The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) last week condemned Rep. Rashida Tlaib for remarks she made regarding the anti-BDS bill that is currently being considered in Congress.
Referring to H.Res.246, which is entitled “Opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel,” Tlaib tweeted that the House Foreign Affairs Committee “wants to move forward w/ #HR246 #AntiBDS bill to silence opposition of Israel’s blatantly racist policies that demonize both Palestinians & Ethiopians. Our 1st Amd. right to free speech allows boycott of inhumane policies. This bill is unconstitutional.”
The bipartisan anti-BDS resolution currently has 338 cosponsors, including 170 Democrats and 168 Republicans. It makes a number of salient points, including that “the democratic, Jewish State of Israel is a key ally and strategic partner of the United States”; that “since Israel’s founding in 1948, Congress has repeatedly expressed our Nation’s unwavering commitment to the security of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state”; and “cooperation between Israel and the United States is of great importance.” In addition, the resolution notes that “the BDS Movement does not recognize, and many of its supporters explicitly deny, the right of the Jewish people to national self-determination”; and “a founder of the BDS Movement has denied the right of the Jewish people in their homeland.”
Besides her BDS support, Tlaib, who has emphatically stated that as a Member of Congress she will vote against any US military aid to Israel, has also made a number of troubling statements regarding Israel. In addition to opposing the existence of the State of Israel, Tlaib has condemned Israel and defended Hamas’ horrific and indiscriminate attacks on Israeli civilians.
“With her track record of anti-Israel animus and professed support for the anti-Semitic BDS movement, it is no surprise that Rep. Tlaib would be an outlier in Congress on issues pertaining to Israel, even though in this particular situation, over three-quarters of the House members support the anti-BDS bill,” said NCYI President Farley Weiss. “Her reference to what she terms ‘Israel’s blatantly racist policies’ is a complete farce, and the fact that a Member of Congress would deliberately overlook the endless acts of terrorism carried out by the Palestinian Arabs against a US ally and instead demonize Israel is an absolute disgrace.”
The NCYI noted that the international working definition of anti-Semitism, which was adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2016 and is utilized by the US State Department, includes various anti-Israel activities, such as those employed by BDS activists in their quest to delegitimize the State of Israel.
“Rep. Tlaib has proven to be an unabashed antagonist of the State of Israel, and her enduring efforts to vilify Israel, advocate for its destruction, and promote anti-Semitism are extremely disconcerting,” added Weiss. “We call on the congressional leaders from both parties to take steps to duly address the blatant anti-Israel bias being exhibited by Rep. Tlaib, as well as her anti-Semitic statements and sentiments, which have become far too routine.”