By: Azhar Azam
For decades, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a constricted subject in the American politics over the sensitivity of the issue. In United States, any voice that pans Jewish state for its inimical treatment with Palestinians are hurled into the anti-Semitic basket and is vigorously criticized and socially marginalized.
In November, Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill was fired by CNN within the 24 hours of his gripping pro-Palestinian speech at the United Nations, in which he slated Israel government and its laws that deny Palestinians access to full citizenship rights simply because they are not Jewish.
Freshman Democrat Ilhan Omar is the newest victim of the U.S. lawmakers’ backlash after her allegation about Israeli political influence in the country “to push allegiance for a foreign county” and suggesting American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for “paying American politicians to be pro-Israel”. Omar also strongly backs two-nation solution for Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a well grown-up democratic culture like the United States, it is therefore no less than startling to carp Rep. Omar for just elaborating a realty that already subsists in the country and enunciating of the prevailing facts with anti-Semitism trope is even shocking.
There is no paradigm in the world over that a sovereign state has allowed a foreign prime minister to openly decry its legislator and tolerate an organization – with a mission to ensure a safe, strong, and secure Jewish state – to intermingle with its top government officials.
Although Omar immediately came under “heavy shelling” both from the Republicans and the Democrats following her remarks but as a matter of fact, her staunch stance on AIPAC’s influence in the American politics is supported by some concrete evidence.
AIPAC is the biggest and the most powerful outfit in the Israel Lobby, when it comes to the U.S politicking. Every year, it spends significant amount on hiring the professional lobbyists who know how to convince Congressmen to vote for the interests of the Israel. There are some other Jewish groups too such as Israeli-American Coalition for Action, J Street, and Zionist Organization of America but none of them can match the clout of AIPAC.
It has such a prodigious sway on the U.S. top politicians that even the leading presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, addressed in its 2016 annual conference. It recently concluded summit featured Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Speaker House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, former ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and other leading U.S. legislators.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke in the event and spent most of his time in thumping Omar. “Again the Jews are said to have too much influence, too much power, too much money.” He asked “to respond to those who hate the Jews is not to bow down to them. It’s to stand up to them.”
“So I have a message to all the anti-Semites out there...whether they voice their hatred in political parties in…the United States. The Jewish people do not bow down. We stand up, we fight, and we win.” “Take it from this Benjamin, it’s not about the Benjamins.” He was referring to Omar’s tweet of calling AIPAC his baby.
Normally, Congress should have shown an act of solidarity with Omar over an overseas head of state’s bitterness towards Representative of Minnesota but perhaps not in the case of Israel at least. The Congress Woman herself had to clap back at Netanyahu. "We are not even 6 months out from the Pittsburgh massacre. We are not even 2 weeks out from the Christchurch massacre. Yet the topic Netanyahu chose to focus on was…me.”
Instead, Omar was called on by the Chairman of the U.S. House of Foreign Affairs Committee and was pressed to apologize for “a vile, anti-Semitic slur”, which shows that how long AIPAC and the other Jewish lobbies can go on to force House Representatives to follow the Israeli lines and can restrict American lawmakers to end the debate by disguising any comments in the perspective of anti-Semitism.
Peter Beinart, a professor at the City University of New York as well as a contributor to The Atlantic and a CNN political commentator, however, deeply supported Omar. He quoted Omar, AIPAC wields power from because it supporters give politicians money, which is true but incomplete: AIPAC also wields power because of a strong cultural, ideological, and religious affinity for Israel, particularly for right.
It is worthwhile to recall that Omar is not the only American who laments over Israeli tyranny on Palestinians and criticizes US presidents’ profound silence on Israeli acrid actions. They are increasing number of Americans who patronizes her policy positions on Israeli influence in the U.S. politics.
The University of Maryland’s Critical Issues Poll conducted in October 2018 found that 38% of the all adult surveyed Americans (including 55% Democrats and 19% Republicans) believed that Israeli government has ‘too much influence’ on American politics and policies.
The study further told that younger Americans (aged 18-34 years) – 44% – were more convinced that Israeli government has ‘too much influence’ on American politics and policies, as compared to 35+ years Americans’ considerations of 36%.
When asked about Trump administration role in mediating Israeli-Palestine conflict, 62% of all Americans (including 67% youths) suggested that it should ‘lean toward neither side’; an increase of 3% from 2017 poll that realized 59% Americans had the same view.
Americans were almost tied once quizzed about a “two-state solution” or “one-state solution” – a majority of 36% supported a two-state solution against 35% of the all Americans who opined for one-state solution. In addition, 40% Americans suggested to either impose some economic sanctions through the UN or unilaterally or take more serious action against Israel on its illegal settlements after 1967.
The recent Gallup survey exhumed that Americans’ partiality towards Israel has declined for the first time since 2005 to 59% – whereas sympathies for Palestinians have grown to 21%. The remaining 20% Americans were either unsure or neutral. Sympathies towards Israel were downed largely because of Republicans’ declining pro-Israeli posture that fell from 87% in 2018 to 76% in 2019.
All these corroborations tell that Ilhan Omar is only baptized as “anti-Semitic” for sharing the thoughts and opinions of many Americans about predominating Israeli influence in the U.S politics and don’t forget, she rode to Congress with the support like-minded Americans that vindicate her candid stance on Israeli-Palestinian conflict.