Lara Friedman
@LaraFriedmanDC
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President, Foundation for Middle East Peace (@FMEP). Post/RT/follow≠endorse; views are my own. I mute trolls.
Washington, DC
Joined May 2009
The battle over the IHRA definition of antisemitism, in a nutshell:. "you have to define it to fight it" = "you have to define all meaningful criticism of Israel/its policies/ Zionism as 'antisemitism' in order to suppress it, because we can't win the arguments otherwise.".
Law professors call the widely respected IHRA definition deleted by the ABA “an invaluable educational tool for understanding how Jews experience antisemitism today”.
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Yes folks, this is real (I just took this screenshot myself). Pull up Beit Hanoun in Google maps and see for yourself (though seems likely Google will blur the image at some point).
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Apparently a Palestinian who just lost his entire family in Israeli strike, still covered in dust & blood after barely surviving that strike, who dares to feel angry & vengeful against the people who just killed his entire family = monster guilty of irrational hate against Jews.
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The new comic by @elivalley brilliantly summarizes where things are today - a parable in 6 panels :
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They are clearly, unabashedly telling the world their plans - why won’t the world believe them?.
“A house on the beach is not a dream”: An Israeli real estate company specialising in Jewish settlements in the West Bank is planning for the day after. This is beyond aspirational, their staff is already working on plans.
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For anyone who doesn’t believe there is shadow-banning of Palestine-related accounts on this platform, try to follow @Pal_ActionUS and see what happens (X will show you as “following” and then if you click back on the account, you’ll find that you are once again NOT following).
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We are watching Israel commit large scale genocide/ethnic cleansing in real time, with the US govt and much of the organized Jewish community justifying it, defending it, materially supporting it, celebrating it and quite literally cheering it on.
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Six spectators charged for "disrupting" Netanyahu speech -- "All the guests who were arrested are family members of hostages who are either currently held by Hamas or died in captivity.".
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With a respect to the obscene “but they voted for Hamas” argument being used to dehumanize & justify genocide again Palestinians in Gaza — 3 key points: 🧵
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Hi all. Nerdy policy wonk who follows Congress closely weighing in with a thread on legislation (getting no media coverage) moving rapidly through Congress that targets US non-profit orgs, with the immediate & explicit target being orgs involved in Palestine protesting. 1/.
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Think it's an exaggeration to talk about "McCarthyism" with respect to efforts to shut down criticism of Israel? I give you: HR 6578, intro'd 12/5, a bipartisan bill to create equivalent of the House Un-American Activities Committee - but this time targeting critics of Israel.
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Rep Tlaib criticizes Israel —> censured by House. Rep Omar criticizes Israel/AIPAC —> kicked off HFAC. Rep Walberg calls for annihilation of every Palestinians in Gaza —> odds that Congress will do anything (other than celebrate his support for Israel) = zero.
Wow. Michigan Republican Representative Tim Walberg, on Gaza:. “We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid. It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick.”.
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New terms for ethnic cleansing: .—> “Letting Palestinians leave” .—>“allowed to flee”
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This statement, delivered literally at the exact moment when Israel is massively bombing Beirut with US supplied bombs, causing mass destruction-terror-displacement-injuries-death among Lebanese, Palestinian refugees & Syrian refugees, is a truly obscene level of gaslighting.
The people of Lebanon are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there. To that end, the United States will provide.
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It is striking how little attention this is getting. And by “striking” I mean: appalling, baffling, inexcusable.
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3) —> arguing that civilians are guilty because their government is guilty is literally the logic of terrorists, including those who have attacked the US. @shadihamid says it perfectly:
This is the same twisted logic terrorists use, that there were no American civilians on 9/11 because we live in a democracy and are all therefore implicated in what our leaders do. This is Hamas' argument about Israeli civilians. A dangerous and inhuman line of argument.
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1) most of “them” — the Palestinians being bombed/killed/injured/displaced in Gaza today — .have never voted for Hamas (or anyone). The election that Hamas won took place in 2006 - 17 YRS AGO ago. Most people in Gaza were either small children or not yet born in 2006.
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In a development that should surprise nobody, there is now a campaign to destroy the teaching career of a Prof Raz Segal, the Jewish-Israeli genocide expert who dared to speak the truth and call out the genocide that Israel is carrying out in Gaza:.
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Israel will get COVID vaccines to West Bank settlers but not to Palestinians living in West Bank under Israeli military law or in Gaza under Israeli blockade. I don’t think there can be a clearer illustration possible: This. Is. Apartheid.
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Anyone denying that Israel has for nearly 2 months been wreaking on Gaza a policy of mass displacement, total destruction, widespread killing, & deliberate ethnic cleansing is either pathologically delusional or engaging in brazen, cruel gaslighting.
Israeli Channel 13 explains today the logic behind destroying everything (including the court and theatre) in North Gaza: to make it uninhabitable, to prevent people from returning! . #GenocideinGaza
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A short 🧵 on people who maligned/defamed/slandered @RepRashida now trying to pretend they didn't.
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It increasingly feels like there is a contingent of pro-Israel journos & activists seeking to cynically stoke fears about Jewish safety in order to make inevitable & normalize eventual police/national guard violence against peaceful campus protesters for Palestinian rights.
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2) In 2006, Hamas didn’t run on a “kill the Jews” platform. It ran as “The party of change & reform” on a platform boiling down to: the other guys are corrupt & for 15 yrs have achieved nothing—time to throw them out. For most voters, a vote for Hamas was a vote against Fatah.
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The latest round of manufactured outrage & hate being directed at @FranceskAlbs is just beyond the pale. Those of us who know & have worked with her cannot be silent. 1/.
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If a Jewish student at any US school was injured in what appeared to be a hit-and-run hate crime, it would (correctly) be national news. But this exact thing happened to an Arab student at Stanford yesterday & it appears to have barely cracked local news.
Hit-and-run injures Arab Muslim student, incident under investigation as hate crime
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Huntington News: Video footage reveals ‘Kill the Jews’ remark used to explain police intervention at Northeastern made by pro-Israel counterprotester in provocation
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“Unfortunately, when they knew that I am a doctor and general surgeon, they treated me more badly” . Utterly devastating article in @theintercept documenting Israel’s systematic targeting & abuse of Palestinian medical personnel - take the time to read in full.
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This is the new antisemitism — which no, isn’t hiding in criticism of Israel - it’s out in the open in the delegitimization of Jewish-ness of some Jews for their political beliefs.
Ben Shapiro condemns Bernie Sanders, saying he's "as Jewish as a ham sandwich. He's Jewish like Karl Marx was Jewish"
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Jews attack a Palestinian tonite on Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street amid chants: "A Jew is a soul, an Arab is a son of a bitch". Everyone who for decades has reflexively defended Israel/Israeli impunity no matter its crimes against Palestinians — don’t you dare look away. YOU OWN THIS.
ערבי מותקף הערב ע״י יהודים ברחוב יפו בירושלים על רקע קראיות ״יהודי זה נשמה, ערבי זה בן זונה״.
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Disgusting smearing of a warrior for human rights/intl law who has been SLANDERED for her legitimate criticism of Israel—by the rep of a US Admin that is complicit in genocide & whose own conflation of criticism of Israel w/ antisemitism has actively endangered Jewish safety.
There is no place for antisemitism from UN-affiliated officials tasked with promoting human rights. While the United States has never supported Francesca Albanese’s mandate, it is clear she is not fit for this or any position at the UN.
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But remember, Israel’s war on Gaza is merely about “eradicating” Hamas - not conquest of land etc. Anyone who dares suggest otherwise can only be antisemitic.
בין כל המשימות המבצעיות הספקנו השבוע גם להכניס ספר תורה לבית שלנו בחאן יונס. תוספת של קדושה וגבורה,.ותזכורת תמידית מה מקור חייו ועוצמתו של העם האהוב שלנו. עם הנצח- ינצח!
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ICYMI, a Texas judge has just ruled that enforcing the IHRA definition of antisemitism as a limit on free speech on university campuses is UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
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Escalating terrorism by Jewish settlers, enabled & often joined by the IDF, targeting Palestinians - people, their homes, cars, business land, animals - is raging across the West Bank. This thread will pull together recent video/pix. Nobody can saw they didn't know.
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For folks with short memories, this is basically the same speech Bibi delivered exactly a week ago to the people of Lebanon.
The people of Iran should know - Israel stands with you
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State Dept official resigns in protest of Biden Admin policy re Israel’s assault on Gaza. Read his letter:.
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Reminder: Israel has destroyed every Palestinian university in the Gaza Strip.
Academic researchers in Israel say they are being “affected dramatically” by negative international reactions to Israel’s military actions against Hamas in Gaza, a recent survey finds.
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Conflating AIPAC & Jews — like conflating Israel & Jews — is textbook antisemitism.
Unsurprising, but still deeply concerning to see AOC react to the election by blaming @AIPAC for “overly influencing” Congress and falsely claiming that supporting Israel is “wildly unpopular.” Scapegoating the Jews for one’s failure is unreflective and a truly pathetic and ugly.
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A thread on the @IlhanMN controvery: . Over 15+ yrs working the Hill on Israel-related issues from a non-AIPAC point of view, members/staff (both parties) told me over & over that they agreed with me but didn’t dare say so publicly for fear of repercussions from AIPAC et al. 1/.
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Flashback:
Dear NYPD: Please, please, please arrest these faculty members.
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Yes, allowing civilians access to water is good. But:. - no credit to Israel for a “humanitarian gesture” - turning the water off in the 1st place was a WAR CRIME;. - Israel is leaving water off in the northern half of Gaza - a continuing war crime in support of ethnic cleansing.
Israeli officials confirm they turned on the water supply to the southern Gaza strip. It happens after strong U.S. pressure in the last 48 hours.
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With Israel today outlawing UNRWA, a reminder: the campaign to end UNRWA pre-dates 10/7/23 by decades, & has NOTHING to do with terror. It is & has always been about erasing Palestinians & Palestinian rights. I wrote about this, with receipts, in 2018: .
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Israel moves ahead with formal annexation of the southern West Bank (but without using the word “annexation” so nobody will get upset…).
היום תעלה בועדת שרים לענייני חקיקה הצעת חוק עם כותרת ��שמימה: "הרשות לפיתוח הנגב והגליל הגדרת הנגב". מדובר בחוק סיפוח על מלא שבעצם אומר שכל ההתנחלויות והמאחזים שנמצאים מתחת לקו השחור במפה יכללו תחת הרשות לפיתוח הנגב והגליל ויתוקצבו בהתאם.
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4) One additional point: for folks who are fixed on voting, note that Hamas *did not win a majority in the 2006 election* -- across the WB & Gaza it won a plurality w/ 44.45% of the vote. In Gaza, Hamas didn't win a majority of votes in any district.
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Documents Confirm Israelis Poisoned Arab Wells in 1948 . Why is it important to set record straight after 70+ yrs? Cuz even today, when Palestinians report what Israel is doing defenders still cry "antisemitism" to discredit facts/ensure Israeli impunity.
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It was NEVER about freeing the hostages. It was NEVER even really about dealing a blow to Hamas. It was ALWAYS about seizing the opportunity to erase/ethnically cleanse Palestinian life in Gaza. It was ALWAYS about exploiting the horror/trauma of Oct 7 as cover for genocide.
Netanyahus national security adviser made clear this week several times that there will be no hostage deal. The war will go on and on.
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Weapons Israel spent years developing/using to suppress Palestinians protests & rights (with most Jewish Israelis not caring a whit) — now turned by the Israeli govt against it own Jewish citizens to suppress their protests & rights. Who could possibly have seen this coming?.
💥New: Police have brought sound cannons (LRAD) to the Tel Aviv protest, in a dense urban area.
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Tough day for AIPAC and friends.
Countries that cannot function without US foreign aid should simply not exist. You have no right to exist as a nation if your existence depends on forced donations from the citizens of another country. Take away all foreign aid permanently and let the chips fall where they may.
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For nearly 3 mos many “serious” analysts & intl community policymakers have glibly dismissed warnings that Israel is seeking to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip — & have dismissed clear statements of this intent from Israeli govt/IDF officials. Now, here we are:.
And today, @netanyahu publicly acknowledges that his government is working to advance the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. He says the problem is to find where to send them. "We are working on it. It's the direction we are heading"
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I’m getting many requests to talk to media about what is happening in Jerusalem. I’ve refused every one. The media MUST center Palestinian voices. And it’s incumbent on non-Palestinians who get these requests to challenge the pervasive media practice that fails to do so.
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The cruelty is the point.
Israel bombed the main drinking water supply in Jabilya just now and here are people witnessing their only source of water run through their streets. Israel is sending a message to Jabilya that existence there will now be impossible. Where are they to go…?
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New bill in NY Senate, "New York state antisemitism vandalism Act," would create a special Class A misdemeanor for the crime of vandalizing "pro-Israel print." The evolution of "antisemitism" into a word whose entire meaning is focused on supporting/defending Israel is complete.
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This will gives a single US official authority to strip US non-profits orgs of their non-profit status in a peremptory manner, w/ virtually no limitations, accountability, or meaningful recourse, based merely on his declaration they are “terrorist supporting organizations” . 3/.
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I resigned from World Central Kitchen because it refused to tell the truth about the Israeli genocide in Gaza – Mondoweiss
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ICYMI: Israeli Prime Minister declares West Bank is part of state of Israel & Israeli law applies there. Zero ambiguity: without fanfare Israel has de facto & de jure annexed the West Bank. Israeli rule over Palestinians ["local population"] in this single state is apartheid.
Live update: Netanyahu: The law applies everywhere — the Golan, West Bank and Ayalon Highway
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There is a special place in hell - and it’s gonna be crowded - for people who have the power to do something to stop the killing of civilians but instead just give lip service to “concern” & “grieving” for innocent lives lost while actively enabling/egging on genocide.
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Deplorable, racist, monstrous behavior by a US senator targeting one of the most principled, thoughtful human beings I know & am proud to call a dear friend (& who btw does more to support the actual safety of Jewish Americans than any of the philosemitic clowns in Congress).
In Senate hearing on hate, Sen John Kennedy says Arab American Institute ED Maya Berry (only Muslim witness) supports Hamas, Hezbollah. "You should hide your head in a bag.". Hearing strayed far from beginning which acknowledged Tree of Life victims & 6-year-old Wadea al-Fayoume.
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Jewish students pay for provocative banner flown over Harvard [along with a Palestinian flag, making it appear falsely like an antisemitic stunt organized by supporters of Palestinians]
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When Russia does it: “Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with winter coming - these are acts of pure terror.”. When Israel does it: WE SUPPORT ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE and anyone who mentions war crimes is in league with terrorists.
Russia’s attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes. Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with winter coming - these are acts of pure terror. And we have to call it as such.
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Palestinians & observers have for nearly 6 mos been saying the IDF is indiscriminately killing Palestinian men for the sin of being of "fighting age" & counting them as "terrorists" in their stats. Maybe now that Barak Ravid is stating it on CNN, people will believe it.
This breakdown of the deadly drone strike on @WCKitchen workers by @BarakRavid is the best I’ve seen. Incidents like these happen every few days. We just don’t hear about them.
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Observations on the current the moment - a 🧵. Israel used 10/7 to manufacture US consent/collaboration to undo what Bibi & his Greater Israel/neocon fellow travelers (incl in US) have long viewed as historic errors forced on Israel by weak leaders & intl appeasers of terror. 1/.
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Why is Israel attacking Palestinian human rights defenders? . The same reasons it's getting set to implement new restrictions on access to the West Bank for foreigners. The same reasons it has prioritized branding criticism of Israel/Zionism as "antisemitism" worldwide. 1/.
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Israeli Settlers Have Found a New Way to Abuse Palestinian Shepherds: Bankrupting Them. This week police impounded 700 sheep claiming they passed through a “forbidden zone”. To retrieve them the shepherds paid 150k shekels to the settlers' regional council
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Original source: The amazing @JewishCurrents -- which if you're not already following you should be!
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This is open racism. This is brazen Islamophobia. This is the new antisemitism — which no, isn’t hiding in criticism of Israel - it’s out in the open in the delegitimization of Jewish-ness of some Jews for their political beliefs.
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Another heads up! As the House gets set to pass legislation that would codify/endorse the IHRA definition of antisemitism on US campuses, 2 members of Congress who back that bill have helpfully given us a hint at the future they they envision. 1/.
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If you want insight into the thinking of “ordinary Palestinians” living for decades under the boot of Israeli military occupation & subjected to the violent, arrogant whims of Israeli settlers, ASK PALESTINIANS, not an American rabbi living in a West Bank settlement.
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The explicit target of this legislation is orgs involved in/supporting protest against Israel’s war on Gaza, most notably SJP. But of course, if passed into law, it could be used against any tax-exempt org working for an objective disfavored by the Admin in power. 4/.
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The shocking truth behind the Baghdad bombings of 1950 and 1951. Avi Shlaim claims to have uncovered undeniable proof that Zionist agents were responsible for targeting the Jewish community, forcing them to flee Iraq and settle in Israel
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All of us who work on Israel-Palestine are used to hearing: “if only the Palestinians embraced unarmed resistance!”.
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'Israel practices apartheid,' says group representING 120 of Israel's most prominent law profs [reminder: per US Congress, AJC, ADL & friends, this statement means thse Israeli law profs are ipso facto ANTISEMITES, per IHRA Definition of antisemitism].
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Land for new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem was owned by Palestinians before 1948, files show
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A Palestinian Family Is Brutally Attacked by Settlers, Then Interrogated by Police
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Let history record: on the eve of Israel's comms blockout on Gaza & massive bombing of civilians already starving/thirsty/ displaced/injured/mourning/with no place to shelter. the US Senate was passing resolutions undermining right to protest for these people's safety/existence.
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Yes, the ADL is calling Jewish Americans antisemitic for protesting Israel massacring Palestinians in Gaza.
Protestors have unlawfully occupied the rotunda of the Capitol today. Our Regional Director @mermirmanweisel clearly stated that these far-left radical organizations do not represent the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community. Read our statement:
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Trump has nominated Mike Huckabee as US amb to Israel. Time for a quick review of the views/agenda re: Israel/Palestine that this nomination effectively endorses 🧵.
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As many of us have been warning (and tracking) for the past year:
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Joining in on slandering a UN special rapporteur @FranceskAlbs - for the sin of doing her job with integrity - is sadly totally on-brand for the Biden Admin.
StateSpox was asked about UN Special Rapporteur @FranceskAlbs’s report on Gaza which said there’s reasonable ground that the threshold for genocide has been met. Miller said they oppose mandate of this rapporteur, accused her of antisemitism and rejected allegations of genocide.
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Palestinian girl shot in mother's arms as they attempted to return to home in northern Gaza - CNN. "Graphic footage shot for CNN shows Sally crying out in pain, blood on her body with a wound on her head and arm as she gets treated by two doctors.".
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As people contemplate the broader implications of the US/Europe giving israel carte blanche to massacre Palestinian civilians in Gaza, note that Israel’s justification - endorsed fully by the US/Europe - is based on a complete overturning of the most basic law of war. 1/.
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The goal of the new legislation is to dispense with the due process (incl the need for evidence) afforded under law to targeted groups, empowering a single US official to act as prosecutor, judge, jury, & executioner of US orgs whose viewpoints that official disagrees with. 7/.
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1st they dehumanized & mass slaughtered Palestinians in Gaza…. Song calling for death of Dua Lipa & Bella Hadid ‘tops charts in Israel’
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Watch this. DO NOT LOOK AWAY. This is the daily reality for Palestinians in the West Bank. The fact that it doesn’t make the news until houses are burning doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. They have NO PROTECTION. The IDF actively enables/supports this terrorism.
Another Pogrom -📍Burin, today. Jewish settlers & Israeli army attack homes on east side of Burin. The settlers are numerous & use vehicles. The soldiers aid & protect the settlers. they shoot tear gas at Palestinians homes, suffocating residents. Watch 👇.
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