munkle
Diamond Member
- Dec 18, 2012
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Excellent long overdue article...
https://www.mintpressnews.com/its-ev...n-full/255112/
It's Even Worse Than Ilhan Omar Said: AIPAC Is the Tip of the Israel Lobby Iceberg
By Alison Weir
Freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has come under fire for a Twitter exchange in which she implied that AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is the reason that so many Congressional representatives support Israel over American interests and principles. First, journalist Glenn Greenwald (who is Jewish but has also been accused of being “antisemitic”) tweeted:
Glenn Greenwald
✔@ggreenwald
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1094727576013193216
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib over their criticisms of Israel. It's stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/kevin-mccarthy-promises-action-against-ilhan-omar-and-rashida-tlaib-1.6917751 …
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Kevin McCarthy promises ‘action’ against Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib
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Omar then retweeted Greenwald’s tweet (which linked to an Israeli news report) and commented:
It’s all about the Benjamins baby
The musical notes at the end of her tweet were because she was referring to a song by Puff Daddy, “It’s All About the Benjamins” (“Benjamins” being a colloquial term for money, referring to the image of Benjamin Franklin on $100 bills).
Among those who immediately called her tweet “antisemitic” was the fervently pro-Israel opinion editor for the Jewish Forward, Batya Ungar-Sargon, who posted a sarcastic tweet saying she’d “like to know” who Omar “thinks is paying [sic] American politicians to be pro-Israel….”
Batya Ungar-Sargon
✔@bungarsargon
https://twitter.com/bungarsargon/status/1094756291803791360
Would love to know who @IlhanMN thinks is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, though I think I can guess. Bad form, Congresswoman. That's the second anti-Semitic trope you've tweeted.
Ilhan Omar
✔@IlhanMN
It's all about the Benjamins baby
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/statu...27576013193216 …
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In the tradition of short Twitter posts, Omar responded with one word: “AIPAC.”
Attackers & Defenders
Powerful members of the Israel lobby, and those who go along with it, instantly castigated her for her tweets, and have continued lambasting her ever since. Omar apologized.
Many other writers, most much less prominent, defended Omar and said there was no need for an apology.
Some Jewish organizations known for opposition to violent and illegal Israeli actions publicly supported her. One, however, still suggested she had used an antisemitic “trope” and another said she had used “an unfortunate choice of words,” emphasizing that antisemitism “is on the rise” – an ADL talking point that bolsters U.S. support for Israel. (We deeply hope that the claimed rise is not actually true, though we know that bigoted opinions, like all others, ebb and flow. The fact is that the ADL often tars activism for Palestinian rights as “antisemitic.” And there arequestionsabout the explanations for incidents cited by the ADL, as well as about its claims. A major part of the ADL’s mission is to advocate for Israel, which it does in numerous ways.)
Some articles defending Omar describe the power and mission of AIPAC. A few of the pieces also point out that there are others in addition to AIPAC who influence U.S. politicians to support Israel, despite Israel’s systemic discrimination, violation of human rights and international law, and contravention of U.S. laws.
A Quartz article reports that Israel partisans Sheldon and Miriam Adelson gave over $123 million on behalf of Israel in the midterm elections. The article also noted: “The Center for Responsive Politics calls the overall pro-Israel politics lobby one of the most ‘active and well-financed’ groups related to international issues in America.’” MORE >>> https://www.mintpressnews.com/its-ev...n-full/255112/
https://www.mintpressnews.com/its-ev...n-full/255112/
It's Even Worse Than Ilhan Omar Said: AIPAC Is the Tip of the Israel Lobby Iceberg
By Alison Weir
Freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has come under fire for a Twitter exchange in which she implied that AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is the reason that so many Congressional representatives support Israel over American interests and principles. First, journalist Glenn Greenwald (who is Jewish but has also been accused of being “antisemitic”) tweeted:

✔@ggreenwald
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1094727576013193216
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib over their criticisms of Israel. It's stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/kevin-mccarthy-promises-action-against-ilhan-omar-and-rashida-tlaib-1.6917751 …
18.4K
5:39 PM - Feb 10, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Kevin McCarthy promises ‘action’ against Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib
haaretz.com
8,938 people are talking about this
Omar then retweeted Greenwald’s tweet (which linked to an Israeli news report) and commented:
It’s all about the Benjamins baby

The musical notes at the end of her tweet were because she was referring to a song by Puff Daddy, “It’s All About the Benjamins” (“Benjamins” being a colloquial term for money, referring to the image of Benjamin Franklin on $100 bills).
Among those who immediately called her tweet “antisemitic” was the fervently pro-Israel opinion editor for the Jewish Forward, Batya Ungar-Sargon, who posted a sarcastic tweet saying she’d “like to know” who Omar “thinks is paying [sic] American politicians to be pro-Israel….”

✔@bungarsargon
https://twitter.com/bungarsargon/status/1094756291803791360
Would love to know who @IlhanMN thinks is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, though I think I can guess. Bad form, Congresswoman. That's the second anti-Semitic trope you've tweeted.
Ilhan Omar
✔@IlhanMN
It's all about the Benjamins baby

4,621
7:33 PM - Feb 10, 2019
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2,973 people are talking about this
In the tradition of short Twitter posts, Omar responded with one word: “AIPAC.”
Attackers & Defenders
Powerful members of the Israel lobby, and those who go along with it, instantly castigated her for her tweets, and have continued lambasting her ever since. Omar apologized.
Many other writers, most much less prominent, defended Omar and said there was no need for an apology.
Some Jewish organizations known for opposition to violent and illegal Israeli actions publicly supported her. One, however, still suggested she had used an antisemitic “trope” and another said she had used “an unfortunate choice of words,” emphasizing that antisemitism “is on the rise” – an ADL talking point that bolsters U.S. support for Israel. (We deeply hope that the claimed rise is not actually true, though we know that bigoted opinions, like all others, ebb and flow. The fact is that the ADL often tars activism for Palestinian rights as “antisemitic.” And there arequestionsabout the explanations for incidents cited by the ADL, as well as about its claims. A major part of the ADL’s mission is to advocate for Israel, which it does in numerous ways.)
Some articles defending Omar describe the power and mission of AIPAC. A few of the pieces also point out that there are others in addition to AIPAC who influence U.S. politicians to support Israel, despite Israel’s systemic discrimination, violation of human rights and international law, and contravention of U.S. laws.
A Quartz article reports that Israel partisans Sheldon and Miriam Adelson gave over $123 million on behalf of Israel in the midterm elections. The article also noted: “The Center for Responsive Politics calls the overall pro-Israel politics lobby one of the most ‘active and well-financed’ groups related to international issues in America.’” MORE >>> https://www.mintpressnews.com/its-ev...n-full/255112/