Resolution Opposing Israel Boycott Passes with Huge Bipartisan Support as Omar, Tlaib and AOC Oppose It
The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution opposing an effort to boycott Israel and its supporters.
Three of the progressive House Democrats who have dubbed themselves “the squad” voted against the resolution — Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. The fourth, Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, supported the measure.
The vote was 398-17. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the only Republican to oppose it. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who now considers himself an independent, was among five members voting “present,” Fox News reported.
BREAKING: 398 House members just voted for H.Res.246 in a powerful statement opposing the global BDS campaign and its deliberate discrimination of Israel. This overwhelming vote is representative of the breadth, depth and diversity of bipartisan support for Israel in Congress. pic.twitter.com/B4j6kNYKaF
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) July 23, 2019
The resolution opposes the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which seeks to target American companies that do business with Israel.
Tlaib attacked the resolution, The New York Times reported.
“I stand before you as the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, parents who experienced being stripped of their human rights, the right to freedom of travel, equal treatment. So, I can’t stand by and watch this attack on our freedom of speech and the right to boycott the racist policies of the government and the state of Israel,” she said.
Omar attacked the resolution last week.
“We should condemn in the strongest terms violence that perpetuates the occupation, whether it is perpetuated by Israel, Hamas or individuals. But if we are going to condemn violent means of resisting the occupation, we cannot also condemn nonviolent means,” she said.
Israel is a defender of democratic values and a key American ally. You don’t boycott friends, and the boycott, divest, and sanction (BDS) movement is a terrible idea.
Tonight I was proud to vote against the BDS efforts of the far-left.
— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) July 23, 2019
Other lawmakers supported the resolution. “Boycotts have been previously used as tools for social justice in this very country,” said Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida. “But B.D.S. doesn’t seek social justice. It seeks a world in which the state of Israel doesn’t exist.”
Illinois Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider, a co-sponsor of the resolution, told CNN that Tlaib was off-base with her claims about the bill.
“It does not stop any speech about Israel or anything else. It recognizes the legitimate purpose and just ends of boycotts through our history. But not every boycott is legitimate or just,” he said. “There are a lot of people who support the BDS movement, but they may not necessarily understand the intent or the expression of … the BDS movement. The movement itself — its intent, its goals — are anti-Semitic.”
Rep. Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican, made that point clear.
Israel is our best ally in the Mid East; a beacon of hope, freedom & liberty, surrounded by existential threats. Shame on Rep @Ilhan Omar for bringing her hateful twist on that reality to House Foreign today, propping up the BDS movement & blaming Israel for all of its challenges pic.twitter.com/y975D0JCaC
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) July 17, 2019
“We must reject the blatant anti-Semitics injected throughout BDS,” he said.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
