MAGA Mike And Chuck Schumer Are Eager To Welcome War Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu To Capitol Hill

The Pro-Genocide Lobby Will Be Watching To See Who Boycotts

Yesterday, Jen Perelman, the Democrat running for the Broward County seat AIPAC puppet Debbie Wasserman Schultz somehow still has, scoffed when I asked her if she would go, were she already a member of Congress, to the joint address by Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. “No,” she said, “I wouldn't attend an address by Netanyahu unless I knew he was being publicly arrested at the event. I think we should all be concerned with the amount of our ‘representatives’ who welcome a war criminal with open arms. I can only hope that legislators who were complicit in the Palestinian genocide will also be held criminally accountable.” (Let me just add, that if you’d like to help Jen get her message out to South Florida voters and replaced Wasserman Schultz and AIPAC in Congress, please contribute to her campaign here.) 

As you may have read by now, Bernie won’t be attending, nor, I suspect, will many of the other progressives who aren’t afraid of AIPAC. Watch Bernie, who said inviting him “is a terrible idea,” explain why he won’t attend during a CNN interview:

Bernie: “You have a prime minister who has created the worst humanitarian disaster in modern history. Israel, of course, had the right to defend itself against the Hamas terrorist attack, but what Netanyahu has done is gone to war against— all-out war— against the entire Palestinian people, women and children. Five percent of the population is now dead or wounded. 60 percent of them are women and children. Some 200,000 housing units have been completely destroyed. Every university in Gaza has been bombed. There is now imminent starvation taking place. So why you would invite somebody who has done such horrific things to the Palestinian people is something that I think is a very bad idea.”

Other Democrats who have also said thanks, but no thanks include Summer Lee and Mark Pocan (WI) who noted that he doesn’t “expect much from Netanyahu anymore. I barely consider him a world leader. I consider him a war criminal, at this point.” Jan Schakowsky said, “I boycotted his last visit. I certainly will not attend this one. It’s not going to help move us forward— it’s a detriment. Should he come for any reason, in any venue, I am not going to be there.” She correctly mentioned that something most of the members of congress don’t get: “He’s a menace.”

MAGA Mike, Louisiana racist, snubbed William Ruto, the president of Kenya (population- 54 million) but couldn’t wait to invite the war criminal from Israel (pop- 9.5 million) back again. I don't wonder why.

Wisconsin progressive congressional candidate Eric Wilson feels like many candidates when it comes to this Netanyahu address— but unlike most, he’s willing to speak out about it and let voters in his district know where he stands. The Republican incumbent and the Blue Dog Democrat and the wishy-washy Democrat are on another page, together— “rah, rah Israel! Go, go AIPAC!”

Wilson on the other hand told me he thinks “it’s a terrible idea. I agree with Bernie in that we need to hold people to the same standards set forth. No one has the right to do whatever they want and based on international guidelines, he has not only killed thousands of civilians but as the prosecutor says that Netanyahu is responsible for ‘depriving [civilians] of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions.’ It is clear that Netanyahu’s actions have created the dire situation in Gaza. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. We have the moral obligation to stand up and call out atrocities for what they are and hold people accountable for their actions. To herd people into a confined area, cut them off from food, water and other essentials and then raid and bomb the area is an atrocity.”

He said he doesn’t know if he would go or not but that he doesn’t agree with the invitation being extending and he doesn’t like that it was. “The role of Congress is to authorize the usage of the US’s resources both domestically and abroad. I do not tolerate supporting genocide and it’s a disgrace that others in my race won’t even simply make a statement to call for a ceasefire to just stop the killing. That is not the leadership this country needs, we need strong voices for everyone, like Senator Sanders and the countless others fighting for humanity.”

And please, consider contributing to Eric’s campaign on the same page as Jen’s campaign.