is that this is not what Ihan Omar said, or Tweeted, or wrote. Yes, the old trope is bigotry, it's making assumptions about people based on religion.
Omar was complaining about *her* being pressured to support Israel, as articles too numerous to count have pointed out by now. Check out Paul Waldman in the Washington Post in "The Dishonest Smearing of Ilhan Omar" for one, or an article in The Nation by Phyliss Bennis who says "I’m Jewish and have worked against anti-Semitism for decades. I was sitting a few feet from Omar at Busboys & Poets and I heard nothing—nothing—that smacked of anti-Semitism, overt or coded or otherwise."
Bret Stephens is being horribly dishonest here. Turning "I shouldn't be pressured to support" into "All Jews are pressured to support Israel" is utterly dishonest, and he's doing it right in front of your eyes.
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Brett Stephens needs to educate himself about Rep, Omar's activities in her own district. She has met extensively with Jewish organizations in Minnesota in long, sensitive sessions. Her support among progressive Jewish groups is strong. Her opposition centers on the rich and powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an organization that is not representing Jews or even Israeli citizens. Many evangelical Christians are also AIPAC supporters. AIPAC has long been criticized for its strong-arm lobbying tactics in Congress, which center on getting our government to support right-wing Israeli POLITICS, not Israel or Israelis or Jews. There is nothing in Omar's rhetoric that reflects anti-Semitism, and Stephen's willingness to criticize Netanyahu (not hard to do!) does not give him license to smear Omar.
1
Great article, Mr. Stephens. It seems Identity politics has reared its ugly head in the shape of an Islamic congresswoman who has prioritized Palestinian rights as a platform upon which to launch her fledgling political aspirations, and the Jews and their organizations become the perpetrators of evil. It's a story as old as time. What are your political aspirations, Ms. Omar? How will you improve the lives of struggling Americans on our soil? Why have you chose this tower to shout from when there are so many others that are beginning to crumble?
1
Let's Make America Great Again by shutting down debate and attacking a Muslim woman who questions the policies of the government she works for. She is not questioning Judaism, she is questioning our relationship with another nation. The only reason this is so controversial is that she is a Muslim. The fact that she has to be shushed by those in her own party goes to her argument about Israeli lobbying and it's influence among her peers.
The election of so many new "Liberals" to House seats is a great case of "Be careful what you wish for." Omar and her colleague AOC will be a huge help to Trump in 2020. They are so much like him, as well. They, like Trump, know little and have big mouths. They are not smart enough to hang back and observe and they don't seem to want to learn. Right there are the hallmarks of a small mind. People within the Democratic Party need to work to enlighten some of these new people who have no respect for anything but themselves (another similarity to Trump). If not, the anti-Semitism is just the beginning.
Here's a thought to my fellow readers who see no evil or prejudice or malice on the left and either don't see Rep Omar's active participation in an anti-Jewish conspiracy or actually believe there instead a conspiracy against Omar: Do you honestly think that, maybe even a little, the impetus for the left to call for the very liberal (and very effective) Senator Franken's immediate resignation for jokes/pranks he committed while a comedian would have been so righteously strong had he been NOT Jewish? If he had been Muslim? If he were Protestant? If he were a black American descendant of slaves? Would he have gotten just a reprimand or maybe even a "pass" in any of those cases? My personal opinion is that a significant percentage of what passes for left wing in the US (more like centrist in Europe) is as motivated by hate and prejudice and anger as a significant percent of the right. It's time we acknowledged it openly and dealt with it. That public debate is happening in the UK right now.
1
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Where is the condemnation of everyone else making the same sort of statements? Does it not seem suspicious that the greatest outrage is aimed at a Muslim Woman, almost ignoring others?
and I think the author’s argument more specifically demonstrates how response to criticism of a country can slide into criticism of “antisemitic thinking”.
I agree all should tone down the rhetoric, but your essay smells of biased interpretation.
1
Well, pretty much fills in that center right thing.
These new critics of Israel have no knowledge of the region's history. They only see that now Israel is strong and the Palestinians are weak. They don't know that whenever an offer of an independent state was made to the Palestinians their leadership turned it down because it didn't include all of Israel. They don't care to consider that when Gaza was turned over to Palestinian control the leadership there chose to use Gaza as a launching pad for rockets instead of opening a peaceful relationship with Israel. They know nothing about the harsh conditions that Jews had living in Arab countries for centuries before moving to Israel. Israel has had some bad policies, including the settlements, but on the whole the predicament of the Palestinians has resulted from their own actions and those of the Arab nations who have used them as pawns.
1
One way to test your paranoid theory about Omar would be to actually HAVE open debate about US policy toward Israel, Mr. Stephens. I actually do like Israel and I want it to continue not only to exist, but to thrive. I also want the Palestinians to have a place that is their own, with not only the same kind of democratic process that Israel enjoys but also the same kind of support from the US. But the truth is that's not what AIPAC supports--it casts all sorts of aspersions on Palestinian leadership without acknowledging the unevenness of the playing field; it tacitly accepts the continued displacement of peoples in the interest of colonialist "settlements." These are outrageous political positions, Mr. Stephens, they are outrageous to basic human decency. So let's have the discussion, let's get right with our own moral principles in this country and find a way to support Israel that doesn't also tacitly accept the crimes against humanity it is currently perpetrating. Those things can be done, but until then, you have to understand the outrage, when people like you won't even acknowledge the damage that's being done.
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Tribe appears to trump right. It's interesting what power does to political parties and elected officials.
i would expect more from the Democrats who are rightfully challenging the President for being racist and, at least, an enabler of bigotry.
"Do as I say" in lieu of "practicing what I preach" is not an ethical approach that I would endorse. Imploring one to take the high road while you are taking the low road is intellectually dishonest.
The tone-deafness of the Israeli state toward its Palestinian neighbors has been rankling me for years. All of that ill will has to flow somewhere, so maybe it finds the Jewish people everywhere, since that is who Israel would claim to represent.
What goes 'round comes 'round. Omar is just a little bit of that coming 'round. Call it anti-Semitism if that pleases you Mr. Stephens, but we'd all be better off if you'd focus instead on the cause of the anger.
1
I think that she is raising questions that many of us has had on the question of our blind support to Israel. It is about time that someone in government is not afraid to speak. I also don’t think that her comments are prejudice against Jews.
The USA will continue to blindly support Israel. I think she could raise the issue more diplomatically.
Ms. Omar’s statements no longer shock me. She is pro Maduro in Venezuela. She is anti-Semitic. There are a number of her statements that are blatantly anti-American. I do support and encourage her free speech though. We can hear for ourselves just how radical she actually is. She should not expect to go unchallenged however.
I support Ilhan Omar's right to express her opinions.
What she's saying about Israel and its historical and institutionalized suppression of the Palestinians is a third rail in American politics. On the left and right, the attempts to censor her are based on the fact that it sounds as if she's touching it - "anti-Semitic tropes" - not on the substance of what she's said.
1
Why is this Omar representative opiniating in public with offensive language? Obviously grandstanding and looking for name recognition and fame . Seems to be trying to divide the Democratic party. She's done it now but at what cost to the Democratic party and to the nation.
I think we have to be careful when assigning labels to anyone uttering controversial remarks. Admittedly, in an era of sound bites, biased and/or lazy reporters and the explosion of on-line social media that’s becoming increasingly difficult. Today, even mere images can be distorted into something Orwellian. The instant vilification and labeling of Nick Sandman based upon nothing more than a photograph is a perfect example.
I’m not sure if Congresswoman Omar knows exactly what she’s doing but she certainly has started a firestorm within the Democrat congressional caucus. For a party so quick to label their opposition with epithets like racist, homophobe, misogynist, blah, blah, blah and then demand instant condemnation from their colleagues there is a certain karma to their dilemma. Karma aside, labeling Ms. Omar an anti-semite and instantaneously demanding a resolution may be a salve to those who have experienced labeling themselves but all it does is perpetuate the vicious cycle identity politics. Today it’s anti-semitism, yesterday it was “white nationalism”, the day before that it was racism...
The devolution of American politics has clearly demonstrated that labeling is easy, and effective. Demanding a simple resolution denouncing anti-semitism is easy too. Elaborating on what anti-semitism and all the other "isms" are and how they can be ended it is hard. Ms. Omar and her detractors have an opportunity to begin the process. One hopes they accept the challenge.
Mr. Stephens, anti-Semitism is a strong charge. So is anti-Muslimism. Israel is now an established state, that is populated with Jews from around the world and is their touchstone especially for American Jews. 45 or so years ago I read Leon Uris's Exodus and later Trinity about the plights of the Jewish and then the Irish people. Being young and Irish I took the story to heart and felt a kinship to the IRA, and excused their excesses because of Irish history. I grew up and I was wrong. The current Jewish state was founded what the West did to the Jews of Europe. What is happening in Israel today is both good and bad. Israel is a Jewish state siting on uncompensated land that was owned by individual Palestinians to being taken. So what now? I don't like Israel as a nation. It is a religious state, to some seeks a soft type of ethnic cleansing, but mainly when Netanyahu came to the US trying to influence policy on Iran, I just gave up. But as you said, Israel is a modern democratic state that is successful. All the Jewish people I know are good and kind people, except for Muslims and any threat to Israel. There are 4 million Jews and 3.5 million Arab Americans and Jews have more influence. Omar is one of the first Muslim American women elected. We need to hear her side, it has some legitimacy, but also anger. She can grow and give up anger like I did, rejecting the IRA but only if both sides get a hearing.
My problems with Israel have nothing to do with the Jewish faith. They begin with 1948, when Israel forcefully removed Palestinians from properties their families had owned for generations. Problems continued with laws passed to limit the right to purchase property in Jerusalem by Arabs. Occupation of Gaza increased my animosity. Israel's status as a Jewish state does not negate it's responsibilities to ALL of its citizens.
Everyone I've read who accuses Omar of anti-semitism claims that - to paraphrase - it's okay to criticize Israel but not Judaism. Well, okay. Where has Omar aimed a criticism at Judaism? And if "Israel" is code for "Judaism" then how are we going to have this discussion?
Israel has not hypnotized the world, and Omar needs to clean up that kind of language (at least). But it has managed to lock up a spot as a litmus test in our electoral/governing system. And when Netanyahu is invited to make a speech before Congress in which he hammers away at our own president, you can make a case that an unnerving number of our law/decision makers are more in thrall to that guy than to our own leader (similar to the way that DJT fawns over Saudi, Turkish, Russian and Korean tough guys).
Omar is just starting out. Maybe she's a rabid anti-Semite, or maybe not. Check back in a year and see if she's learned how to choose words that clarify rather than distract from what she's trying to say.
In the meantime, as long as the world is burdened with organized religions that don't get along with each other, we should all stay away from atmospherics and focus on direct actions and policies.
This feels like a lot. These breathless condemnations are not helping your case when you don’t support any of your points. Explain why her positions are wrong and some positives that are Israel-specific. The democracy argument is wearing thin, especially given its recent failures in the US and elsewhere.