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Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, on Saturday condemned Israel as a racist state, warning activists that there is an organized opposition against progressive critics of Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians.

The sharp criticism from the lawmaker from Washington state marks among the highest-level condemnations of Israel, as several members of her caucus plan to boycott Israel President Isaac Herzog’s address to a joint session of Congress later this week.

Speaking on a panel at Netroots Nation, an annual progressive activist conference in Chicago, Jayapal was addressing pro-Palestinian attendees interrupting the session.

  • generalpotato@lemmy.worldEnglish
    64·
    1 year ago

    Right. Let me kick you out of your house that you’ve had for generations because I can “claim” the land as mine as my ancestors resided there a thousand years ago. This is the dumbest argument to justify ethnic cleansing. Stop trying to pass this revisionist idiocy off as “education”.

    • SwampYankee@mander.xyzEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      because I can “claim” the land as mine as my ancestors resided there a thousand years ago

      Actually, the Jewish National Fund purchased land from subjects of the Ottoman Empire. Often when the Jews showed up to claim their purchase, they found that there were Palestinian Arabs living there. That’s a result of misappropriations under the Ottoman Land Act of 1858.

      That doesn’t make the situation any less horrible, but it’s a far cry from the way you describe it.

    • Zstom6IP@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Those practices mostly started in 48 during the nakba, and resumed after the six day war, predominently done in the west bank now, and in 48 in the panhandle near jerusalem.