“AIPAC does have a lot of financial muscle. It is a powerful, well-run, well-funded lobby which is worthy of attention, discussion, and criticism.”
“But it’s all about how you do it. …
“Not everyone has to be up on all the details of different Jewish organizations. But if you want to criticize a people who have been literally mass murdered on the basis of the ideas you may be invoking, you should be careful to stick to the facts.”
But all Rep. Omar did was quote a song in a flippant way on Twitter: “It’s all about the Benjamins,” and claim that AIPAC spends money on politics. Does that sound like this black, African immigrant woman in the U.S. House was heralding the coming American Kristallnacht?
“When it comes to AIPAC, be familiar with their successes as well as their failures, like their failure to stop the Iran nuclear deal. Surely if they were invincible, they could have found some Benjamins to use to stop that deal?”
But Omar never said the Lobby was “invincible.” And, in fact, directly due to Israel Lobby money, the U.S. withdrew from the deal a year ago. According to the great journalist Eli Clifton: “These Three Billionaires Paved Way For Trump’s Iran Deal Withdrawal: GOP megadonors Sheldon Adelson, Bernard Marcus, and Paul Singer are getting exactly what paid for when they threw their financial weight behind Trump.”
Let us pray that Clifton’s characterizations of these men and their efforts pass muster at The Forward (where he’s written numerous times in the past). Would hate to see Sargon and Chelsea Clinton go after him this way.
At this point the article just devolves into comedy.
“One of the most unfortunate responses to the Omar brouhaha was how many people came out to say that Omar was right – because Jews do use money to silence criticism of Israel.
“This is deeply disturbing. It’s a gross combination of gaslighting and repeating the very things that have horrified Jews in the first place.
But Sargon, who used her position as opinion editor at The Forward to pick this fight in the first place, has also run in her paper, and linked to in her current article, pieces by Peter Feld and other liberal Jews defending Omar (who never used the word “Jew” or “Jewish” in any of her statements on this the way Feld and others did).
Who’s gaslighting who?
One may discuss Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and the Israel Lobby’s financial activities in D.C., but we must never characterize these things as having anything to do with money, or else that’s the same as being a racist anti-Semite in a Klan robe (unless Sargon publishes your article in The Forward, like Feld, in which case it’s cool, I guess).
And remember, if you are ever attacked by the Israel Lobby and characterized as an anti-Semite, then definitely don’t say that that is what’s happening or you will be proving them right about you after the fact. She writes:
“Don’t double down on Jewish stereotypes. If in your denials that you’re being anti-Semitic, you find yourself accusing Jews or ‘Zionists’ of using their power and money to smear and silence you, think about how that looks to us.”
Thank goodness the the rules are now clear.
Okay, all sarcasm aside, there are very few real anti-Semites in the U.S. They certainly have no political power. Any true anti-Semite is virtually always a white right-winger who also hates blacks, Catholics, Palestinians and everybody else — and is never shy about telling you why. And they don’t apologize.
When anyone has to go looking at the pro-Palestinian, pro-civil rights left for possibly-anti-Semitic-sounding comments to flip out about, they’ve already run out of real enemies to fight. It is all the proof anyone should need that the whole controversy is trumped up bullshit.
Falsely attacking someone for anti-Semitism is just as bad as attacking someone for being Jewish.
Now, let’s get back to discussing Jewish-supremacist apartheid in the occupied territories and the Israeli government’s denial of the human rights of those they’ve conquered based on their racial, ethnic and religious identities as Arab, Muslim and Christian.
Update: check out what a nut this lady is in this interview also featuring Peter Feld, and how right he is.
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(Here are some articles by liberal/progressive/leftist Jews defending Omar from this nonsense:
This Is How AIPAC Really Works by M.J. Rosenberg
How US Politicians Use Charges of Anti-Semitism as a Weapon by Mairav Zonszein
What Ilhan Omar Said About AIPAC Was Right by Ady Barkan (This poor guy wrote this from his deathbed.)
No, Ilhan Omar Is Not Anti-Semitic For Calling Out AIPAC by Peter Feld
This Is What the Beginning of a Real Israel Debate Looks Like by Ben Ehrenreich
Ilhan Omar is right about the influence of the Israel lobby by Alex Kotch
Here’s How AIPAC Spends Money to Influence Congress by Alex Kotch
Where’s the lie? by Noah Kulwin
Weaponization and Oversimplification of Israel Debate Must End J-Street Statement
Ilhan Omar and the Anti-Semitic ‘Trope/canard’ Smear David Samel
Ilhan Omar says AIPAC influences Congress using money and Israel supporters erupt in fury by Philip Weiss
Democratic Party leadership, in bed with AIPAC, condemns Ilhan Omar for ‘anti-Semitic… accusations’ by Philip Weiss
Don’t blame the Israel lobby on Christians and Republicans by Philip Weiss
We must thank Ilhan Omar for opening a debate about AIPAC at last by Jonathan Ofir
Ilhan Omar takes on the establishment by Nora Barrows-Friedman
Even the notoriously unfair characterizer of so many things, Bill Maher, defended her.
Others too:
Who Dares Criticize Israel? by Warren Beale
The First Rule of AIPAC Is: You Do Not Talk about AIPAC by Thomas L. Knapp
Pro-Israel Lobby Caught on Tape Boasting That Its Money Influences Washington by Ryan Grim
Ilhan Omar Under Attack for Telling Truth About Israel Lobby by Ali Abunimah
Why Must Ilhan Omar Apologize for Telling the Truth? by Brett Wilkins
Ilhan Omar Just Destroyed the Taboo Against Criticizing AIPAC by Mehdi Hasan)
