WASHINGTON — The
US House of Representatives has passed a
resolution proclaiming that Israel is “not a racist or apartheid state,” a
message directed at progressive critics. On Tuesday, the measure passed in a
412-to-nine vote, hours after
Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with President
Joe Biden.
اضافة اعلان
The legislation comes as a response to comments on Saturday
from US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal who called Israel a racist state, Al
Jazeera reported. In a statement published on her website, Jayapal highlighted
that while she does not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist, she
does point to
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government
who have engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies.
US taking a stern approachTuesday’s approach highlighted an increasingly stern
approach Israel’s supporters are taking to its critics. Meanwhile,
Palestinian rights advocates expressed anger at the measure on Tuesday, as well as toward
Democratic leaders who sided with Republicans to slight their own progressive
colleagues.
In 2020, the Republican majority in the House stripped
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of her seat on the
Foreign Affairs Committee over
accusations of anti-Semitism linked to her criticism of Israel. In May,
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib similarly faced backlash for hosting an event at
the
US Capitol on the anniversary of the Nakba.
DeSantis says West Bank is ‘not occupied’
Furthermore, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking
the Republican presidential nomination, has reiterated claims that
West Bank is
not occupied, suggesting Israel should be able to continue to build settlements
on Palestinian territory without US interference.
On Monday, DeSantis spoke to Christians United for Israel
where he underscored a pro-Israel stance, including efforts to crack down on
companies that boycott the country. CUFI is one of the
largest Christian Zionist organizations, who back Israel for religious reasons.
He added Israelis have “the strongest claim of right” to the
West Bank, pointing to its biblical names.
Occupied since 1967
However, the West Bank is Palestinian territory. Israel
captured the land in 1968, and it has been building settlements for its
citizens in the area in the violation of international law, while having de
factor control over millions of Palestinians in the same territory. Moreover,
several human rights groups, including
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International, concluded that Israel is imposing apartheid on Palestinians. UN
experts have also said that the settlements amount to war crimes.
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